Barbara K. Richardson

Guest House is a beautifully written debut novel by Barbara K. Richardson. The title is taken from Rumi: “This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival…” I'll admit that I approached Guest House with a wee bit of trepidation. I thought I would enjoy it from the description, but I was nervous it would be too chick-lit for me. Those worries were soon negated. You know what? Guest House is a really good book. I'm surprised I haven't read more reviews raving about it.

This is the story of a woman redefining her life, a dysfunctional family disintegrating, and what happens when their lives converge. Richardson's characters are realistic, flawed, and struggling in some way. I swear I know a few of these characters. Each character clearly has an individual voice and point of view. I sympathized with Melba and wanted her to get her confidence back. My heart broke for Matt. I wanted to slap JoLee. Gene needed a good talking too. In the end I appreciated the message about love. The best recommendation could be that I stayed up late to finish reading it since I knew I could not sleep until I knew the outcome. Richardson is an author to watch. I expect big things from her in the future.
Highly Recommended; http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
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Thirty years of Clair Martin’s life make up the pages of Tributary. A life of scorn, preaching, pain, suffering and justification, all told in first person by Barbara Richardson. Born with a large birthmark, Clair’s mother left her in Utah while very young. She was passed off by the Mormons to various people in the Church who were in need of help. No one helped Clair, it was up to her to make it or not. She got encouragement from one widow for her lovely flower cards which she sold for spending money.
She is nearly raped by a son of one of the Church elders and decides it is time for her to leave Utah for points South and East. She lands in New Orleans where she becomes a laundress in the colored ward of a local hospital. She falls in love with a little boy she names Tierre (“T”). He’s back and she’s not but it doesn’t matter to Clair because he becomes the son she cares for and raises to read, study and work hard. They decide, after receiving a long letter from the widow, to return to Utah and go North to a sheep ranch owned by the lady’s son, Stephen.
There’s nothing in northern Utah and not much in Clair’s soul when she finds, ultimately, that Stephen has converted to Mormonism and already has two young wives. He wants a third – Clair – but she won’t give in.
Through the 1850’s to the 1880’s, Clair and her friends, enemies and T travel dirt roads by foot, wagon and horseback to learn what God and Brigham Young have in store for them. The scenery is so well described that I could see it with my eyes closed and living in New Orleans in the 1870’s! There must have been nothing like it.
An outright wonderful story by the author of Guest House and one you should take the time to read slowly to enjoy the moods and thoughts of a self-made woman dealing in a world of men.… (more)

In the beginning of the book we're introduced to the main players in the story, which are a diverse group coming from all walks of life. To be honest, I couldn't figure out how these people were going to relate to each other. I read on because I figured it would get to a point in which I'd understand.

I'll tell you this though...when these characters' lives ended up crossing I got it and the "light bulb went off!" After that point I was taken in with the book. This was a story that showed the way we can love or not love other people; the way a person can fall into our lives like it was fate. It was a sad but also inspirational tale about picking back up the pieces of your life when it falls apart.

Overall, I'll say that I really enjoyed this one. It was totally depressing at times yet uplifting to see such a horrid existence overcome with the help of a stranger. "Guest House" was a satisfying read for me.… (more)

I received this book free from the author to review.
I liked this book a lot. Everyone takes something away after reading a story and here is my take:
1.) Lasting relationships can be difficult to maintain, and
2.) Gardening clears the mind.
There's a line in chapter 10 that meant something to me: "She said, 'If a woman doesn't want you, you're too easy to get.'" I liked that line so much, that I put it on my Facebook page; of course I credited the author.
I thank the author again for giving me the opportunity to read her book.… (more)