The Great Blue Hills of God

December 6, 2019

Beall, along with her husband, Sandy, are cofounders of Blackberry Farm, an upscale resort located near the Smoky Mountains. The two were teammates in many other successful business adventures as well. Life changed suddenly, however, when Kreis took a bad fall, experienced neurological damage, and lost most of her hearing, as well as her senses of smell and taste. While she slowly recovered, she could work only on a limited basis. Eventually, her marriage fell apart, and some years later, her son died in a skiing accident. Amid these tragedies, Beall came to reevaluate her life, and though changing her priorities and a renewed relationship with God, she found new purpose. VERDICT While similar accounts exist on the subject of grief and self-discovery, the inspirational aspects of this well-written work should reach an audience interested in Christian devotional literature or who are familiar with Beall and Blackberry Farm.--John Jaeger, Johnson Univ., Knoxville, TN

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 13, 2020
Entrepreneur Beall—cofounder of the Blackberry Farm resort in Tennessee and the former wife of Ruby Tuesday’s founder, Sandy Beall—tells of overcoming obstacles in her moving debut. The author was swept away in 1975 by her future husband, who pulled up in a Jaguar with “two cut-crystal highball glasses filled with icy gin and tonics” on the dash. For the next 36 years, Beall and Sandy opened restaurants, moved in and out of countless picture-perfect homes all over the South, and raised two boys—until the marriage between the two admitted workaholics started to show cracks, and they divorced. Throughout this time, Beall faced tragedies—including a devastating brain injury that damaged her hearing and sense of smell; the loss of a child to a skiing accident; a house fire; and a sister suffering from substance abuse. Yet she puts a positive spin on matters, a perspective she attributes to her growing Christian faith: “The comfort that God gives me is strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with life.” Beall’s earnest, uplifting memoir will resonate with faith-based readers.