Some Wildflower in My Heart

By: Jamie Langston Turner

Narrated by: Cynthia Darlow

A teacher for more than 25 years, Jamie Langston Turner has written stories, articles, plays, and poems for a variety of Christian periodicals. In Some Wildflower in My Heart, she crafts a stirring tale of faith taking root in rocky soil.

As manager of an elementary school cafeteria, middle-aged Margaret Tuttle is objective and self-contained. She has no interest in emotions or attachments to those around her. But when Birdie Freeman begins to work for Margaret, things begin to change. With her childlike, unselfish, Christian love, Birdie touches everyone she meets. Soon, Margaret's heart opens in spite of her resolve to remain aloof.

Honest and unsentimental, this novel is a dramatic portrayal of the power of love and charity. Birdie's glowing optimism shines like a beacon throughout each chapter, and her gentle personality is captured in Cynthia Darlow's assured narration.

©2006 Jamie Langston Turner (P)2007 Recorded Books

This Author did it again!!!

Jamie Langston Turner is one of the best authors I've ever "read." I'm still in the process of "reading" this book, but I can hardly wait to get back to it. I will tell you that this book is connected with the other 2 books. I hope Ms. Turner writes another book soon!

Not what I expected

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Depends on the friend. I liked the book but it might not appeal to everyone.

What did you like best about this story?

Loved the literary references. Like the fact that the main character was writing her story on a bunch of spiral notebooks from K-mart.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

On one hand the narration seemed a bit dry, but on the other hand it sort of had to be dry to truly capture the character.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

I was surprised by the ending. She reminds us that we were warned, but I had forgotten. While there was a lot of sadness and bitterness to slog through, the main character learns about herself and about those around her, and that's a good thing.

Great story and the narrator made it even better!

I truly felt that I was listening to Margaret Tuttle. Very well done. Birdie’s voice was perfect for her character as well!

A story about the power of living out the love of Jesus

While it took me a little bit to get into it, I’m glad that I stuck with it. The narration was very good at portraying the characters and the characters were very well written and believable. But most importantly, it reminded me over and over of the importance of loving others as Jesus loves. I’m challenged to do that more. Hopefully someday, others will think of me as a Birdie.

A part of my life.

My mind, my heart, my life has been opened by this audiobook. The narrator perfected the characters. It openend every emotion in me; fear, hatred, love, trust... The author envelopes proper language and the most improper social behavior to adhere the story to almost any reader. The most important piece, the Love of Jesus, is shadowed in most of the book. In the end the beauty of our saviour is shown in the enveloping and intertwining of all the characters. Beautiful!!!

Wonderful story - enjoyed it very much!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The book is written in the first person. One of the other reviewers commented that "This author appears to have a distain for men and anyone from the south. Her imitation of southern accents is demeaning to southerners. She has a selfish disregard for others I was frequently disgusted with her degrading portrait of others." Unfortunately, the reviewer has misunderstood. It is not the author she is describing, but the protagonist, since, as I have said, it is written in the first person. If you re-read the publisher's summary, you will see that it says Margaret Tuttle is objective and self-contained. That, IMO, is to put it mildly. She is caustic and abrasive, and very difficult to work for. Because of negative events in her teen years, she has built a wall around herself that she will not allow anyone to penetrate. She has no friends, and a platonic relationship with her husband. And she wants nothing to do with God or church or religion, for reasons you will discover as the story unfolds. Then Birdie Freeman becomes a cafeteria employee, and Margaret's life changes. Yes, there is definitely a Christian theme here. But it is not preachy. I am very happy that I have this book in my library.

Unusual . . .Cerebral . . . Full of Depth and Love

For those of us who tend to be hermits, have chosen to hide ourselves away a bit from the fake and frivolous of the world, this book is quite the listen . . . at first I was taken back a bit by all the references of the wide library of books that the Margaret had read, until I realized that they were her only "safe" friends . . . if you get bogged down in the beginning, take heart . . . and keep listening . . . for the matter-of-fact, too harsh Margaret, little by little, has her barricades breached by slight, soft spoken Birdie . . . as another child who was once injured by a church body, I had some empathy for Margaret . . . and I was thanking God that He sent the hounds of heaven to hunt me down sooner rather than later, after hearing Margaret's tale . . . I thoroughly enjoyed the southern accents of all the ladies in the lunchroom and Margaret's and Birdie's husbands . . . I also appreciated that the gospel wasn't poked down Margaret's throat . . . but instead was lovingly spoon fed to her and most of all modeled by her friend, Birdie. God is ever faithful . . . and a tiny seed planted, no matter how many years has passed, is never wasted . . . Margaret's mother must've been smiling down from heaven . . .

The readers annoying voice that sounded computer generated .. but in the end suited the story teller and warmed my heart!

Loved the book! Cried like a baby! It’s the first book I’ve read from the author!

Undoubtedly one of the best stories I've read.

From beginning to end, this engrossing story captured both my heart and mind. It tugged at my emotions and led me to search my own life for ways to emulate the lovely and rich character of Birdie.
There are few stories that have touched me as this one has. This is a must read (listen) for every lover of inspirational fiction.

Extraordinary story and narration!

I was not familiar with this author, but the 5 star reviews prompted me to listen. I was not disappointed. This will top the list of my all-time favorite audibles. The story is profound and Cynthia Darlow's reading brings the cast of unforgettable characters vividly to life. I'll be looking for more books by Jamie Langston Turner.