A heart-warming and lyrical tale of war, loss, love and laughter
This book just made me feel good. It’s the story of families surviving the loss of loved ones, the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship and still surviving by supporting each other. Dolly and Si run a boarding house in rural Alabama, having run out of funds to keep the home on their own. Their guests come from all walks of life, but no matter where they come from, they all have a past that they are escaping. More importantly, each character in the book has a future that they are running toward. There are no characters that I did not like in this book. There are eccentric characters and even a sub-plot about a pirate and his wife who disappeared shortly after their wedding. Nothing, absolutely nothing detracted from the central theme of hope and encouragement for a future together. I loved this book! It was one of the best that I have read in the genre of general fiction. My favorite character was an elderly blind woman who sat on her porch daily, seeing the souls and the needs of the heart of her visitors and meeting those needs with the wisdom that can only come from the elderly and God-fearing. I was also impressed with Si and his ingenuity and inventiveness. Somehow, he and Dolly managed to build a skating rink and a pond at their old homestead; mostly it was through the genius of Si’s figuring out how to get things done. The beautiful and lesson-teaching romance was between Anna and Jesse. Jesse arrives in Alabama despondent because he has lost his farm up north. Nothing that Anna seems to do encourages him, but in the boarding house of Dolly and Si, he finds what he needs...just what we all need, a hope for the future. This is a novel that is perfect for our troubled times and for troubled people who need to believe in goodness and love again.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via BookishFirst.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via BookishFirst.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”