"the beginning" by karen kingsbury

"The Beginning" is a short story prequel to Karen Kingsbury's book The Bridge. I bought it because I read practically everything Kingsbury writes, and I thought it would be fun to read it before I read The Bridge.

About the story: Donna and Charlie are no strangers to tragedy, and when it strikes again, they decide to begin anew in Franklin, Tennessee, where they will fulfill Charlie's lifelong dream of running a bookstore.

One day Edna, a woman grieving a terrible loss, enters the bookstore. As Donna uses books to help Edna escape the pain, she discovers that the bookstore may be more than Charlie's dream—it may be their calling.

My take: When I heard about this short story, I knew I wanted to read it before reading The Bridge. It's a quick read that introduces readers to Donna and Charlie, owners of The Bridge bookstore. I enjoyed it, and I definitely can't wait to read The Bridge, but this story lacked the emotional impact present in most of Kingsbury's writing. I was interested in the story, but I wasn't emotionally engaged. Still, I'd recommend it as a precursor to The Bridge. 3-1/2 stars.

About the author: No. 1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America's favorite inspirational novelist. There are nearly 20 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than 50 novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists.