Christian Fiction Devourers discussion

June's Group Buddy Read is a coming of age tale, A Cup of Dust by Susie Finkbeiner.

GR Summary:
Ten-year-old Pearl Spence is a daydreamer, playing make-believe to escape life in Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl in 1935. The Spences have their share of misfortune, but as the sheriff’s family, they’ve got more than most in this dry, desolate place. They’re who the town turns to when there’s a crisis or a need—and during these desperate times, there are plenty of both, even if half the town stands empty as people have packed up and moved on.

Pearl is proud of her loving, strong family, though she often wearies of tracking down her mentally impaired older sister or wrestling with her grandmother’s unshakable belief in a God who Pearl just isn’t sure she likes.

Then a mysterious man bent on revenge tramps into her town of Red River. Eddie is dangerous and he seems fixated on Pearl. When he reveals why he’s really there and shares a shocking secret involving the whole town, dust won’t be the only thing darkening Pearl’s world.

While the tone is suspenseful and often poignant, the subtle humor of Pearl’s voice keeps A Cup of Dust from becoming heavyhanded. Finkbeiner deftly paints a story of a family unit coming together despite fractures of distress threatening to pull them apart.

This is a new-to-me author. I am about 30% in the audio-book and enjoying it. I always like Tavia Gilbert's voice, so that was another incentive for me to listen to this.

I just finished -- riveting and intense read. Could barely put it down.

I'm already on the third book in the trilogy--this has been a strong 4 star series for me! I may have to read more by this author. Note that I seldom give books 5 stars, so it's not a slight to the book :).

When it comes to Susie Finkbeiner, I am a total fangirl. I adored this trilogy, and I'm reading her latest release now. :)

Beth wrote: "When it comes to Susie Finkbeiner, I am a total fangirl. I adored this trilogy, and I'm reading her latest release now. :)"

Thanks. I'm just so happy to find good Christian fiction that isn't romance (not my cup of tea) and is a bit "gritty" and realistic.

The setting in 'Dust Bowl' is very interesting and uncommon. I thought this is my first book set during 'Dust Bowl', but then realized that I've also read The Grapes of Wrath long time ago.

Has anyone read any other book set during Dust Bowl?

Caroline wrote: "The setting in 'Dust Bowl' is very interesting and uncommon. I thought this is my first book set during 'Dust Bowl', but then realized that I've also read The Grapes of Wrath long t..."

Yes, a number of them, and not just Grapes of Wrath. BUT I did read another Christian series set in the Depression, but it didn't deal with the dust bowl. I cannot remember what they are called and I may have read them prior to GR because I can't find them shelved under Christian. It starts with Fallen Angels

Karin wrote: "Caroline wrote: "The setting in 'Dust Bowl' is very interesting and uncommon. I thought this is my first book set during 'Dust Bowl', but then realized that I've also read [book:The Grapes of Wrath..."

Karin, I've not read any by Hickman, but the "Fallen Angels" and the "Millwood Hollow" series sounds interesting.

Having never heard about "rabbit drive", that happened early on in the book, I got curious and found this link, which is very informative: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/jackr...

I just finished this. Oh. My. Gosh. This was an absolutely amazing book!

Caroline wrote: "The setting in 'Dust Bowl' is very interesting and uncommon. I thought this is my first book set during 'Dust Bowl', but then realized that I've also read The Grapes of Wrath long t..."

This is my first, Caroline. I have to admit that I didn't know much of anything about the 'Dust Bowl' so I found it interesting to read about and do a small amount of research.

Caroline wrote: "Having never heard about "rabbit drive", that happened early on in the book, I got curious and found this link, which is very informative: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/jackr..."

Thanks for this article, Caroline! Interesting and informative.

Christine wrote: "Caroline wrote: "Having never heard about "rabbit drive", that happened early on in the book, I got curious and found this link, which is very informative: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/jackr......"

It was horrifying in the book, but the tragic fact is that it had to be done. It's too bad the government couldn't afford to pay enough for them to shoot them, which would have been faster and more humane with good shots. But the article is incorrect

Rabbit fever, which was mentioned in the book, still exists and it was a good reason not to eat them. What isn't mentioned in the book is the meat was used to feed some animals. However, mammals in general can get rabbit fever, which is usually carried by rodents as well as lagomorphs.

For those of you who aren't aware of this, rabbits are not rodents :).

I'm glad you guys are enjoying this one! I hope you'll go on to read books two and three as well - they are so good!

So looking forward to the next two, Beth!!

Beth wrote: "I'm glad you guys are enjoying this one! I hope you'll go on to read books two and three as well - they are so good!"

I'm more than half way through the third one...

Finished it last week. What an intense story and beautiful writing.


Hoopla has the other two in the series. So I will surely get to them.