Today’s blog is a stop on the “Unpresentable Glory” Book Tour by Celebrate Lit. If you haven’t become acquainted with author Eleanor K. Gustafson, you are in for a treat. She has a $25 Burpee Gardening gift card for one lucky reader, too!

My Thoughts

“An Unpresentable Glory” is a contemporary Christian novel. Filled with mystery, suspense, and romance the 368 pages went by quickly as I read it nonstop. My love for plants and flowers blossomed. I enjoyed the garden and floral setting.

Author Gustafson has a delightful style of writing. It is smooth as butter and glides without a bump or hitch. Her use of humor and metaphors made me smile. The characters were vividly described and I found them well rounded and relatable. I felt like I knew Linda well.

It was easy to become invested in this story. I was hooked from the very first page. The faith element was easily identifiable. This is a God glorifying book. Life lessons are woven all throughout this offering. Relenant, timely lessons for today were tackled. Also, I even learned a thing or two. All of those make for a wonderful reading experience.

This is a beautifully written book. It is well planned, researched, organized, and executed. Author Gustafson is an extremely gifted wordsmith. Her book gently took my hand and took me inside its pages. I felt the story! I was there while reading it. Only great authors can do that.

I highly recommend this book. It is the perfect escape for contemporary fiction lovers. A church readers group or any book club would relish discussions on this jewel. I gladly rate it 5 out of 5 stars. A copy was provided by Celebrate Lit but all opinions are my own, honest ones.

About the Book:

Book: An Unpresentable Glory

Author: Eleanor K. Gustafsonb

Genre: Christian, contemporary, literary fiction

Release Date: July, 2018

“I trusted you, and some day, you may know just how much you hold in your hands.”

Linda Jensen leads a relatively quiet life in Westchester County, New York, as the owner of a highly acclaimed garden. Inherited from her parents, the garden is her pride and joy. It is not so joyful finding a strange man sprawled near her delphiniums! The mysterious man is sick, unable to do anything more than drink water—and beg for secrecy. Ignoring all alarm bells, Linda sees to his needs, but her caring act takes on unexpected significance, and unpresentable glory.

Seeds of trust, and perhaps love, are planted in Linda’s garden haven. But as secrets are revealed and scandal hits the headlines, the act of caring for this man threatens to tarnish both of their reputations. Like weeds in Linda’s garden, circumstances threaten to choke out their fledgling relationship, and small moments prove to be the biggest influencers—on a national scale.

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

Ellie grew up in Branchville NJ, in a county with more cows than people. She attended Wheaton College in Illinois as a music major, then married a pastor/college professor/tree farmer/organist and writer. Together, they have three children and eight grandchildren.

Music was Ellie’s first love until she tried on the cloak of writing and found it a comfortable fit. However, early writing attempts saw friends—and even her mother—advising her to stick to music as a career. She pushed manfully along, though, and An Unpresentable Glory is her sixth novel.

“God first touched me through story,” Ellie says, “and made the bigger Story come alive. I love Him passionately!”

More from Ellie

What’s An Unpresentable Glory about? Here’s Linda’s point of view: Linda Jensen, a noted gardener, finds a stranger sprawled near her delphiniums, obviously ill. She gets him into her house and puts him to bed, deciding that water is the only safe thing to give him. Water in, however, must come out. He is helpless; she must serve him; but in doing this unpresentable task, she feels the presence of angels. [See the book Preface for my personal experience with this.]

Jay’s point of view: Jay finds himself ill and helpless on the lawn of a wealthy but caring gardener. He can’t even reveal his real name. When he leaves at week’s end, he sees the relationship as hopeless because of who he is and enormous repercussions if the hidden week comes to light. Tragedy and disaster haunt him, but a dual set of mentors leads him through churning waters. Will he ever get back to the garden?

* * *

Linda’s sun tea was “mostly Darjeeling with lemon and a sprig of mint.” After reading her description, I tried it and found it tasty, indeed!