[.uk] Beyond the Picket Fence: And Other Short Stories (ISBN 0736900551)

Disappointed:
Before I bought the book, I read the negative reviews and disregarded them, thinking that anything Lori Wick writes is excellent. Now after reading the short stories, I think that it is safe to say that she needs to stick with novels. Wick tried to put more information into the short stories then necessary, which resulted in a poor development of plot and characters. Even for a dedicated Wick fan, this was a huge disappointment.

Short stories you will love:
As always, I was impressed my Lori Wick's fabulous gift to write down-to-earth stories with wonderful plots and loveable characters. Usually I am not a huge fan of short stories because I enjoy getting to know characters on a deeper level; however, Lori brought each person to life so when the charming story ended, I was sad to conclude a well developed story. A wonderful asset to the "Lori Wick Book Collection," and a great book to keep and read over and over again.

Bre's:
I like Lori Wick's books well enough, but I was a bit uncertain about a book of short stories as I'm not a huge fan of short story writing, especially in a book format. I find I lose focus too quickly. This collection was a delightful surprise, however. Each story stood on its own and all had a message - something that not all Lori Wick books contain. In fact, I found that most of the stories have a greater impact and message, as well as more realism than many of Ms. Wick's novels. One tiny point annoyed me, however. I seem to remember that in "A Rancher's Lady", Shasta, an Australian, mentions that she used to work on a sheep ranch. I am an Australian and I can assure any disillusioned Americans out there that we do not have "ranches" in Australia. We call them "stations" instead. A silly thing for me to bother about, I know, but I must be truthful. All in all, a lovely addition to the library of any fan of Lori Wick.

not a favorite:
I like Lori Wick and I liked many if not all of these stories, but the paragraphs at the end of each explaining where the idea for it had come rubbed me the wrong way. The writing was not at fault, but that extraneous paragraph was a design flaw.

A very wonderful book full of short stories!:
I really enjoyed this book, it was lovely to read. I highly recommend it, for anyone who enjoys reading Christian fiction.