1. Leaving, Bailey Flanigan Series #1
    Karen Kingsbury
    Zondervan / 2011 / Trade Paperback
    Our Price$13.49 Retail Price$17.99 Save 25% ($4.50)
    4.7 out of 5 stars for Leaving, Bailey Flanigan Series #1. View reviews of this product. 56 Reviews
    Availability: In Stock
    Stock No: WW266281
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  1. angelmom1165
    Arlington, TX
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Another Super Read
    March 11, 2011
    angelmom1165
    Arlington, TX
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    The Bailey Flanigan Series Leaving

    I have followed the story of Bailey Flannigan through so many of Karen's books. It is wonderful to see her with a series of her own. I can't wait to see how it all plays out. I was so excited to be picked to be one of the first to review Leaving. I told everyone. I have almost all of her books in my home library. I stayed up until two in the morning because I just had to know what happened next. One of the things that I love most about Karen's books is the fact that scripture is intertwined throughout the book. It helps the reader to see how God can speak to us in similar situations.

    In Leaving there were many things that stood out to me. The biggest was the fact that life is precious. It passes too quickly and we should live each day to the fullest. We should never spend our days worrying about what is coming up but take that day to laugh and live. It also points out something we don't often think about, the lasts. We focus on our child's firsts, the first time they walk, the first time they play a ball game, etc. But what about the last time they crawl, the last day of elementary school, the last day of high school, the last ... you fill in the blank. There can be so many lasts. And sometimes we don't know they are the last one. So don't worry about your days, enjoy them to the fullest.

    Cody shows respect to an authority figure even though that person isn't deserving of that respect. He prays for God to change things instead of him trying to change things himself. That spoke volumes to me. In this world where everyone is out to get what they deserve and wants justice no matter what, this was refreshing. He always keeps his example to the youth he works with pure.

    It focused a lot on growing up and moving away from home. It changes for everyone not just the child that has grown up and is now ready to spread their wings in the world. The parents and children still at home have to readjust life as they know it. There is a change in the dynamics. We all have to grow up and move forward in life. The lesson I learned from this book (and the others that had this family in them) was to have no regrets because you spent the years building up to that, supplying them with what they needed to make it. To make sure they are grounded in their faith in God. To make sure your relationship with each other is strong. Then place them in God's hands and love them all the more.

    The characters have had my heart from the beginning. I already knew them from previous books. I have walked with them through their ups and downs. Karen has a way of making her characters so real that you just have to know what they are doing. Even she can't stop writing about the Flanigan's and the Baxter's. I cried many times throughout this book. In some of her books I have had heart wrenching cries and others it is just a quiet time where the tears just roll down my face. God uses Karen to speak to my heart through so many situations. What a blessing that this lady is willing to allow God to speak through her writing.
  2. Pam Burke
    Potosi, MO
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: Female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    A Friendly Warning!
    March 23, 2011
    Pam Burke
    Potosi, MO
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: Female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    WARNING: No mother should even think about reading Leaving without a box of tissues nearby! (Of course, that probably goes for everyone else too!)

    Maybe it's because of my own place in life, but I saw more of a mother's heart in Karen's writing in this story than in most of her other great books. But mothers dealing with "lasts" in their families make up only part of the story. Watching the characters we have come to know and love through these many years -- and some we are just getting to know — work through the twists and turns in their lives keeps the story fresh and moving as always. And Karen is careful to remind us that the "lasts" often provide opportunities for "firsts" and "mores."

    The constant reminders of God's faithfulness that Karen so beautifully weaves into her story-telling give you something very tangible to take away from the fictional account and into the realities of your own life. It is such a blessing to feel refreshed and uplifted when you turn the last page of a novel, something you can always count on from KK.

    It was such a special treat to be one of the first to read Leaving, and now I can't wait to follow more of Bailey's story (and those of our other "friends" as well) in Learning, Longing and Loving! (Am I the only one who has to keep reminding myself that these stories are fictional, that these are not real people?)
  3. candids
    Watertown, WI
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Kingsbury never disappoints...
    June 1, 2011
    candids
    Watertown, WI
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    I have read Kinsbury's work in the past and was excited to delve into this new series with some of the popular characters from the Baxter series mixed in. Though I haven't read all of the Baxter books, I felt like Kingsbury shared enough information in this book to make it stand alone as well as making me want to go back and get the back story on some of these likeable characters.

    Kingsbury creates believable characters in the Flannigan family. This book centers around Bailey Flannigan, a college student who is a gifted singer and dancer. She dreams of Broadway, but she has yet to see her dream come true.

    Though she has just completed a starring role in a film opposite one of the country's most famous movie stars, she comes across as very down to earth and open to the Lord's leading.

    Bailey's love story is left unfinished as this first in the Bailey Flannigan series ends and I, for one, can't wait for the next book in the series to be published to learn more of what God has for Bailey Flannigan and the other characters in Leaving.

    Kingsbury is a gifted author and you can see her love for the Lord and for family woven throughout the plot of Leaving.

    I received this book free for the purpose of review. My opinion, however, is my own and I have not been forced to give a positive review.
  4. Carol
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    April 7, 2011
    Carol
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This is typical Kingsbury, wonderful faith baised story about average people with believable problems and solutions.
  5. i blog 4 books
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Just as moving as ever!
    May 6, 2012
    i blog 4 books
    I think I have read every novel Karen Kingsbury has written. I'm a fan. So I was thrilled with the opportunity to get my hands on Karen's latest novel Leaving. Leaving picks up the story of Bailey Flanigan, one of the main characters in previous series.

    Leaving is an incredible story about a girl trying to determine the direction that God is leading. Should she stay in Bloomington? Should she pursue a Broadway role in New York City? Should she move to California to pursue Hollywood? Is God opening the door to a new relationship and closing the door on an old one? As Bailey comes to terms with leaving everything familiar and starting over again.

    Kingsbury is just as moving as ever. Her writing evokes real emotion and reminded me why I fell in love with her stories years ago. The events throughout the novel are fairly realistic and she's not afraid to put a beloved character through a difficult time. At times, the way some of the stories are resolved seem a bit cheesy ... but sometimes that's life! Also, I love that the Flanigan family is based on Kingsbury's own family.

    Leaving is the first novel in the Bailey Flanigan series, but it's not the first story featuring Bailey and the Baxter family. If you want to start from the very beginning (which is what I would recommend), start with the Redemption series (Redemption, Remember, Return, Rejoice, Reunion), the Firstborn series (Fame, Forgiven, Found, Family, Forever), the Sunrise series (Sunrise, Summer, Someday, Sunset), and the Above the Line series (Take One, Take Two, Take Three, Take Four) before diving into Leaving. BUT Kingsbury does a great job filling in some of the gaps if you want to start with Leaving.

    I would highly recommend Leaving or any other book by Karen Kingsbury!

    I received a free copy of this book from Zondervan in exchange for my fair and honest review.
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