Paperback: 304 pagesPublisher: FaithWords
Publication date: June 7 2013
ISBN13: 9781455504282
First Line - "My marriage to O’Dell Peyton was already over when he washed up on the shores of Zion."
Shortly after burying her unfaithful husband, Georgia Peyton unexpectedly inherits the derelict Stardust motel from a distant relative. Despite doubts from the community and the aunt who raised her, she is determined to breathe new life into it. But the guests who arrive aren't what Georgia expects: Her gin-loving mother-in-law; her dead husband's mistress; an attractive but down-on-his-luck drifter who's tired of the endless road; and an aging Vaudeville entertainer with a disturbing link to Georgia's past.
Can Georgia find the courage to forgive those who've betrayed her, the grace to shelter those who need her, and the moxy to face the future? And will her dream of a new life under the flickering neon of the STARDUST ever come true?
1950's Texas Motel near the Bayou. Such a sweet read. Since finishing this I've found out it's classed as a 'Christian' read, if I'd known that before starting I might have been a bit leery of it. I've got beliefs but I'm not religious and I try to steer clear of anything that might be a bit preachy. That kind of stuff just rubs me up the wrong way. I didn't get preachy with this book though, I just got a lovely, sweet story.
The narrator Georgia is a recent widow and she hasn't had an easy life, she was abandoned as a child, married young to a womaniser and is now in sole charge of two young daughters and has inherited a run-down motel complex. Add to that the polio epidemic, her late husband's mistress and her children, a difficult mother in law, a little romance and money worries and it all makes for a really interesting story. It touches slightly on racial prejudices but as with everything in this book it's handled in a way that is touching and heartwarming.
I really liked this story and I might overlook the 'Christian' tag from now on as this is a great ambassador for the genre. Georgia is such a lovely person and I really enjoyed reading about her. The ending wasn't brilliant and there were a couple of things I would have liked more closure for but overall it was a good read.
