The Lutheran Ladies’ Circle Review
I picked up The Lutheran Ladies’ Circle: Plucking One String for some light summer reading and enjoyed it. It’s not a romance. Nor is it a mystery. Several older Lutheran ladies living through their multi-generational issues with generally sweet culturally Lutheran allusions. What’s not to like?
It’s set in Oklahoma, which was a pleasant surprise to me as a Lutheran Okie. There are some colorful characters, but it’s a pretty clean read. The most scandalous content to me, beyond your typical gossipy back-pricking, was a passing reference to whether God is male, female, or neither.
As a Christian novel, it was generally heartwarming. There were some liturgical and church year terms and Christian practices explained, which might be nicely reminiscent for some. At the same time, I guess I’d be from “that other Lutheran church” referenced in the book as my church practices have always been so different! And along with that I have to say that when the characters talked about grace, they were talking about themselves more than Jesus. So I wouldn’t call it Gospel-heavy by any means. Still, an enjoyable read with some character development and compassion-building.
If I had a Lutheran “Ladies’ Circle,” I daresay this is a book we could pass along to one another and discuss over a bit of chocolate. Not in a religious way, but as a hat tip to some of the congregational culture we’ve enjoyed together. 🙂
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