Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen: A Novel

Salvation at the Dairy Queen kept my interest with humor and real life events. It isn't one of those kind of books I couldn't wait to get back to but I did look forward to relaxing and reading about what would happen next. It didn't end with everything perfect, just like real life. There are meaningful quotes as well. I am not a prude but it is a pleasure to read a book without the need for an X rating.

This story spoke right to my heart. It reminded me of many things in my own childhood; growing up a ministers daughter and feeling such pressure to be perfect. I'm sure many readers will enjoy this book!

Loved this book- I love how the writer is realistic- this could be non-fiction..the characters are so alive and real...after reading this book I feel like I know exactly what it is like to grow up in a small town as the preachers daughter. The writer is observant and knows human behavior so well. Not the ending I expected- a toast (of sparkling cider of course, preacher wouldn't have it any other way)to Susan Gregg Gilmore!

Loved seeing life through Catherine Grace's eyes, eyes of a child trying to understand loss, eyes of a young adult coming of age, eyes of a young woman learning forgiveness. Do something lovely for yourself; read Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore. It's a fruit to be savored.

Loved the book in the beginning - the voice of the young girl was spot on - the problem is that it didn't change much with age. The ending seemed a little too contrived. It did hold my interest, just wasn't one that made me want to recommend it to my book club.

Well-written for a first-time author. Written from the point of view of a young girl - focus is on her emotions, dreams, relationships over a 12-year period of her childhood and how they influence her adult decisions.

Although exaggerated, I recognized so many of the characters in this book as people I knew while growing up in my own home church. Our family was there every time the church doors opened, with our parents leading the way. A good way to grow up, as the characters in the book also realized.

This was a touching southern story, with similarities to books by Lorna Landvik and Fannie Flagg. It was so easy to visualize this as a movie, too! This writer will go far, and I can't wait to read her next novel!

Great Read
This was a book club selection that I was so sure I would not like, well much to my surprise it was a very nice story. It's a fast read and something to get lost in would be good for on a trip. Our book group (ages 40' s to upper 60s) had a nice discussion.

I have to admit after reading the first few pages I almost didn't finish this book. But I am so glad I did. The characters are so believable that I wish I knew them as real people. There were unexpected events that kept my attention. I hated to see this story end.

Ms. Gilmore reminds me of the authors and the stories of a time now gone. I was hoping the ending would happen the way it did! I hope Ms. Gilmore keeps up the great work. If you have not read this book please pick it up and read I think you will pleasantly surprised and pleased.

I purchased Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore simply because I liked the title. What an incredible novel and Gilmore’s first book lived up to my expectations in every way. I couldn’t read it fast enough.

Catherine Grace Cline is the daughter of a minister in the small town of Ringgold, GA. Her sister, Margaret Ann, is two years younger and their mother died in an accident when Catherine Grace was only six years old. The preacher’s daughter tries to navigate the shoals of childhood, which are often difficult as she and her sister are living under a magnifying glass. But she has big dreams to remove herself from small-town life as soon as she turns 18. In a big city, she can get away from farming, low expectations, tomato plants, and gossip. Just when Catherine Grace thinks that God is finally hearing her prayers, something horrible happens that makes her reexamine her dreams and her priorities.

There are also many lessons to be learned in this novel. You don’t have to attend church to live a Christian life with a loving heart. Your friends can be the family that you create for yourself. Sometimes the dreams that you set for yourself won’t bring you happiness. And sometimes you have to give up way too much to follow those dreams. Only you can determine if the sacrifice is worth it to you. The people who love you will sometimes fail you. And even those who we think are perfect are sinners in their own way. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen is funny and sad, but always moving as we ache for Catherine Grace and the journey that she undergoes from childhood to adult. It is also very well written. Told in the first person, Catherine Grace is extremely perceptive—even when young. Catherine Grace’s father makes her dress up for church. “I really didn’t think Jesus cared what I wore to Cedar Grove Baptist Church, or to see the governor for that matter, considering the fact that in every picture I ever saw of the King of Kings, He was wearing sandals and bundled up in nothing more than a big, baggy robe.” When Reverend Cline starts pestering his daughter to “accept Jesus into my life as my Lord and Savior. I think I would have preferred he’d taken me shopping for my first bra than talked about something as personal as my salvation.” Also, “Daddy said you can see the devil in people’s eyes, but maybe the devil is nothing more than the sadness they carry around inside of them, bottled up so tight that it comes out as pure ugliness…” There is a lot of truth to that.

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen is a terrific break-out novel and I will definitely be looking for more books by Susan Gregg Gilmore.

I could hardly believe this was Susan's first novel. Her characters are rich and inviting and the story was wonderful. It had humor, angst and redemption. What a refreshing book. I absolutely recommend this book and author to everyone.

This book was extremely well written and being from a small town in the south, it accurately depicts that lifestyle and the baptist heritage that goes along with it. I couldn't believe how many twists and turns were in the novel too. I loved this book. It was an easy read that I couldn't put down.

Wow! Really enjoyed this well-written book. Fantastic characters and a great story. If you enjoy fantastic writing, as well as an entertaining read — you are getting well beyond what you paid for with this one. Enjoy!

I am charmed by the writing of Susan Gregg Gilmore. This book is so encouraging and has a powerful message for all those Catherine Grace's in today's world. I highly recommend this book to all. I was stunned to read this was her first novel. It was so well done.

This book held my attention from beginning to end. The characters was so believable and funny. The whole plot was, for the most part, humorous, but there were some serious parts, too. This writer is very talented and has a way of keeping your interest through the whole book. I look forward to reading other books written by her.

I just recently got pulled into the wonderful world of Southern fiction and this book perfectly satisfied my desire for a good southern story. I'm only 23, but this book made me reminisce on what it was like to be 18 and I think I'll wait a few years to read it again to see how my reactions have changed. It's a good story, that's for sure.

what a great first novel. I hope Gilmore writes more. the characters are so well written, you feel like you have known them all your life. this is a story of small southern town life . read and enjoy