Description:
Like the winter, grief has a season. Life returns with the spring.
A
young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built
the life she dreamed of during her teen years in a trailer park. An
unexpected interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy
has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to
rural Iowa.
Determined to pay her respects to her past while
avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the
unexpected inheritance of five hundred acres of farmland and a
startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new
plan.
Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn
farm for years. When Bethany is left the land, Evan must fight her
decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany’s
vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully
locked away.
For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God
of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go
the only way to new life, love and a peace that she’s not even sure
exists?
My Thoughts:
How interesting that I have been reading a string of books that are all about "going home" and successful young women who don't want to go home, but have to for some reason or another. I find it kind of funny, since lately I've been wanting to "go home" myself.
Anyway, beyond that realization, I have to say this book was awesome! I think Ganshert has a wonderful way of describing people and situations and I felt like I was right there with the characters. I really like these characters and am so happy to see that they will be back in her next book.
I was so struck by the way that Bethany reacted to the pastor of her mother's church. I knew something must have happened there to set her teeth on edge. I've seen church "leaders" mis-represent God's Word to people in my own life, so I know the damage that can be done. I am so glad that Bethany had people like her Grandpa and even Evan in her life to show here that God is not defined by the failings of the people in His church. And I loved seeing the contrast of how people genuinely open to God's teachings found peace and comfort in their faith.
Book Bullets:
- My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
- Genre: Contemporary Fiction
- Part of a Series: Not technically...
- Publication year: 2012
- Publisher: Waterbrook Press
