Trade Paperback
322 pages
Jun 2003
Waterbrook Press

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Review:

“Garden of Dreams by Leslie Gould gives a glimpse into the lives of two best friends, and shows how their lives are changed forever when one is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“Jill has everything she ever dreamed of as a child – a loving husband, a beautiful home, children, a garden, and a best friend, Caye. Caye has her share of blessings, too, but sometimes she wishes her life was more like Jill’s, with no tight budget and a touch of class. The friends do nearly everything together – picnics, vacations, gardening – and their children are like cousins.

“But Jill has a secret. Her father, aunt, and grandfather all died from pancreatic cancer, so when the test results come in, she isn’t surprised. Devastated would be a better word. The odds are grim – out of 28,300 diagnosed, 28,200 will die. She holds to her faith through the struggles of surgery and chemotherapy. Caye steps in to help with the children, and the work and worry wear her down. Along with the small group of believers in their home fellowship, the two friends pray for Jill’s healing. Joya, the leader’s wife, believes if Jill has enough faith, she’ll be healed. Jill’s difficult mother, Marion, also complicates matters, besides keeping another secret about Jill’s family.

“The author’s style is emotionally gripping. The two main characters are well drawn, but the other characters seem somewhat flat, as they are only visible in relation to Jill and Caye. Little anecdotes of events during their friendship enrich the text, though with no differentiating marks it’s hard to tell when the flashbacks begin and end, especially since there are so many of them.

“Aside from these few problems, this book is an intimate portrait of friendship, with its joys and sorrows, its pain and hope, and its cost – giving of yourself to another. This depth is especially treasured in a first novel. Recommended to women who enjoy a best friend or long for one.” – Katie Hart, Christian Book Previews.com

Book Jacket:

Raised by a mother who was haunted by worry and fear, Jill vowed to live a different kind of life. As a young woman, she planned out the life she wanted -- a husband, a large home full of children, the opportunity to paint and grow a beautiful garden, a community of believers, and a best friend -- then watched as it all came true in the art-filled town of Ashland, Oregon.

But Jill has been keeping a secret from those she loves most, including her husband and her best friend, Caye -- and she's not the only one with something to hide. Her mother also has not told Jill the whole truth about her father and the disease that claimed his life. Together, these secrets shatter Jill's idyllic world.

Driven by uncertainty and questions, compassion and mercy, Jill and Caye face a test of friendship unlike any other -- a test that will lead one of them to powerful revelations about faith and love and the other to the realization that trust in God encompasses all things.