Synopses & Reviews
Weaving together the strong threads of family and friends in a pattern of grace, forgiveness, and kindness,
A Can of Peas invites readers into a place where every day brings a new story and neighbors are more than just people who live down the road. Sometimes funny and often poignant, these vignettes will draw both men and women into the reassuring rhythms of life as it ought to be-and as it still is in the heart of America.
After the death of his grandfather, Peter Morgan and his new bride, Mae, face a life-changing decision: should they embrace the career-chasing ambitions of their family and friends in St. Paul or accept the absurd challenge of saving the family farm in the Minnesota countryside?
Enticed by the romance of a simple, quiet life, the Morgans set out to follow in the footsteps of Peters grandparents. Soon, Peter is farming around the clock, barely one step ahead of failure as Mae struggles to find her place in Peters life and in the community. Will the strain of saving the farm tear their marriage apart? Was it a mistake to dream?
Synopsis
Enticed by the simple, small-town life, Peter Morgan and his new wife, Mae, follow in the footsteps of Peter's grandparents on the family farm. Soon, Peter is farming around the clock, barely one step ahead of failure, as Mae struggles to find her place in Peter's life and the community. Sometimes funny and often poignant, these vignettes draw readers into the reassuring rhythms of life as it is in the heart of America.
About the Author
Traci DePree is the editor behind many of todays award-winning and best-selling Christian novels. She brings over a decade of experience in Christian fiction to her writing, offering a blend of earthy Midwest wisdom with deeply rooted conviction. Traci enjoys gardening, visiting with neighbors, and volunteering in her community. She makes her home with her husband, John, and their four children in a rural farming town in Minnesota. Visit her website at www.tracidepree.com.
Reading Group Guide
1. How do you feel Roy Morgan's words to Peter about a community being like a can of peas connected to the vignettes?
2. Where does connection and purpose in life come from? Where did each of the characters in A Can of Peas find it?
3. Do you think there are still places like Lake Emily in America? If so, how does that make you feel about America?
4. How does living in a small town differ from living in a city or the suburbs? How is it the same? What makes that difference?
5. In what ways were Peter's preconceived ideas about country living incorrect? Do you think people have unrealistic expectations about "the simple country life"?
6. Mae and Peter had some lessons to learn about marriage. What were they? How do you feel about how they resolved their differences?
7. Mae and Trudy are very different as sisters--what makes two people raised by the same parents so unique?
8. Who is your favorite character and why?
9. Which is your favorite vignette and why?
10. What is your favorite scene and why?
11. What did you think of the chicken slaughtering scene? Do you think people realize where their food really comes from in our country?
12. Why do you think Peter never understood that his father loved farming but loved the violin more? Do you think children ever see their parents realistically or is our vision of our parents always skewed by events in our childhood and our perception of those events? Do parents see their children realistically (ie Mae and Catherine, Peter and David, David and Roy/Virginia...)?
13. In one scene the vet says that the rumor mill goes both ways--what did he mean by that? How is that shown later in the book?
14. Virginia finds healing after the death of her husband in part by becoming a book buddy and mentor to Jessie. How did you feel about this storyline? What place do you think volunteerism plays in the fabric of our communities and in our own lives?