Weekly Wednesday Review - Harriet Beamer Takes The Bus

Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus is a novel by Joyce Magnin. The main character Harriet is a widow who lives in Philadelphia with her dog Humphrey. Harriet is waiting for her son and daughter-in-law to visit when she decides to decorate the Christmas tree on her own. She ends up falling and hurts her ankle. Harriet's daughter-in-law makes a bet with her that if Harriet's ankle is broken, she has to move to California and live with them. Harriet is so sure that she only has a sprain so she agrees to the bet. Harriet ends up losing the bet but decides she will go to California at her leisure taking the bus or using other forms of transportation. As Harriet begins her journey, she has many experiences and different encounters with people. My thoughts: Harriet was a likable and spunky character. At first I thought Harriet wanted to travel on her own just to prove her independence, but it turns out she has special reasons for doing so. Harriet reveals to a new friend that the reason for the trip is because she wants to feel God's pleasure and also to do something from start to finish. I was really rooting for her to finish the trip! I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to others. Disclosure: I received this book from Zondervan. All opinions expressed are my own.