By Kelly Bridgewater
Ever since they met as teenagers volunteering at a conference
center in Costa Rica 20 years ago, Fern Espinoza and Lily Graden have shared a
close friendship, even though they live in different states. They can hardly
believe it when their teen dream of traveling to Africa together becomes a
reality. It's the trip of a lifetime--but life sure isn't what they thought it
would be back when they were young.
Along with their suitcases, each woman brings
along emotional baggage that weighs heavily on them. Yet the people they meet
and the places they experience have the power to change their hearts--but only
if they surrender to the lessons God wants to teach them in this unexpected
land of emerald tea fields, graceful giraffes, and rambunctious elephants.
Pack your bags and get ready for adventure as
Robin Jones Gunn invites you on a safari of the heart in this vulnerable
exploration of how to move forward in faith even when the future is uncertain.
My Thoughts:
Tea with Elephants by Robin Jones Gunn
reminded me a lot of her Sisterchicks series. I have loved Gunn's writing since
I picked up True Friends with Christy and Katie back in high School. Now almost
an empty-nester myself, there is a lot of changes coming to my life soon. It is
nice to see Gunn create characters who are teenagers and handling that part of
their life, then she moves into young adults, then adults, then late thirties
adults. With Tea with Elephants, I enjoyed the concept and the characters, but
the story really did not capture my attention. It read more like Fern's
opinions on her trip. A journal entry of every day. Her thoughts. Her actions.
Her descriptions. Once in a while, Gunn would thrown something to move the plot
along, but I wanted more in-depth. Sometimes we had discussions between Lily
and Fern, but since they were good friends, it took them a long time to allow
their own walls to come down and be honest with each other. I found that odd.
If they had been such good friends for a long time. Why didn't they share their
woes on the plane to Africa or as soon as they entered their first cabin. Why
keep it hidden from each other? Gunn does a wonderful job at describing the
setting. If readers are interested in Africa, this might help hold the thirst
at bay. For me, I have no desire to visit Africa, so it did not seem like a
place I wanted to visit. Overall, Tea
with Elephants by Robin Jones Gunn is a good friendship story, but the
story lacked the movement of what I wanted to see when two friends are spending
time on the side of the world.
I received a complimentary copy of Tea with Elephants by Robin Jones Gunn from Revell Publishing, but
the opinions stated are all my own.
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Purchase Tea with Elephants
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