Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen: A review
For book club this month we read, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, by Susan Gregg Gilmore. Since I am not the most outspoken or articulate member of our book club, I thought this would be a good place to "talk" about the book.
*** warning I am going to give away parts of the book in this post!
This is my second time reading the book. I dont know that I got much out of it the first time, to be honest, having read it again I am not even sure I finished it the first time, it was a totally different book a year later. The first time I didnt love it, but the title was so whimsical I want to choose it for my month. Last year I got derailed and went with The Help instead (I recommend watching the movie instead, it glosses over the tough stuff, though the book is good), and this year I selected the "dairy queen" book but got outvoted and went with Insurgent instead. Both were good options, but I was pretty excited when this showed up as the book this month.
I loved the book. I don't know what about it made me love it, but I really did. I loved that this was a coming of age story where the character is forced to rexamine her plans and dreams. I loved it because I think real life so often is like that. I loved that Catherine Grace Cline (loved her name by the way, absolutely love the name Grace) wanted so badly to leave the place she grew up, she seemed to ache for her 18th birthday. I loved that she so blindly shunned the life she was expected to lead and instead made up her own mind, and her own plans. I loved it because that is how I was at her age- blindly shunning the path so many hoped I would take, and instead running down the path I thought would lead to happiness. True, my life was missing the mother that floated away and died down the river, and the high expectations that undoubtly would plague the daughter of a small town reverend, but as a teenager I too felt like the expectations from those around me were smothering. Even more than Catherine Grace's attitude towards small town southern life, and her actions to get away from it, I loved that in the end she turned around and accepted that where she started wasnt a bad place to end up. I think that my own experience (though admittedly less dramatic and filled with dilly bars) was similar- the life I had wanted so badly to shun and escape from was what I ended up choosing, I think my 18 year old self would be a little bit shocked and horrified to see what I ended up choosing, and I think the same is true for Catherine Grace. She spent so much time running from Ringgold, but when circumstances changed she returns, embraces life, and looks for a place to plant her tomatoes.
I loved that Catherine Grace was a real character. She was both good and bad, selfless and unselfish. She acted the way I thought a teenage girl would act through most of the book- set on her plans, resentful at times, just plain mean at others, but still sweet and good. I liked that she questioned her faith and in the end came out stronger for her self examination. I liked that even though she waivered from what she had been taught, throughout the book she seemed to know that it was her faith that would sustain her through difficulty and that it was her faith that was the center of who she was. I think so many teenage girls face this same situation, I know I did, and it was beautiful to see the author describe those feelings.
I loved the author's portrayal of the father (Reverend Cline). I have been reading The Poisonwood Bible (another favorite) at the same time, and the dichotomy between the two fathers is startling. Reverend Cline is human, yes he makes mistakes, actually some huge mistakes, but he seems to know that he has shortcomings, whether or not they are shared publically. He is also portrayed as a rather selfless figure, always wanting to show his daughters that he loved them and to care for his flock. He buys Catherine Grace the luggage to leave home 2 years before she goes, and at no point does he forbid her to go to Atlanta, instead he does what we all hope to do as parents- stand with our children and support them when they decide they are ready to leave the nest. He is broken hearted when she leaves, I think that all of us hope that a little part of our parents misses us when we go, and the Reverend Cline does truly seem to miss his daughter, though he doesn't try and make her give up the life she is building on her own. While I was a little surprised by his actions at the end of the book, I didnt feel the surge of anger I thought I would, there was a bit of understanding for the character, understanding for the why his relationship ended with his wife, and even a bit of sadness that he wasnt able to love the Sunday School teacher in the way they both wanted. Nathan Price (the father in the Poisonwood Bible) wasnt any of those things, even after reading the book a 3rd or is it a 4th time, I cant relate or understand him, but that is a discussion for another day.
I loved that the book ended and began really, with belief in humanity. The town of Ringgold steps in to help raise the Cline daughters, even the sheriff looks to protect them. They step in to help the girls heal at the end of the book, and the girls themselves are impacted by this outpouring of the love and are able to move on from tragedy and help others (particularly the Sunday School teacher).
I throughly enjoyed the neighbor, Gloria Jean. She was wonderful to the girls despite the gossip, and despite not really needing to be there. She showed that good still exists in the world (though I know this is book, and set in the 1970's), and that people do really do things because they believe that they are the right thing to do. She taught the girls lessons about love, forgiveness, acceptance, and selflessness, and she provided a wonderful example of a mother's selfless love in the midst of the rocky teen years.
Overall, I loved the book (didnt get that from the 17 times I said love?). It was entertaining, but still a little bit thought provoking, not too much, but not just fluff. Read it, and grab a dilly bar, not sure you can get through it without one.
*** warning I am going to give away parts of the book in this post!
This is my second time reading the book. I dont know that I got much out of it the first time, to be honest, having read it again I am not even sure I finished it the first time, it was a totally different book a year later. The first time I didnt love it, but the title was so whimsical I want to choose it for my month. Last year I got derailed and went with The Help instead (I recommend watching the movie instead, it glosses over the tough stuff, though the book is good), and this year I selected the "dairy queen" book but got outvoted and went with Insurgent instead. Both were good options, but I was pretty excited when this showed up as the book this month.
I loved the book. I don't know what about it made me love it, but I really did. I loved that this was a coming of age story where the character is forced to rexamine her plans and dreams. I loved it because I think real life so often is like that. I loved that Catherine Grace Cline (loved her name by the way, absolutely love the name Grace) wanted so badly to leave the place she grew up, she seemed to ache for her 18th birthday. I loved that she so blindly shunned the life she was expected to lead and instead made up her own mind, and her own plans. I loved it because that is how I was at her age- blindly shunning the path so many hoped I would take, and instead running down the path I thought would lead to happiness. True, my life was missing the mother that floated away and died down the river, and the high expectations that undoubtly would plague the daughter of a small town reverend, but as a teenager I too felt like the expectations from those around me were smothering. Even more than Catherine Grace's attitude towards small town southern life, and her actions to get away from it, I loved that in the end she turned around and accepted that where she started wasnt a bad place to end up. I think that my own experience (though admittedly less dramatic and filled with dilly bars) was similar- the life I had wanted so badly to shun and escape from was what I ended up choosing, I think my 18 year old self would be a little bit shocked and horrified to see what I ended up choosing, and I think the same is true for Catherine Grace. She spent so much time running from Ringgold, but when circumstances changed she returns, embraces life, and looks for a place to plant her tomatoes.
I loved that Catherine Grace was a real character. She was both good and bad, selfless and unselfish. She acted the way I thought a teenage girl would act through most of the book- set on her plans, resentful at times, just plain mean at others, but still sweet and good. I liked that she questioned her faith and in the end came out stronger for her self examination. I liked that even though she waivered from what she had been taught, throughout the book she seemed to know that it was her faith that would sustain her through difficulty and that it was her faith that was the center of who she was. I think so many teenage girls face this same situation, I know I did, and it was beautiful to see the author describe those feelings.
I loved the author's portrayal of the father (Reverend Cline). I have been reading The Poisonwood Bible (another favorite) at the same time, and the dichotomy between the two fathers is startling. Reverend Cline is human, yes he makes mistakes, actually some huge mistakes, but he seems to know that he has shortcomings, whether or not they are shared publically. He is also portrayed as a rather selfless figure, always wanting to show his daughters that he loved them and to care for his flock. He buys Catherine Grace the luggage to leave home 2 years before she goes, and at no point does he forbid her to go to Atlanta, instead he does what we all hope to do as parents- stand with our children and support them when they decide they are ready to leave the nest. He is broken hearted when she leaves, I think that all of us hope that a little part of our parents misses us when we go, and the Reverend Cline does truly seem to miss his daughter, though he doesn't try and make her give up the life she is building on her own. While I was a little surprised by his actions at the end of the book, I didnt feel the surge of anger I thought I would, there was a bit of understanding for the character, understanding for the why his relationship ended with his wife, and even a bit of sadness that he wasnt able to love the Sunday School teacher in the way they both wanted. Nathan Price (the father in the Poisonwood Bible) wasnt any of those things, even after reading the book a 3rd or is it a 4th time, I cant relate or understand him, but that is a discussion for another day.
I loved that the book ended and began really, with belief in humanity. The town of Ringgold steps in to help raise the Cline daughters, even the sheriff looks to protect them. They step in to help the girls heal at the end of the book, and the girls themselves are impacted by this outpouring of the love and are able to move on from tragedy and help others (particularly the Sunday School teacher).
I throughly enjoyed the neighbor, Gloria Jean. She was wonderful to the girls despite the gossip, and despite not really needing to be there. She showed that good still exists in the world (though I know this is book, and set in the 1970's), and that people do really do things because they believe that they are the right thing to do. She taught the girls lessons about love, forgiveness, acceptance, and selflessness, and she provided a wonderful example of a mother's selfless love in the midst of the rocky teen years.
Overall, I loved the book (didnt get that from the 17 times I said love?). It was entertaining, but still a little bit thought provoking, not too much, but not just fluff. Read it, and grab a dilly bar, not sure you can get through it without one.
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