Sometimes Today's Answers Are Hidden . . . (Christian Softcover Originals)

I have read many Christian authors but Karen takes the cake in her unchristian attitude toward the Catholic Church. She needs to do more research on a faith before she defames it! Catholics are Christian, as a matter of fact the first Christian Church founded by Christ himself! The Catholic church was inaccurately represented. For instance in planning a funeral for John - a mass would be personalized with his favorite songs, presentation of the gifts,the homily, and possibly a eulogy at the end of the mass. Other prayers such as the serenity prayer, testimonies by the family are usually given at a prayer service during the wake the evening before the funeral mass.

Kingsbury meets the problems of life head on and without simple solutions, but leads the reader and her characters to the Godly solution.We know those with these problems and have been there ourselves perhaps, and are ready with insight when life weighs heavy on us as a result of reading this book. Every couple experiences parts of this novel and can see themselves in it.

n Where Yesterday Lives Karen Kingsbury delves into the deep and complex emotions that encompass losing a loved one and growing up and apart from family and friends and how different things in our lives shape us and our perspective on the world so greatly. I love how she tackles these issues through the various eyes of the Barrett family. Ellen Barret--successful yet unfulfilled reporter is the main character but each of the family members is focused on in the book, each of their emotions and backstory come into play. I love how the struggles, fights, and difficulties are shown from each characters perspective because it lends to greater empathy as a reader and really tugs at your heart strings! One of my favorite song lyrics is by Big and Rich and is says, "You never stop loving somebody, no matter what you tell yourself. You never stop loving somebody--you just start loving somebody else." I've always found that to ring so true and part of Ellen's storyline delves into this complex and sometimes dangerous dynamic. Unlike in a few other Kingsbury novels where I wanted to smack the characters for doing stupid things each move that the Barretts make is completely believable and it's easy to see exactly how they would end up where they are as the story develops.

I truly enjoyed this book! It wasn't a light and fluffy read but rather deep and rich and emotional and shows the very fabric of what being a human, along with a fallen sinner who accepts Christ, really is all about.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The core of the story is sad, a dysfunctional family gathers together to bury their much-loved father. Throughout the book, the main character, Ellen, makes some really stupid choices that completely irritated me (I.e. Meeting up with an old boyfriend because her husband stayed home) and her sister Jane was totally unlikable. I almost stopped reading because of the way she treated people. However, I bawled my eyes out while reading the last few chapters, and it had a wonderful ending.

A scattered family is drawn together when the father dies. Four sisters, a brother, and their grieving mother are forced to face the past demons that haunt them and have made them a most disfunctional family in this moving, tear jerking novel. Sibling rivalry, temptation, and buried secrets come against this family as long held resentments are forced to the surface and arguments and tempers flare over the smallest things.
Amidst this ballistic scenario, one of the sisters, Ellen, is reunited with a lost love, at the worst possible time. Her marriage is troubled and she is angry and hurt by her husband's behavior. Finding the man she has always loved again is a temptation almost too great to bear, especially as her family crumbles around her.
Yet, despite all the negative forces, a more powerful one is interceding to work to make all things come together for the good. A new prayer chain encircles this grieving clan in the hope that the power of it will repel the forces of darkness that they have each allowed to enter their heart.
Everyone who has ever lost someone they love or been involved in family contentions will identify with someone in this book. Powerful, realistic, and moving, this novel will inspire you with the power of prayer and love. Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Where Yesterday Lives was a good book, but not my favorite by Karen Kingsbury. While I thought her other books were amazing, this one got a little more tedious. However, the end was terrific. On the other hand, I found the characters very realistic. When the Barrett kids were young, they got along really well. As they grew older, they changed, and their relationships deteriorated as their problems came between them. As their stories were told, I found myself feeling sympathetic for them and understanding each one's individual problems. It was as if I was right there, which is what can make a book really great. And it also showed me what can happen when a family doesn't work to stay together.
I think the only thing that got slightly monotonous was the constant fighting between the siblings. This book only takes place over one week, and when there was so much obvious tension, I began skipping ahead to see when things would finally change. Also, the book is supposed to be mainly about Ellen, but there were many pages about her siblings, which was also necessary to learn about their past. And though I wasn't completely happy with some parts of this book, by the end I was satisfied. And I think anyone who reads this book will finish it feeling satisfied and perhaps even looking at how their own life can change. After all, this book is really about families and love, and how great families really are!

Interestingly enough, I had just found a website that listed my school's graduates from over thirty years ago. I visited my old boyfriend's page. Funny, I had the same cautionary sense in my spirit that this character had when she contacted her old love. While we love to believe that temptation can be conquered, we see today in our world that many people are not able to meet the temptation of a connection with someone other than our spouse and walk away easily. In addition, the disconnect in families today is well written. Kingsbury writes the gritty side of the current lives of Christians and just how surrounding yourself with good Christian friends, staying in the Bible, and listening to that still small voice still apply. As a Catholic, I appreciate her realizing that many of us are readers of the word of God on a regular basis and have a deep faith and personal walk with God just as our Protestant brothers and sisters. She's a must read for Christians of all faiths.

Kingsbury always gives excellent, insightful writing. While the dialogue and problems were/are potentially realistic, the conflict between the siblings and the siblings' personalities were a little agitating and drawn out a little too much for me. But, of course, I'm always thankful for how the characters resolve their issues from a Godly perspective even though the resolution did seem a little rushed. It's still a good story to read and an excellent reminder of the importance and power of prayer.

This story gave me so many emotions. All the books by Karen Kingsbury have so far. There was laughter, crying, anger, and so much more. This story was so heartfelt.
Ellen Barrett overcame so many things in this story. It reminded me a little of a Nicholas Sparks book I read. Which this one came out first but I read his first. But they ended completely different. I think everyone should read Karen Kingsbury books. They are just THAT good.
Inspirational, heartfelt, heartwarming, sincere, breathtaking, so many words describe this one story. I cant come up with them all.

This was yet another of Karen Kingsbury's amazing books!! I don't often cry when I'm reading but I did with this one. Couldn't put it down! Great characters and life experiences that we all go through. I was blessed!! Hope there's a sequel!!

I really enjoyed this book. It opens with a prologue where John Barrett is found having a heart attack. He has not been healthy for years, addressing a stream of surgeries. Barrett dies as a result, which brings the family together. They haven't been close in years, each suffering their personal turmoil. It wasn't until the funeral when each of the sibling got a chance to seek about their father; they could see that he wanted them to be a family.

The book is really centered around the life of journalist Ellen Barrett, but Kingsbury finds a way to journey and entwine the lives of her siblings: Jane, Amy, Megan, and Aaron. This story was a good reminder of the old saying, You don't know where you're going until you know where you've been. Grounded in good spirituality, this book is a must read.

I enjoyed the family dynamics of this story, but I felt like I was being preached to throughout and that bothered me. I am a Christian but it gets tiresome when the bible verses kept coming up over and over. I think had the story stayed with the family and not so much about Ellen, it would have been a 5 star book. The family was real and their pain was real. Losing both my parents and going through both funerals I found that part of the story heartfelt and raw with emotion. I have read other Karen Kingsbury novels and they were less preachy and I liked them much better.

This book is definitely a good read, for certain. However, if you are looking for a LITERARY read, this book may not be your answer.

Kingsbury's fiction is readable & interesting, and her plotline in this book is intriguing & appeals to the humanness in us all. Furthermore, the way she weaves faith into fiction is a good balance, and is done w/ charisma.

However, this book is NOT as literary as the work of some of Kingsbury's contemporaries, like Kingsolver and Monk Kidd, for instance. The writing is more amateurish, in my English professor opinion, than others out there. While I found the characters interesting, I also found it easy to remember that they were CHARACTERS, not real people, since they seemed somewhat 2D to me. Developed, yes, but in a forced way, in a slightly unbelievable way. The dialouge was believable, to some extent, but the way the characters acted in certain circumstances was, to me, paper-doll-ish and obviously crafted.

An example of that is the character Aaron, who is "unemployable" because of his temper. Interesting, yes, but not realistic and not something most people would accept as an excuse from a 25 year old man. I also found the Ellen character and Leslie Maple to be this way too.

Conversely, I really enjoyed the character of Jake Sadler, finding him believable, attractive, and funny. To me, his part in the story was really what made me like the book. It kept me reading.

This book was recommended to me by a friend who knows my heart well and knows I am at times haunted by a situation similar to the one Ellen had with Jake, so , in that way, I found the book to be comforting and worth the read. But know that, in reading it, you may find that the prose is somewhat clunky and dry, not as fresh as real human interaction. Take it with a grain of salt, though; this is a good book.

Not a typical Karen Kingsbury novel. Rather heavy. All about family relationships/misunderstandings and grief following a father's death. Also includes the struggles with temptation, the power of prayer, as well as how marriages can grow cold, and be renewed..

I enjoyed the story. The adult children coming together for their father's funeral and each having their own special memories sounds like most families. We remember and interpret based on our memories and personal experiences.

Once I started reading Where Yesterday Lives, I couldn't put it down. I was impressed by the way Kingsbury captured human emotion and struggle. The characters were so real I felt they were part of my family. I'd highy recommend this book. In fact, I'm going to call my best friend right now and tell her about it!

Karen Kingsbury has that wonderful and rare talent for making her readers truly care what happens to her characters. I found myself in a dilemma: I could not put the book down, yet I didn't want to read it too fast because I didn't want it to be over. Can't wait to read more of her work!

I have read all of Karen Kingsbury novels and loved everyone of them. In this day and time it is good to read Christian fiction. I really enjoyed the Baxters series and would like more on them. Yes, I do recommend Karen's novels to other people.

As with all books by Karen Kingsbury, I was unable to put it down. I've concluded several of her books at 2:00 a.m. when I had to get up at 6:00 because I needed to know how the characters would make it through the tough situations. You won't be disappointed.

Loved this book. I am a christian woman living in Petoskey Michigan which is the actual setting for this book. It was so fun to read about my town in a book with such a great christian story. She did a great job with her research on our area, everything was right on. This was the 3rd Karen Kingsbury book I have read and I am definetly buying more today!!

I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate Karen Kingsbury's work. She captures life from a truly human perspective and leads you to the truth in finding true healing in pain. Karen is a gifted writer. I find her books very relatable and I cannot wait to start another book. I was fortunate to receive a free preview copy of Oceans Apart, and folks you are in for a real treat. IT IS ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT! Just like all her books. Keep up the good work, Karen.