Alice's Notions

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

[phyllish]

My review is 4.5 Stars

Alice’s Notions is a great read! It deals with a number of heart issues, prejudice, grief, forgiveness, trust.

There are many references to songs, movies, and actors from the “current” day in the story. My husband and I really enjoy the old songs and movies, so it was fun to see them mentioned here. At first, when Alice kept mentioning that someone looked like an actor I was thinking it was a little much, but then it was explained that this had been a game that she and Joe had played, so it made sense. It did seem like the references were a bit overdone, however, at least to the actors and movies. Hearing what songs were playing was much more fitting and natural.

Alice was a lovable character. She had a stubbornness that kept her trying to make her store work despite the opposition she faced from her landlord. When she discovered that the refugee she agreed to sponsor was German, her initial reaction was to have her sent back. After all, she was under the impression that the Germans killed her husband. However, circumstances placed her in a position in which she needed the help, she allowed herself to look at things differently, saw that she was judging her unjustly, was humble enough to ask for forgiveness and prayed to change her viewpoint.

I loved the way that Alice confronted her sister-in-law and best friend, Lois, about her attitude regarding her (Lois’) husband. She was kind but firm and shared a truth that we should all remember. It is not about what is best for us in a relationship. We need to be willing to look at things from the perspective of our spouse and see how we can be a blessing to them.

I have a better sympathy for the plight of the people in small towns in West Virginia post World War II. Because the town was small and somewhat remote, they relied heavily on traffic coming through on the way to other places. There was not much industry, and so unless the stores drew in business, the people had to work in the coal mines or have their farms be successful. I guess this kind of thing is a problem in any small town, but this story really brought that point home well.


This review was originally posted on Among the Reads


I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this item. My opinion and review were not influenced by this gift.