Reading
Sundin's historical novels has always been a pleasure and this one is
no exception. She deftly takes us to the mid-1940s and the war effort
abroad and at home. Our hero is Clay, a Ranger sure of his coming
death in battle because of a recurring dream. Our heroine is Leah, an
orphan in youth, given the opportunity to work in a library at Camp
Forrest. Clay happens upon Leah as she is being sexually assaulted.
He saves her life and when she later finds out she is pregnant, he
protects her fragile honor by marrying her. After all, he'll die soon
after he is shipped out to Europe. I like how Sundin creates the
characters in such a way that I wanted to know their future.
This
is a great story. Besides learning much about the war effort, the
plot contains the challenges of forgiveness and trusting God. We also
see the attitude at the time toward orphans and orphanages. As with
the earlier books in this series, the theme of a prodigal son is
strong, although with Clay it is more his attitude than physical
locations that makes him one.
Sundin
adds a note at the end of the book with historical references. Much
of the novel is based on historical fact, from the 5th Ranger
Battalion climbing the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc to the way babies were
cared for in the 1940s. Sundin also provides photos of locations in
the novel on Pinterest. (www.pinterest.com/sarahsundin.)
There are Discussion Questions given so this would make a good choice
for a reading group.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
Sarah
Sundin is the author of several historical novel series. Her books
have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library
Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Through Waters Deep
was a finalist for the 2016 Carol Award and won the INSPY Award. She
lives in northern Callifornia. You can find out more as
www.sarahsundin.com. Author photo: (c) Marci Seither.
Revell,
384 pages.
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