Farming Grace: A Memoir of Life, Love, and a Harvest of Faith

Novelist Scott (The Mother Keeper) opens up about her early life, including her childhood on a farm, being kicked out of her home, and a rocky start to her marriage, in this affecting but uneven memoir. Growing up in Sutter Buttes, Calif., Scott lived a largely sheltered existence on her family’s farm. The story jumps sporadically between scenes from her childhood, moments during college, and early in her marriage when she struggled to figure out what she wanted out of life. At the end of high school, Scott met her future husband, and the two began a relationship, which caused her strict Catholic father to kick her out. Floating between college and waitressing jobs in Reno, Nev., and Chico, Calif., Scott parties, abuses drugs, and a has tumultuous relationship with her future husband. After the two marry, her husband begins a career in the Navy, and the two live in 10 cities over a dozen years. While the difficulties of raising children (they have seven) and military life wear on Scott, the voice of God and the hope of returning to Sutter Buttes always guides her. While the erratic narrative jumps can be disorienting, this hopeful tale of redemption and the lasting power of home will appeal to Christian readers. [em](Self-published.) [/em]