Room For Hope is a stand alone novel from best selling author Kim Vogel Sawyer. Neva Shilling is a devoted wife and mother of 14 year old twins who willingly devotes her time to taking care of their family business during her husband's trips to other communities to sell items from his wagon and get supplies to replenish their store, Shilling Mercantile. Despite the hardships brought on by the Depression, he is able to bring luxuries home for the family and is always home in time to take care of the paperwork, place orders, and spend time with his family.
As she and the twins are preparing supper for Warren's return from his latest business trip, they hear a wagon pulling up. She is stunned when a deputy explains to her that Warren and his wife have both passed away, and that Warren's final instructions were for their 3 young children to be raised by "Aunt Neva." An orphan herself, she can't make them go to an orphanage, but can she daily face the evidence of her husband's deceit...and protect her family from the shame of Warren's betrayal?
As she and the twins are preparing supper for Warren's return from his latest business trip, they hear a wagon pulling up. She is stunned when a deputy explains to her that Warren and his wife have both passed away, and that Warren's final instructions were for their 3 young children to be raised by "Aunt Neva." An orphan herself, she can't make them go to an orphanage, but can she daily face the evidence of her husband's deceit...and protect her family from the shame of Warren's betrayal?
Based on true events from Sawyer’s family history,
Room for Hope is a beautiful story of God’s powerful redemptive work in the midst of struggle, betrayal, and heartbreak.
My Review: I always enjoy Kim's books, but there was just something special about this one that drew me in from the beginning and held my interest captive. Times and attitudes have changed over the past 80 years, and I appreciated that she was not presenting a story through modern eyes, but kept in character with reactions that would be typical of the 1930s. Neva was also a strong woman of great character who wanted to do the "right" thing, but did some more out of obedience rather than genuine love. A great reminder that obeying God, even when you don't feel like it, can and will create a change of heart when you allow Him to mold it despite your own stubbornness and pride. Her twins reflected more extreme attitudes with Belle being accepting and willing to love and Bud being angry and resentful about the changes in their life.
The characters evolved along the way and not everyone changed along a predictable pattern. Several times throughout the book, I would think, "No, that's not the direction you should be heading!", but the added layers and changing attitudes were exactly what the book needed. A wise reminder that people can change and that things are not always what they seem. The characters also became people I cared about and I hated to come to the end of the book. The end was satisfying, but I was still left thinking, "What happened next? Tell me more!"
I highly recommend this book to lovers of both historical fiction and those who love to see lives transformed when surrendered to God.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my participation in the blog tour by WaterBrook-Multnomah.
GIVEAWAY: Two readers (USA & Canada only) can win copies of Room For Hope by leaving a comment. Deadline to enter is Midnight, Sunday, March 6, 2016.
The characters evolved along the way and not everyone changed along a predictable pattern. Several times throughout the book, I would think, "No, that's not the direction you should be heading!", but the added layers and changing attitudes were exactly what the book needed. A wise reminder that people can change and that things are not always what they seem. The characters also became people I cared about and I hated to come to the end of the book. The end was satisfying, but I was still left thinking, "What happened next? Tell me more!"
I highly recommend this book to lovers of both historical fiction and those who love to see lives transformed when surrendered to God.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my participation in the blog tour by WaterBrook-Multnomah.
GIVEAWAY: Two readers (USA & Canada only) can win copies of Room For Hope by leaving a comment. Deadline to enter is Midnight, Sunday, March 6, 2016.
1 comment:
Looks like a good read would love to read it.
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