First Chapter Review: Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke

 

I purchased the entire Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke online from a used bookstore. 

BLURB: Marty and Clem set out for the pioneer West full of hopes and dreams. They would stake a claim of their own on the new frontier, and build a home for themselves and their family.

But just after they'd arrived and Clem had chosen the perfect setting for their new home, an accident took his life...leaving Marty alone and pregnant. Then, on the day of his funeral, Clark Davis came along...and asked Marty to marry him!

Marty was infuriated -- but with no money, no shelter, and a baby on the way, what choice did she have? Besides, Clark said he only wanted her to be a mama to his baby girl, Missie. If Marty was still unhappy come spring, he would pay for her ticket back East.

Determined not to be a burden to Clark, and intending only to earn her keep. Marty threw herself into her new role of "Mama." But she had never been anyone's mama before, and she didn't even know how to keep a house! If only she could do right by this lonely man and his daughter just long enough to earn her train fare back home...

Now, Marty must learn wholeness and love through patience and faith.

Note: The back cover seeks to capitalize on the popularity of Little House on the Prairie, which had been airing since 1974. In block letters it says, "A COMPELLING LOVE STORY SET IN THE 'LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE' ERA."

COVER: Typical romance cover for the period in which it was first published (1979). This is not the edition I have, but both covers feature Marty in the foreground holding flowers with Clark and Missie in the background. In my edition, Missie is standing in front of Clark holding the same flowers Marty is, and Clark has reddish-brown hair. In my edition, Marty is turned sideways and looking at Clark and Missie, so the reader sees her profile. 

FIRST CHAPTER: The morning after her husband Clem has been killed in a terrible accident, Marty wakens to realize she has no idea what she is going to do all alone in the West when it's mid-October, she is pregnant, and there is no wagon train heading East until spring. That's when Clark Davis introduces himself and suggests they get married so Missie has a mama. In exchange, he will pay Marty's fare back home in the spring.

KEEP READING: Of course I will, because I want to see how they compare to the Hallmark Channel movies, but I'm not sure how much this book would have captivated me if I wasn't familiar with the storyline. The dialect is difficult to read. Nowadays, we would sporadically include words to show a character's way of speech, but the first chapter is filled with it. Readers should be aware that Marty expresses a concern for "Injuns" when Clem is sharing his excitement for coming out West. 

Oke did a fabulous job of portraying Marty's plight and all the emotions running through her head after the loss of Clem, the funeral where everyone is offering to help, and then Clark's uncomfortable and untimely proposal. 

We see the first difference between the book and movie in the opening chapter. Marty's husband Clem in the books has been rechristened Aaron in the movies. Though some of the words were rearranged in Clark's proposal to Marty in the movies, they are familiar enough that they feel similar. The author drops in a quick moment of humor when Clark corrects Marty's impression of what he means when he says "you 'an me be in need of one another."

There are two moments that disturbed me in this chapter. The first is that Clark asks Marty to take Missie with her if she decides to go back East in the spring. It is clearly done out of love and concern for his daughter, because he says it wouldn't be fair for the "little mite" not to have a mama, but having watched Dale Midkiff's portrayal of Clark, I couldn't see the character acting that way. I fear movie Clark could interfere with my impression of book Clark. The second is that Marty says she hates Clark, calling him a "cold miserable man." The text says that she "stormed against him." It's like she blames him for what happened to her. Of course, she just lost her husband, and everyone grieves differently. It will be interesting to see what my impression is at the end of the book. 

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers; Repack edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764228323
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764228322
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 940L

I purchased this book series online. This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Movie Review: Love's Christmas Journey (2011)

 

The last of the Love Comes Softly inspired original Hallmark Channel movies aired in 2011. Love's Christmas Journey finds recently widowed Ellie King (Natalie Hall) visiting her widower brother Aaron Davis (Greg Vaughn) and his two children, played by Ryan Wynott and Jada Facer, in the town of Harrington. 

Mayor Wayne (Sean Astin) is hopeful the new railroad will come through town, so with the help of well-respected townsfolk like Mrs. Beatrice Thompson (JoBeth Williams) and Mr. Cunningham (Stephen Bridgewater), along with the mayor's wife, Adrienne (Amanda Foreman), they are putting together a special Christmas celebration. 

However, the Scrooge-like Alex Weaver (Charles Shaughnessy) is more interested in buying up land around town. When the railroad comes through, he will reap the rewards of owning so much property. 

Having heard of a potential buyer for land near his farm, Aaron decides to travel to the land office in Everettsville to purchase it first. Ellie agrees to stay with the children. Aaron's good friend and deputy, Michael (Dylan Bruce), agrees to check in on them from time to time. Sparks fly between the two at their introduction, but Ellie has already lost so much that she might not be ready to love again.

Meanwhile, Erik Johnson (Bobby Campo) was left in town by his no-good daddy years ago. He was taken in by Aaron to help on the farm. But the townsfolk remember his daddy's ways, and Erik can't seem to gain their trust. He's smitten with the mayor's daughter, Suzanna (Annika Noelle), but their sneaking around behind her parents' backs leads to disaster when a fire destroys the inside of the Waynes' barn and the railroad plans are stolen.

When Aaron doesn't arrive home when expected, the family fears the worst. Then a horrible storm blows through town, damaging property and threatening plans for the Christmas celebration. Can the town pull together to create a special Christmas? And will Aaron arrive home in time to spend Christmas with his children? 

Love's Christmas Journey created a storyline around Aaron Davis--Marty and Aaron Claridge's baby boy born in Love Comes Softly. Raised by Marty and Clark, alongside Missie and Arnie Davis, he was absent from the series after Love's Enduring Promise. Ellie is the second child born to Clark and Marty in the books, even though we don't meet her in the previous films. 

With commercial breaks, this movie clocks in at four hours, which is substantially longer than the other movies, and was broken into two parts when it aired. This is understandable because there are so many plots and subplots along the way. 

It's hard to say where this falls in the Love Comes Softly timeline because of the last two movies focusing on Belinda. Aaron is probably in his 30s during Love's Christmas Journey, so maybe this takes place after the last movie.

For me, nothing compares to the acting between Katherine Heigl and Dale Midkiff in Love Comes Softly. Though some of the movies come close, and Love's Christmas Journey is a good movie in terms of content, I miss the strong chemistry between the two people meant to fall in love. Perhaps that's because so much else was happening while Ellie and Michael's and Erik and Suzanna's romances unfolded. Maybe the film was just too ambitious. 

Just like in Love Takes Wing, this seasonal movie also had more of a focus on the harsher realities of a small town in the 1800s. 

SPOILERS AHEAD in white

• Erik's life is threatened by a man in town because his father had stolen everything he owned.
• Ellie's husband and daughter are killed when a tornado hits their barn, which causes her to experience PTSD.
• An armed robber steals from an unsuspecting husband and wife who were traveling; taking all their money and what he could carry, while sending them off in the woods to freeze.
• That same armed robber shoots Aaron on his way back from Everettsville, leaving him for dead.
• Christopher gets lost in the woods searching for his father and almost dies when he eats poisonous berries.

This is actually something I like to see because of its historical accuracy. But I feel like the romance storylines were lost and that certain scenes or subplots dragged on longer than necessary. Remember the scene in Love Comes Softly when a horrible snowstorm blows up unexpectedly and Clark must search for Marty in a whiteout? That scene was succinct. It created the necessary drama, but then Marty was safe and all was well until the next thing that happened. It's almost like they brought Ellie to Harrington too early, so that there were days and days that they had to fill with extraneous content. Despite that, I still enjoyed Love's Christmas Journey. I just fast-forwarded through the slower parts. 

If you're looking for a western Christmas movie, Love's Christmas Journey would be worth checking out. And if you're a fan of the movie series, it's nice to see Aaron Davis again. This movie stays true to the faith, family, and community feel of the series, which is what is attractive to its target market. I simply wished the content was delivered in a tighter, more dramatic way. 

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.6 x 5.4 x 7.6 inches; 1.6 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 115571
• Director ‏ : ‎ David S. Cass Sr., David S. Cass, Sr.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, AC-3, NTSC, Dolby, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 51 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ October 30, 2012
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Greg Vaughan, JoBeth Williams, Natalie Hall, Sean Astin, Ernest Borgnine
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Lincoln Lageson
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Studios
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009A9EMYM

I watched this movie online. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Movie Reviews: Love Begins (2010) & Love's Everlasting Courage (2011)

After the success of the Love Comes Softly movies that were based on Janette Oke's eight books of the same titles, Hallmark Channel aired two original prequel movies about Clark Davis (Wes Brown) and Ellen Barlow Davis (Julie Mond). 

Love Begins is the story of how Clark and Ellen meet. Clark and his childhood friend, Daniel Whitaker (David Tom), stop in town on their way to California in search of gold. Hungry from their travel, they visit Millie's Cafe, run by Millie (Nancy McKeon) with the help of her daughter Rose (Steffani Brass). Daniel starts a fight with two men from town, resulting in Clark and him being tossed in jail. 

While Daniel escapes overnight, Clark stays to face his punishment. Sheriff Holden (Jere Burns) feels Clark is of good character, but has no way to pay off the damage done to Millie's place. That's when the sheriff introduces him to Ellen Barlow and her younger sister, Cassie (Abigail Mavity). After the death of their parents, Ellen and Cassie are struggling to manage the family farm by themselves. If the Barlow sisters hire Clark, they will get the help they need, while he earns a fair wage. 

Cassie warms to Clark easily, but Ellen is suspicious of this stranger because of his arrest and because her beau Jake Weller (David Hoflin) ran off in search of gold two years ago and hasn't been heard from since. 

Love's Everlasting Courage was released a year later. Clark, Ellen, and their daughter, Missie (Morgan Lily) struggle to keep the family farm because of a two-year drought. In order to make payments on their loan, Ellen decides to take a job in town as a seamstress, which doesn't sit well with Clark's parents (played by Bruce Boxleitner and Cheryl Ladd) when they come to visit. 

Things go from bad to worse when Ellen comes down with scarlet fever and dies. Left alone to raise his daughter, when another tragedy strikes, Clark wonders why God is punishing him. With the help of his parents and friends Sarah (Willow Greer) and Ben (Tyler Jacob Moore), Clark just might be able to find a way to start over. 

In my opinion, these movies are an example of continuing a story that was already finished. While they might answer fans' questions about Clark's life with Ellen, I don't feel they portrayed the Clark Davis I knew in the Love Comes Softly series. Granted, these are meant to be movies of a younger Clark, but the second movie messes up the timeline because Missie is not a baby. 

At the most, two or three years pass between the end of Love's Everlasting Courage and Marty's appearance in Love Comes Softly where Clark says Missie is nine, but Clark would still be a young man by the opening of Love Comes Softly if that's the case. In addition, Clark's reason for asking Marty to marry him is because he believes she can teach Missie things she would have learned from Ellen, but she was old enough in Love's Everlasting Courage to already be on her way to learning some of those things before Ellen dies. We also meet the widowed Sarah (Willow Greer) and widower Ben Graham (Tyler Jacob Moore) in the second movie, and they are significantly younger than the Sarah and Ben Graham in Love Comes Softly, who have managed to have a bunch of children since marrying, so the timeline make no sense at all. 

There is another inconsistency between Love Comes Softly and Love's Everlasting Courage. In Love Comes Softly, Sarah Graham tells Marty that Ben and she married out of sheer necessity, and she doesn't even recall when she fell in love with him. However, in Love's Everlasting Courage, when Sarah and Ben are courting, he declares he doesn't want to miss a moment with her because life can change so quickly, and he is madly in love with her. She ecstatically says yes. They run off to tell their children before heading to the Davis farm to share their happy news. Also, Love Begins and Love's Everlasting Courage are set in the town of Trinity, but the original movies are set in Anderson Corner. So, it looks like Clark and Missie moved and the Grahams came along. Not unusual, but a bit odd. 

Circling back to my point about this Clark and future Clark being too different. Young Clark can't explain to Ellen in Love Begins why he doesn't find attending church services constructive, and that he doesn't even know what faith means. He admits he doesn't remember why he stopped going to church. When we get to the second movie, we will see that Clark's parents are believers, so unless there is some past trauma or tragedy, this storyline makes no sense. 

Even in Love's Everlasting Courage, we don't get the feeling that Clark Davis is the man of faith he is portrayed as by the time we are reintroduced to his character in Love Comes Softly. I simply can't see the Clark from Love Begins and Love's Everlasting Courage praying and reading daily from his Bible like future Clark does; even after his father explains how God loves him just like he loves Clark and Clark loves Missie. Based upon the prequels' character, I can't see the future Clark telling Marty that God has been right beside him all the moments of his life or saying, "The truth of God's love is not that he allows bad things to happen. It's his promise to be there with us... when they do."

Out of the two prequels, Love Begins is the stronger and better movie. Love's Everlasting Courage serves little purpose other than to kill Ellen off, share how Sarah and Ben Graham got together, and introduce Clark's parents, who we never hear about again. Different writers and directors could play a role in how these movies came to the screen versus the original movies. While I am glad I watched them, and I plan to watch Love's Christmas Journey (2011), I doubt I will ever watch these prequels again. 

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.56 x 5.39 x 7.51 inches; 0.64 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 063484
• Director ‏ : ‎ David S. Cass, Sr., David S. Cass Sr.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, Multiple Formats, AC-3, NTSC, Dolby, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 28 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ November 22, 2011
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Julie Mond, Abigail Mavity, Wes Brown, Nancy McKeon, Jere Burns
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Erik Heiberg, Lincoln Lageson
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• 
  

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.57 x 5.37 x 7.68 inches; 2.4 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 131605
• Director ‏ : ‎ May, Bradford
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, NTSC, Widescreen, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, AC-3
• Release date ‏ : ‎ May 8, 2012
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Brown, Wes, Ladd, Cheryl, Boxleitner, Bruce, Lily, Morgan, Mond, Julie
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0078X2A7I

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005N4DNDY

I own Love Begins on DVD and watched Love's Everlasting Courage online. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Books to Film: Love Finds A Home (2009)

 

Love Finds A Home is the final book in Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series. In the book, Clark and Marty Davis' youngest daughter, Belinda, who had been living in Boston caring for Mrs. Stafford-Smythe, returns home, but has trouble adjusting. Then she returns to Boston and her life takes a series of unexpected turns. 

Now, that I've said that, toss all of it out of the window, because Love Finds A Home (2009), which is the final movie based on a book of the same title, is nothing like that at all. 

In the movie, Belinda (Sarah Jones) and her husband, Lee Owens (Jordan Bridges), have made a comfortable home in Sikeston while raising their adopted daughter, Lillian (Courtney Halverson). They are thrilled when Peter (Jeffrey Muller) brings his wife and Belinda's college classmate, Annie (Haylie Duff), to Sikeston for a visit while he is away for work. His mother, Mary (Patty Duke), is less than happy because she is the local midwife and plans to deliver their baby. But Annie assures her she will be back in plenty of time. When complications arise, Annie must stay in Sikeston until the baby is born, so Mary decides to travel there, which causes tensions between her and Belinda. 

Meanwhile, Lee welcomes an apprentice, Joshua (Michael Trevino), to his blacksmith shop. When sparks fly between him and Lillian, Lee is determined things won't get out of hand. But his daughter is a stubborn young woman, and when she gets angry at her pa, she puts her life in danger. 

If television writers had to reinvent a storyline for the last movie, they picked a great one that had plenty of dramatic moments, humor, and life lessons. The town of Sikeston has grown, but Belinda feels unchallenged at the clinic. She resents Mary's interference once she arrives, and it takes some time for her to accept that even without a degree, Mary's experience has value. And while she is thrilled to see Annie, her presence reminds Belinda that despite trying, she hasn't been able to conceive. 

Lee struggles with Lillian growing up. He wants to protect his daughter from getting hurt. Meanwhile, he has concerns about Belinda's feelings for him. She has been distant, and he wonders if she regrets marrying him.

Love Finds A Home is one of my favorites from the series. The writing and acting are strong. Family and faith continue to be a focal point. And the movie ends in a satisfying way. Definitely worth watching.

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.56 x 5.36 x 7.56 inches; 4 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 88532X
• Director ‏ : ‎ David S. Cass Sr.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Color, AC-3, Widescreen, NTSC, Subtitled, Dolby
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 28 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ November 10, 2009
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Sarah Jones, Haylie Duff, Jordan Bridges, Patty Duke, Courtney Halverson
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Surround), Spanish (Dolby Surround), Unqualified (DTS ES 6.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002NUULQI
• Writers ‏ : ‎ Donald Davenport, Janette Oke
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

I own this movie on DVD. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Books to Film: Love Takes Wing (2009)

 

Love Takes Wing, the seventh book in Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series, was turned into a television movie in 2009. Like the book of the same title, this storyline focuses on the character of Belinda, who viewers met in the movie, Love's Unending Legacy. However, the timelines between the book and the movie simply don't match up. 

In the book, Belinda is the daughter of Marty and Clark Davis, who trains to be a nurse and ends up heading to Boston with Mrs. Stafford-Smythe to care for her. In the movie series, Belinda, the adopted daughter of Missie and Zach Tyler, meets Mrs. Stafford-Smythe in Anderson Corner and cares for her until she is well enough to return to Boston (Love's Unfolding Dream).

Fans of the book series may have issues with the total liberty that the writers of Love Takes Wing and Love Finds A Home (the eighth in the series) take with the source material, but since timeline and storyline changes happened before, this is bound to present challenges. 

After Drew's death, Dr. Belinda Simpson (now played by Sarah Jones) travels with her friend from medical school, Annie, played by Haylie Duff, to Sikeston, Missouri, to care for the townsfolk when they take sick with a mysterious illness. Ray Russell (Lou Diamond Phillips) blames the orphans and their caretaker, Hattie Clarence (Cloris Leachman), and insists they be run out of town. However, the town's mayor (Patrick Duffy) encourages the Town Council to give Belinda time to cure them. And with the help of Lillian (Annalise Basso), one of the orphans, she just might have a chance.

Lee Owens (Jordan Bridges), the town's blacksmith, is smitten with Belinda from the start. But still hurting from the loss of Drew, and with time running out before the town loses faith in her abilities, he must patiently bide his time. Helping Belinda in whatever way he can, he must have faith that Belinda will one day come around. 

The team that wrote and produced Love Takes Wing used what had been successful in prior movies--faith, family, adoption, death of a spouse--to bring Belinda's story to life. Belinda and Annie arrive in Sikeston, a primitive town, where Belinda has been hired to take over the clinic. Facing the expected discrimination, especially from men, as a female doctor, she finds it hard to find her path. Separated from her family, Belinda corresponds with her mother, Missie Tyler (Erin Cottrell), who appears a few times as she reads letters from and writes letters to her daughter. Viewers saw this in Love's Long Journey, as Clark wrote to his daughter Missie across the miles. 

There are so many things Love Takes Wing and its actors portray well, but here are some of my favorites:

• Belinda's loss of faith and the anguish she feels after not being able to save her own husband
• The fear of the unknown disease threatening the entire town, which leads to irrational behavior
• The developing relationship between Lee and Belinda and Lillian and Belinda
• The point where Belinda realizes she needs God's help

What I truly missed is the rest of the Davis family. That's to be expected as a series moves along. In the book series, fans get a chance to see the Davis family again, but the last time movie fans get to see the family is at the end of Love's Unfolding Dream. Despite that, I felt this was a strong addition to the Love Comes Softly movie series, and Lou Diamond Phillips, who directed this film, kept the right feel to it so this movie was consistent with what viewers had come to expect. 

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.56 x 5.32 x 7.58 inches; 2.56 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 2258089
• Director ‏ : ‎ Lou Diamond Phillips
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Subtitled, Dolby, Color, AC-3, Widescreen, Multiple Formats
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 28 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ May 5, 2009
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Patrick Duffy, Cloris Leachman, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jordan Bridges, Haylie Duff
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Surround), French (Dolby Surround), Spanish (Dolby Surround), Unqualified (DTS ES 6.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001TOPYY8
• 
  

I own this DVD. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Books to Film: Love's Unfolding Dream (2007)

Love's Unfolding Dream, the sixth installment of Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series, made it to the screen in 2007. Belinda (Marshall) Tyler (now played by Scout Taylor-Compton) is the oldest daughter of Missie Tyler (Erin Cottrell) and her sheriff husband, Zach (Victor Browne). She yearns to be a doctor, and when she hears that Dr. Jackson (Robert Pine) is looking for a medical assistant, she jumps at the chance.

Dr. Jackson has his reservations about hiring Belinda, especially because he thinks women are only good for marrying and keeping a home. As Belinda is traveling through town, the stagecoach driver stops her. One of the passengers has grown gravely ill. Belinda brings Mrs. Stafford-Smythe and her traveling companion Windsor (Richard Herd) to Dr. Jackson. When Mrs. Stafford-Smythe requires round-the-clock care, Dr. Jackson resigns himself to hiring Belinda to help. 

Meanwhile, Drew Simpson (Patrick Levis), the nephew of Clark and Marty Davis' (Dale Midkiff and Samantha Smith)  former neighbor Hank, arrives in Anderson Corner. The freshly out of law school Drew has inherited Hank's property and plans to sell it before returning to New York. When Clark drives him out there, Drew is dismayed to find the property in need of extensive repairs. Clark agrees to help, saying this will allow him to repay a debt to Hank. When Belinda meets Drew, they quickly clash. Seems Drew's sentiments on women are the same as Dr. Jackson's. However, they can't deny they are drawn to each other. 

As she tends to Mrs. Stafford-Smythe, the two women and Windsor, become friends. Once the two Bostonians are ready to return home, Belinda faces choices that will impact her future in many ways.

Love's Unfolding Dream is an excellent addition to the Love Comes Softly movie series. Since changes were made to characters in previous movies, some changes naturally came to this movie. Viewers must assume that Aaron and Arnie Davis are now off living their lives as adults, since they don't appear in this movie at all. Mattie LaHaye (now played by Randall Bentley) and Jacob Marshall (now played by Darian Weiss) are around, but don't see as much screentime since the focus is on Belinda's storyline. 

Another storyline that unfolds is that of Sadie and Charles Kent (Lori Rom and Paul Ganus). They have moved to Anderson Corner with their son, Caleb (Timmy Deters). Missie, the town's school teacher, calls Sadie in to let her know that Caleb is behind, especially with his reading. That's when she learns the entire family doesn't know how to read. So Missie devises a plan to help, which causes stress in the Kent's marriage.

Especially with Love's Unfolding Dream, the series becomes more about the community of Anderson Corner than just the Davis family. We see a town that has grown and changed since Clark moved there. 

Michael Landon Jr. returns as co-executive producer in this installment. I feel that's partially why I like this one. You can see his abilities shine through in the storyline and the actor's portrayals. I still miss Katherine Heigl as Marty Davis, who by this time was two years into her Grey's Anatomy role. One of the funny inconsistencies is that Missie can no longer cook, even though she could make fried chicken as a child. 

Friendship, community, and romance are what you find in Love's Unfolding Dream, along with a good dose of Clark Davis wisdom that viewers come to expect and appreciate.

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.56 x 5.31 x 0.59 inches; 3.2 Ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ Harvey Frost
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 88 minutes
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Erin Cottrell, Scout Taylor-Compton, Dale Midkiff, Robert Pine, Victor Browne
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07MXPCZLZ

I own this movie on DVD. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Books to Film: Love's Unending Legacy (2007)

 

Warning: contains a couple of spoilers if you haven't seen the movies yet. 

In Love's Unending Legacy, Missie (Erin Cottrell) and Mattie (Brett Coker) return home to be near her parents after the death of her husband Willie. When the orphan train stops in town, Missie takes in Belinda Marshall (Holliston Coleman). However, she finds the girl resents her, much like she resented Marty (now played by Samantha Smith) coming to live with her and her father Clark (Dale Midkiff) many years ago. What she doesn't know is that Belinda has a secret. When Belinda runs away, Missie needs the help of Sheriff Zach Tyler (Victor Browne). And though she struggles with feeling like she is betraying Willie, Missie is falling in love with Zach. 

Since the earlier movies eliminated some of the characters found in the books, the movie storyline of Love's Unending Legacy is a total departure from the book of the same title. Using plot points that have worked well in the past--death of a spouse, adoption, and main character romance--this movie is beautifully told. Cottrell plays well the role of a grieving widow struggling with wanting to be happy, but feeling like she is betraying her first husband. Marty and Clark are there to be supportive and to help her as she learns to navigate her new life back home as a single mother. Zach is an excellent new character with a backstory that comes to light as he grows closer to Missie. 

In the book series, Belinda, who will be the main character of the next two books and movies, is Marty and Clark's youngest daughter. Because we don't even see Aaron and Arnie Davis in the Love's Unending Legacy movie, it appears there was a desire to shift Marty and Clark to the wise grandparent role. Again, I feel the loss of Katherine Heigl is keenly felt. Marty's lines are delivered without the emotion we are used to seeing from this character. While Clark seems ageless and involved, Marty seems old and uninterested.

The other thing that aggravated me about this movie is that Missie's son Jeff isn't spoken about at all. Based upon the date on the cross over Willie's grave, only a year or so has passed since the events in the last movie. So, Jeff might no longer be a minor, but shouldn't his name at least come up? He's not visible in the ranch scene at the opening of the movie, either, so the viewer just has to assume either he and Colette Doros got married and moved away or Jeff left after Willie died, which would be uncharacteristic for him. He would never abandon Missie and Mattie. 

The unfolding love story between Zach and Missie along with Belinda's adoption story are what the focus of Love's Unending Journey clearly is, but it's unfortunate other family members were eliminated to accomplish that end. Michael Landon Jr. is not listed as a writer or director for this movie, however he is listed as a co-executive producer. I don't know if that played into some of these changes. While this is still a great movie, I wish Aaron, Arnie, and Jeff were not excluded. 

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.6 x 5.4 x 7.5 inches; 2.4 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 882192
• Director ‏ : ‎ Mark Griffiths
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, NTSC, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 24 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ December 4, 2007
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Erin Cottrell, Dale Midkiff, Victor Browne, Samantha Smith, Holliston Coleman
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish, French
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby TrueHD), Unqualified (DTS ES 6.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000W089VA
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I own this movie on DVD. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Books to Film: Love's Abiding Joy (2006)

 

In 2006, Michael Landon Jr. brought Love's Abiding Joy, the fourth novel in Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series, to the screen. It continues Missie (Erin Cottrell) and Willie's (Logan Bartholomew's) story arc at their ranch in the far West. 

Thanks to the Transcontinental Railroad, Missie's father, Clark Davis (Dale Midkiff), is able to visit them on the ranch, allowing him the first chance to meet his grandchildren: adopted son Jeff (Drew Tyler Bell), Mattie (Brett Cocker), and baby Kathy. Willie explains to Clark that times have been tough the last two years for the ranchers due to little rain and a cow plague that swept through the area. They are grateful for Missie's teaching job. 

When tragedy strikes, Missie and Willie's love is tested. Once Willie decides to take on the role of sheriff offered by the powerful and wealthy Samuel Doros (John Laughlin), the wedge between them widens. As they attempt to pull their once tight-knit family back together, Jeff finds himself in a dangerous position as his relationship with Colette Doros (Mae Whitman) blossoms into love. 

As the Love Comes Softly movie series continues, the difference between the books and movies widens. In Janette Oke's version of Love's Abiding Joy, Marty and Clark visit Missie and Willie. In the movies, only Clark makes the trip, saying that the cost was too much to bring the entire family. This makes me wonder if the loss of Katherine Heigl as Marty played a role in that decision.  Also, the LaHaye children are different in the movie than the books. No shock there, as most of Marty and Clark's children didn't make it into the movies either. 

There are so many touching moments in this movie (SPOILERS IN WHITE):

• Clark and Missie's reunion
• Clark overjoyed with meeting his grandchildren and the LaHayes' friends
• The developing romance between Jeff and Colette
• How one of the school children drew a picture of baby Kathy going to heaven for Missie
• Clark supporting and praying for Missie and Willie as they cope with the loss of Kathy
• The reunited LaHaye family learning to move on from Kathy's death
• How Willie bought back Missie's locket she had sold to get money for their friends, Henry and Melinda, so Doros couldn't foreclose on their ranch
• Colette standing up to her father
• Clark and Missie's tearful goodbye

While Jeff and Colette provide the only hint of romance in Love's Abiding Joy, fans of the series will be crying with and hoping for Missie and Willie to find their way back to each other. As the stagecoach bringing Clark back to the train station pulls away, a teary-eyed Missie stands in the road watching it drive out of town, having expressed her gratitude that Clark was there when tragedy struck and having been reminded that God's timing is always perfect, even when we don't know it at the time.

Another fabulous installment of this series. Cottrell and Bartholomew play a couple in crisis well, and Midkiff brings such depth of emotion to his role as Clark Davis. Family faith-based content should always be this good. 

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.53 x 5.28 x 7.46 inches; 4 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 885636
• Director ‏ : ‎ Michael Landon Jr.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Color, Full Screen, NTSC, Dolby, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 27 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ January 2, 2007
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Erin Cottrell, Dale Midkiff, Logan Bartholomew, Frank McRae, William Morgan Sheppard
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Language ‏ : ‎ French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Unqualified (DTS ES 6.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000ICLRJS

I own this movie on DVD. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Books to Film: Love's Long Journey (2005)

 

In Love's Long Journey, the third movie directed by Michael Landon Jr. for Hallmark Channel's Love Comes Softly series, Missie (now played by Erin Cottrell) and Willie LaHaye (Logan Bartholomew) have left the wagon train and arrived to take claim to their homestead and start their ranch. Willie hires a few ranch hands, and Missie meets their Native American neighbor Miriam Red Hawk McClain (Irene Bedard). Even though Missie has a chance to teach some of the Native American children, she is desperately homesick, and danger may be lurking around the corner for the LaHayes. 

Though I haven't read Love's Long Journey by Janette Oke, based upon reviews, the movie leaves out the first half of the book, which is the LaHayes' time on the wagon train. Instead, it opens with Missie and Willie departing from the wagon train and stopping in town at the general store and land office before heading out to land that has been deeded to him. The rest of the movie is all about them settling in, getting the ranch going, and the dangers and life changes they face along the way.

While Love Comes Softly remains my favorite movie, Love's Long Journey is a fabulous film with tons of great characters who become part of Missie and Willie's new life. Dale Midkiff reprises his role as Missie's father, Clark Davis. He has two cameos in this film as he corresponds with Missie from across the miles. 

With the luxury of being able to watch one movie after the other in a series, you tend to pick up inconsistencies along the way. Suddenly, Missie, who told Marty in Love Comes Softly that she makes good fried chicken and teased Marty because she couldn't cook, can no longer cook, which comes up a couple of times. It reminded me of a similar inconsistency in Little House on the Prairie, where depending upon the episode, Charles could or could not cook. 

Love's Long Journey is a fine installment of this series. Though you could always watch only one movie, there is so much value in following the Davis family saga from the beginning.

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.1 x 5.42 x 0.58 inches; 2.93 Ounces
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ DVD, Full Screen
• Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20TH CENTURY FOX
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004FD5I1Y

I own this movie. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.