by Lisa Samson

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review by Karen L. Oberst

Quaker Summer asks the basic question, “What might a contemporary woman's life look like if she decided to take Christ's teachings seriously?” Lisa Samson invites us along on Heather Curridge's voyage of discovery.

Heather, nicknamed Hezzie, has it all—a loving husband, a fine son, a mansion on a hill. But haunted by the poverty of her youth, as well as by memories of the—frankly—horrible way she treated a schoolmate, Hezzie became a shopaholic. When she feels the push to help the less fortunate, she gives things away. She gives away the living room set, for example, and then buys herself a new, better model. Though her husband is a surgeon with a large income, she spends money as quickly as he makes it.

One fateful night Heather and her husband get lost and end up at a downtown mission called The Hotel. Hezzie's life is further changed when she has an accident in front of the house of two Quaker sisters named Anna and Liza, who are in their nineties.

The novel then follows Heather's journey away from selfishness and the prison of consumerism, to caring for others and settling the ghosts from her past.

Unique characters—the most delightful of whom are Anna and Liza—populate the book. The sisters' lifestyle of reaching out to others seems very natural and unforced. I did find many of the characters one-sided, however. They were just a little too good to be truly believable. But I appreciated the way Heather came to know the homeless people as human beings, and learned to care about them. She exemplified what Quakers call “seeing that of God in everyone.”

I also appreciated the ecumenism of the book. Anna and Liza are Quaker. A Catholic nun runs the shelter. Heather's son goes to an Episcopal school. Heather grew up Lutheran, and eventually she and her husband join a home church. The focus is on how people are reaching out to others, not on judgment of any denomination.

One theme of the novel I related to was what Heather's husband, Jace, called Heather's “gift of cake.” The one way Hezzie could truly reach out to others with something besides money was by crafting cakes. For many women, myself included, the sharing of baked goods is an outreach ministry and a way to show love.

If you are looking for a quick read with an underlying message, you will enjoy Quaker Summer, which received the “Novel of the Year” award from Women of Faith.

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