Ok, a friend of my wife just made her ( and now me ) aware of this book. This lady is from my little town of Ringgold, Georgia--Think of Mayberry and you've pictured Ringgold. It's 15-20 minutes outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. Apparently she mentions many of the places in Ringgold. We have "3" traffic lights now, not "1"!

Amazon.com: Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen: A Novel: Susan Gregg Gilmore: Books

Amazon.com: Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen: A Novel: Susan Gregg Gilmore: Books
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Editorial Reviews

Review
“If I had to make a comparison, I would compare Susan Gregg Gilmore to Fannie Flagg, but Gilmore more than holds her own. This is an unusually engaging novel by a very fine writer who knows exactly what she is doing.”
—Lee Smith, author of The Last Girls

“Susan Gregg Gilmore’s debut novel, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, is storytelling at its best, entertaining and lively and full of surprises. Catherine Grace Cline, the endearing witty heroine, gives her domestic journey titles of Biblical proportion as she finds more than salvation along the way.”
—Jill McCorkle, author of Carolina Moon

Product Description
Sometimes you have to return to the place where you began, to arrive at the place where you belong.

It’s the early 1970s. The town of Ringgold, Georgia, has a population of 1,923, one traffic light, one Dairy Queen, and one Catherine Grace Cline. The daughter of Ringgold’s third-generation Baptist preacher, Catherine Grace is quick-witted, more than a little stubborn, and dying to escape her small-town life.

Every Saturday afternoon, she sits at the Dairy Queen, eating Dilly Bars and plotting her getaway to Atlanta. And when, with the help of a family friend, the dream becomes a reality, she immediately packs her bags, leaving her family and the boy she loves to claim the life she’s always imagined. But before things have even begun to get off the ground in Atlanta, tragedy brings Catherine Grace back home. As a series of extraordinary events alter her perspective–and sweeping changes come to Ringgold itself–Catherine Grace begins to wonder if her place in the world may actually be, against all odds, right where she began.

Intelligent, charming, and utterly readable, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen marks the debut of a talented new literary voice.



4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Looking For Salvation at the Dairy Queen, February 24, 2008
By (Port St Lucie Fl USA) -

I hope this is not a "ONE TIME" story. I read this book in one day!!!Yes, it was that good. It was funny, touching, sad, and true to life in so many ways. I would recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed Fannie Flagg, Ann B Ross and Jan Karon. I hope Susan Gregg Gilmore continues with a series of books that are this enticing. Buy it and read it at once. You won't regret your purchase and you will hate to see the book end. Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? ( ) (Report this)




4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
LET'S GET A DILLY BAR !! GREAT BOOK!!!, May 6, 2008
By (Toledo, Ohio) -

LOOKING FOR SALVATION AT THE DAIRY QUEEN

What a sweet little book, full of both surprises and outstanding, likeable characters. Love the Southern setting, loved all the people in this book.

We meet Catherine Grace Cline, daughter of Ringgold, Georgia's preacher. She lives with her daddy and her younger sister, Martha Ann. Their mom drowned when they were younger.

Ringgold, Georgia, is one of those towns you have passed through a million times. One of everything, and a whole lot of nothing to do. Catherine Grace's goal is to turn 18 and leave for Atlanta. Her heart is true to Ringgold, and circumstances being what they are, Catherine Grace's heart never truly does leave her small-town or her friends and family. Catherine Grace tells of friends, school, church, family, get-togethers, all with wit, fun, and being somewhat sarcastic. Being motherless is a huge burden to both of the Cline girls, one that they carry somewhat well and which also makes them closer to each other.

The characters are rich and likeable. I especially loved Gloria Jean, the almost trampy (by Ringgold standards) next-door neighbor who is a substitute mom for Catherine Grace and Martha Ann. All of the characters described are just perfect for this small town story. Loved the names of all of the characters.

Catherine Grace's narrative skills are good and you are quickly caught up in her life and the lives of those in her little Georgia town. We are also taught some lessons in this book and I felt a better person for reading this sweet story.

Get this book! You will enjoy it. I would love to see a sequel to this book, inviting back all of the characters. You will love them.

Thank you!
Pam Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? ( ) (Report this)




4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
It's a page turner!, April 27, 2008
By (Memphis, TN USA) -

I didn't realize how much fun I was having reading this book until the woman across the aisle from me on a flight from Memphis to Phoenix tapped me on the arm. She asked, "Is is really that good? I've heard you laugh several times."

The answer is yes, it really is that good. The characters are just like the folks I grew up with in East Tennessee. I could recognize teachers, school mates, as well as those delightful church ladies! Order your copy and get an extra for a friend. It's one you'll want to pass on, but probably want to keep your own for future enjoyment.

__________________
~ Steven Bradford ~
Member Covenant Presbyterian, Chattanooga, TN

Susan Gregg Gilmore » Books

__________________
~ Steven Bradford ~
Member Covenant Presbyterian, Chattanooga, TN