The Only Best Place

by Carolyne Aarsen

Book Overview

Dan and Leslie made the temporary trip to the farm to rebuild their marriage and their bank account. But once their he's drawn into his close-knit family and she feels she's losing her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446696811
• ISBN13: 9780446696814
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Faithwords
• Length: 325 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

I LOVED THIS BOOK~~~~

THIS BOOK WAS A 1 NIGHTER FOR ME. I HAD A VACATION DAY IN AT WORK AND THIS WAS MY ENTERTAINMENT~~I STAYED UP ALL NIGHT READING THIS!! I JUST LOVED LESLIE. SHE GOES THRU SO MUCH OF THE SAME EMOTIONS AS MOST WOMEN. SHE DEALS WITH A DEMANDING MOTHER IN LAW, OVER-BEARING SISTER IN LAW, AND A HUSBAND WHO STARTS WONDERING (IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN). LEAVES HER LIFE IN THE CITY FOR A LIFE ON THE FARM WITH HER IN-LAWS. LIVING ON THE FARM BRINGS HER TO TERMS WITH ALL HER PROBLEMS, INCLUDING HER LACK OF FAITH IN GOD. I AM READY TO READ THE NEXT ONE. I WOULD DEFINITELY ADVISE THE BOOK TO ANYONE. IF YOU LOVE KAREN KINGSBURY'S STYLE, TRY THIS OUT. SHE IS SORT OF THE SAME STYLE, BUT WITH A LITTLE LESS DRAMA AND A LITTLE MORE HUMOR. THIS BOOK WILL BE PASSED AROUND TO MY GIRLFRIENDS AT CHURCH AND WORK. GIVE HER A TRY, YOU'LL BE PLEASED!!!!!

Great Read

I really enjoyed this book and especially how skillfully all the characters were drawn. I did feel much sympathy toward the main character and found her faith journey and her marriage journey quite realistic. I felt like I could almost see the area described by Aarsen. I think you will really enjoy reading this book.

Aarsen makes you laugh and cry at the same time.

Aarsen has delivered an engaging story of one woman's lonely struggle to discover who she is and where she belongs. A trained nurse, Leslie is competent in the emergency room, but her husband's family thinks she's greedy and a bad mother. I fell in love with this confused character from the first page. I chuckled at Leslie's loving-but-misguided sister, who through emails encourages Leslie to take control and not "give in to the cult." A domineering mother-in-law and a plethora of VandeKeeres to keep straight don't make Leslie feel welcome. Only her new job at the local hospital gives her a sense of self-worth and a dangerous alliance. How Leslie reconciles all this is a wonderful journey of discovery and faith.

Terrifically empathetic story of a woman struggling to make it

The Only Best Place by Carolyne Aarsen is one of the finest books I've read this year. Leslie VandeKeere gives up the job she loves in Seattle to follow her husband to his family farm back in Montana, and she has to decide if dealing with a meddling mother-in-law and living out in the middle of nowhere is worth her marriage. Aarsen writes Leslie's thoughts in an unbelievably real way. Leslie is easy to identify with; even when she's wrong-headed you can't help but empathize with her. She captures the uneasy intricacies of an in-law relationship while making sure that everyone is portrayed evenly. Along the way, Leslie watches her husband renew his faith in the Lord, and she finds some herself. The quick emails at the end of a few chapters introduce the Leslie's sister, the main character in the next book in the series. I'm looking forward to it.

I need the next book!

Reviewed by Kristina Patton for Reader Views (09/06) In today's society, any mention of God, faith, or Bible passages is seen as taboo or politically incorrect. But, in Carolyn Aarsen's "The Only Best Place", one woman who used to think that way is suddenly believing in something outside of her realm. Leslie Vandekeere finds herself relocating by force. This new community, a farming community, is extremely different from the hustle and bustle of her life in Seattle. While trying to find some normalcy in her new life, Leslie is constantly looking to the future when she and her family can go back to Seattle. When Leslie finally lets go and begins to appreciate her surroundings, she begins an amazing transformation of character. Instead of looking to the future, she begins to take her husband's words into consideration, "We don't know how long anything lasts, but have learned to appreciate each day we have together." Aarsen's characters are realistic and true to everyday life. There are many ways that people could identify with the main character; being a working mother, being in a marriage that is hanging on by a thread, and dealing with a meddling mother-in-law. I'm positive that there are people out there who can identify with the struggle for truth, the struggle for what is real and what to believe. Leslie's transition is so smooth and believable, like it could happen to anyone. A common cliché comes to mind after reading this book: When you hit rock bottom you can only go up. In order to get to a comfortable place in her life, Leslie had to realize that she would have to give her troubles to a God she didn't know. As she learns new ways to "let go", she learns a new way to live and love life. Carolyne Aarsen does a wonderful job at portraying most women's fears: losing her family, her children, her dreams, and most importantly a fear of losing her identity to the one thing she knows nothing about....faith. Aarsen transforms a woman who believes she is losing her life as she knows it, to a woman who comes to terms with the fact that dreams can change. As a woman who sometimes, uncharacteristically, doubts my own faith and my own future, I have learned that this book is meant to be a lesson in life. A lesson that will show any woman that there is always hope and there is a bright side to every situation. Through a new family, a new community, and new beliefs, Aarsen has taught me that, with a little faith, God will provide. The only thing that I ask is that He provide Ms. Aarsen with a swift pen......I need the next book!