Review (PDF) The Happy Hour Choir
From debut author Sally Kilpatrick comes a hopeful tale of love and redemption in a quiet Southern town where a lost soul finds her way with the help of an unlikely circle of friends. . .Life has dealt Beulah Land a tough hand to play, least of all being named after a hymn. A teenage pregnancy estranged her from her family, and a tragedy caused her to lose what little faith remained. The wayward daughter of a Baptist deacon, she spends her nights playing the piano at The Fountain, a honky-tonk located just across the road from County Line Methodist. But when she learns that a dear friend's dying wish is for her to take over as the church's piano player, she realizes it may be time to face the music. . .Beulah butts heads with Luke Daniels, the new pastor at County Line, who is determined to cling to tradition even though he needs to attract more congregants to the aging church. But the choir also isn't enthusiastic about Beulah's contemporary take on the old songs and refuse to perform. Undaunted, Beulah assembles a ragtag group of patrons from The Fountain to form the Happy Hour Choir. And as the unexpected gig helps her let go of her painful past--and accept the love she didn't think she deserved--she just may be able to prove to Luke that she can toe the line between sinner and saint. . .
File Size: 1147 KB
Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington (April 28, 2015)
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
Sold by: Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B00ONTS5E2
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Not Enabled
Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #14,642 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Living > Music > Songbooks & Chorale Music #24 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Christian #25 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Christian
I bought this for a friend, and read a little bit of it just to see what it was about. The next thing I knew, it was 1 o'clock in the morning and I was hooked on the characters. This certainly is not type of book I usually read by any stretch of the imagination. SciFi and Fantasy are my mainstays, and I also like a good mystery book and some non-fiction. So this story of a lady playing piano in a bar located across from a church was the last thing I expected to enjoy reading. It was really well written and had me laughing, thinking, sympathizing with characters, and even shocked me once or twice. I'd definitely recommend this book.
Sally Kilpatrick writes in an easy-going, come-hither way that draws you in and makes you want to know more about her quirky, endearing characters. Beulah Land has suffered family estrangement and tragedy. She was rescued years earlier by Ginger Belmont. Beulah does just as much rescuing of Ginger, but she doesn't know that for years. Beulah is playing honky-tonk piano at The Fountain daily except Wednesdays and Sundays. The bar is directly across the street from the County Line Methodist Church. The church gets a new preacher. Ginger ropes Beulah into playing piano on Sunday mornings. Next thing you know, Beulah is building a choir from the ground up since County Line's choir has quit in righteous indignation. A religious thread runs through the story, but it's not heavy-handed. I loved the strong female characters and the Preacher Man wasn't half bad either.
I worked for years with Sally's mother and knew her in her younger years so I was really excited to read her book. I found the book to be a very pleasant experience and was most impressed by her somewhat twisted sense of humor. The setting is in West Tennessee in my "neck of the woods" so maybe that was another bias which attributed to my enjoyment of the book. She was a little tough on the Baptists, of which I am one, but, hey, we can take it. Sometimes we might even have a little joke at the Methodists expense. (Come to think of it, she didn't handle the Methodists with kid gloves either.) This is an enjoyable, light, "Happy Hour" read.
The Happy Hour Choir lived up to its promise of romance, but the characters were anything other than the too sweet, one-dimensional, cookie-cutter people in most "Christian" romances. Ms. Kilpatrick shows us the painful damages that can occur to people in any church and any denomination from someone who's seen it from the inside. The book is on the gritty side, the violence a little too graphic and the language a little too vulgar for my taste. I never had to suspend my reality index for the story to feel believable. If anything, it is all too real. However, the plot is intriguing and the pacing well done. The story ends with so many changes that it felt like the beginning of a new story as well as the end of The happy Hour Choir. Personal taste will dictate how well you enjoy this book because the writing never gets in the way. Check it out.
From debut author Sally Kilpatrick comes a hopeful tale of love and redemption in a quiet Southern town where a lost soul finds her way with the help of an unlikely circle of friends…Life has dealt Beulah Land a tough hand to play, least of all being named after a hymn. A teenage pregnancy estranged her from her family, and a tragedy caused her to lose what little faith remained. The wayward daughter of a Baptist deacon, she spends her nights playing the piano at The Fountain, a honky-tonk located just across the road from County Line Methodist. But when she learns that a dear friend’s dying wish is for her to take over as the church’s piano player, she realizes it may be time to face the music…Beulah butts heads with Luke Daniels, the new pastor at County Line, who is determined to cling to tradition even though he needs to attract more congregants to the aging church. But the choir also isn’t enthusiastic about Beulah’s contemporary take on the old songs and refuse to perform. Undaunted, Beulah assembles a ragtag group of patrons from The Fountain to form the Happy Hour Choir. And as the unexpected gig helps her let go of her painful past—and accept the love she didn’t think she deserved—she just may be able to prove to Luke that she can toe the line between sinner and saint…--My thoughts. If you looking for a fun enjoyable book look no further! This one is so entertaining. This ragtag choir that is put together -- one of my favorite lines, " You're living proof prayer works." Fabulous. You will laugh out loud with this book. I hope Kilpatrick comes out with more wonderful books, these are to not be missed! There is romance, lessons to be learned and more!
I'm not usually a romance reader, but I've followed Sally online for several years. I'm also neither Southern nor religious; however, I loved this book! It flows well, has good sub-plots and really wrestles with questions of faith and family. I will warn readers that there is both abuse and rape in this book if that is an issue for you. But outstanding job and I recommend this book.
What a debut novel! I really enjoyed this book. The author has done an outstanding job of capturing the spirit of a small southern town and the lives of some very memorable characters. I read it in one setting because I couldn't put it down after I started it. I definitely look forward to reading more by this author.
The Happy Hour Choir The Portland Psalter Book Two: Responsorial Psalms for Congregation, Cantor & Choir Choir Boy Kittery SATB Choir Vocal Music Score With Piano Accompaniment A Cappella Mass No. 2 in G Major Sheet Music (TTBB Choir, Organ) Conducting a Choir: A Guide for Amateurs Choir Builders: Fundamental Vocal Techniques for Classroom and General Use A Courtesan's Day: Hour by Hour (Famous Japanese Print Series) Estimator's Equipment Installation Man-Hour Manual, Third Edition (Estimator's Man-Hour Library) The 36-Hour Day, fifth edition: The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) The 36-Hour Day, fifth edition: The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) 5th (fifth) edition The 36-Hour Day, fifth edition, large print: The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) Paleo Happy Hour: Appetizers, Small Plates & Drinks A Short and Happy Guide to Contracts (Short and Happy Series) A Short and Happy Guide to Bankruptcy (Short and Happy Series) Short and Happy Guide to Business Organizations (Short and Happy Series) Epstein, Markell and Ponoroff's A Short and Happy Guide to Contracts (Short and Happy Series) A Short and Happy Guide to Property (Short and Happy Series) Schechter's A Short and Happy Guide to Torts (Short and Happy Series) MINDFULNESS: The Bullshit Free Guide To Living a Ridiculously Happy Life - How To Be Present, Peaceful & Content (Transcendental Meditation, Yoga Poses, ... Stress Reduction, How to be Happy)
