Garnet’s Gift

(3 customer reviews)

Description

Twenty-two-year-old Garnet Adams longs to marry and have a houseful of children. Forced to support her widowed mother, she embraces her role as a teacher, although the Carrie Town board of education’s rules for female teachers leave no opportunity for a social life. She contents herself playing the violin at church. 

Tall, bearded, and rough around the edges, Deputy Noah Scott would rather hunt than socialize. Garnet thinks he’s a rude, insensitive drifter, and Noah’s sure the last person he’d want to court is a schoolmarm – especially with her unladylike sneeze. As the needs of her students bring them together, opposites seem to attract until a certain Christmas present derails their future.

3 reviews for Garnet’s Gift

  1. Patricia Reichardt

    A book like this makes me think about how simple life was back in the 1800’s. Garnet is wishing for her house full of kids, but while she has the burden of responsibility to help her widowed mother, she will enjoy her job as a teacher. The Sheriff in town, Noah has taken a liking to her, but he is not looking for a relationship. Theses two enjoy getting to know each other without texting and cellphones, but by spending time together,.. as friends. But we can feel the chemistry as it builds. And when a misunderstanding comes to light, we will see if their budding relationship is strong enough to handle it! I really enjoyed this short story, with the townspeople, how they come together and of course the gossip. Narrated by Lorana Hoopes, we get to enjoy not only her many voices and inflections but her beautiful singing voice as well. It’s a fantastic listen.

  2. Cindy Nipper

    This was a very enjoyable story! And I enjoyed the narration as well! The Christmas gift added a nice twist!

  3. Lynn Carnefix

    Garnet’s Gift by Kimberly Grist. Narrated by Lorraina Hobst (sp?)

    Christian, historical, romance. So the story is what you’d expect of a settlement town of 1890’s between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Except for the Rules for Teachers which was more than an eye-opener. The double standard – male teachers could court and marry, but not female teachers who had to quit teaching if they married. But the school board who established these rules seemed bent on keeping the females under lock and key and the watchful eye of clergy and the sheriff’s office, as well as the high standing members of society. Garnet’s teacher’s heart rings true: sacrificing to meet the physical, emotional, societal and economic needs of her students as well as their educational needs.
    The text, a long short story, has little time to develop psychological needs of the main characters, though they are revealed as the back stories come out.
    The narrator voices the characters well, with sensitivity. However, since the romance progresses quickly at one point, I wished for more emotional nuance and slower, contemplative pacing, to let the depth of meaning of the words and the vulnerability of the characters be more real – not so matter-of-fact and inevitable. Grists’s writing could have included more character depth, especially at that point.
    I listened twice, and the second time, especially appreciated the Rules for Teachers organization around which each chapter was hung. I recommend for a quick listen, that incorporates the quirkiness of children and their impact on all of our lives.
    I received a free copy of this audiobook, and am pleased to submit this honest review.

Add a review