The Vintage Wren (The Vintage Wren, #1)

by Chautona Havig

[phyllish]

From convenience queen to social conscience?

My rating is 4.5 stars

My heart jumped into my throat as I watched the plastic-wrapped plastic forks drop onto the table. NO! I thought. Not those!

I was at a team lunch at a build-your-own-pizza place and my boss decided to be ""nice"" and get the forks for everyone. Normally I wouldn't have even really thought twice about it, but you see, I had recently finished reading The Vintage Wren.

Despite thinking I do pretty well in helping preserve the environment, after reading about Cassie's first month in her journey, I know there are so many areas in which I fall short. But my outlook was affected by it, as evidenced by my reaction to my helpful boss.

Cassie is the kind of person who once she makes up her mind to do something, she pours herself into it wholeheartedly. Which led to some amusing moments in the story. She also has trouble backing down from a challenge, which is exactly how she got herself into committing to a year of changes. It's only 365 days, right?

I was able to relate to Cassie's frustrations. Making changes, even for the better, can be sooo hard! Any time I've had to change my diet whether for a week or a month or forever, whatever it is that I can't eat all of a sudden becomes the most important and craved food! So poor Cassie's breakdowns - yeah. I get it!

Don't run away from the book, though, if you aren't into all of this. Though the story IS about Cassie's exploration of living a more earth-friendly lifestyle, that isn't the whole story. In the process of reducing her paper and glass usage, she discovers some very important things about herself. The way she interacts with others. The way she changes the truth to match what she says.

There is a lovely love triangle. Cassie's second best friend, Joel, wants to be more than a friend. And frankly, I think he is quite the catch. Joel is one of the kindest men, loves Cassie enough to want what is best for her and is willing to watch as she dates other men. Oh, and did I mention that he cooks for her, rescues her when she freaks out, knows exactly what she needs. . . Oh, and his online name - joel213 - look up that verse and you'll see a bit of his heart. If I hadn't already swooned over him, that would have done it.

Then there is Evan. Who is handsome and talented and kind. And an amazing dancer! Sadly for Joel, Evan is the one she has started going out with. Don't get me wrong. I like Evan and he seems to be a good fit for Cassie. Kinda. He just doesn't know her as Joel does. This is just the first month of her experiment, so who knows who Cassie will end up with! I'm kinda hoping for Joel.

Then there is my favorite character. Well, he's not really a character. Is he? In lieu of a pet, Cassie adopted her reproduction of Rodin's The Thinker. And she has nicknamed him and talks to him. And just might have played chess with him. I so wanted to pull quotes from conversations with him or thoughts she had about him but they just wouldn't have made any sense outside the context of the story!

The Vintage Wren is written in Chautona's unique and quirky style. I honestly think I would be able to pick out her writing from a lineup of books. (There are not many authors who have a voice so unique I can identify it as hers.) Full of chuckles and interesting perspectives that point back to the Lord, it is a good book that will get you thinking.

Overall, this book was a little more about the process of going environmentally friendly than I expected. There is certainly a story, it is just heavy on the details. There were a few things discussed that probably had to be, but toilet paper was mentioned a few more times than I wanted to hear about. Will I read the rest of the books in the series? Most likely. I really do want to find out what happens with Joel...


This review was originally posted on Among the Reads


I was given a free copy of this item. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.