…was an all-afternoon marathon reading session.  My mother dropped off The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (the book) and once begun, it was impossible to put down.

The book corresponded pretty closely with the film, although the film telescoped some of the events and left others out, of course.  I think what I enjoyed the most in the book was the saga of all the broken down appliances, and the last-minute cleanups before company.  That, more than anything, made their whole family quite real in my mind.  I felt a certain kinship with Mrs. Ryan over those matters.  She was also a paper-saver, as am I (my decluttering initiative peters right out when it comes to letters and cards from friends and family).  By the way, the timing of the most important prize really was that suspenseful.  It had to have been the Lord.

What struck me was the relationship Evelyn Ryan developed with her children, so full of warm and easygoing humor.  She defended them, and they were ready to put it on the line to defend her.  Evelyn’s daughter, Terry, really did “rise up and call her blessed” in this loving account of her mother’s pluckiness and determination.  Terry (“Tuff”) took it personally when her mother’s contest entries did not win!.

Evelyn has come to mind many times in the past few days, and her hopeful attitude is an inspiration to me.

Anyway, the kids got supper very late on Sunday night!  :)