The Davis family saga continues with Love's Unending Legacy. The fifth book of the Love Comes Softly series brings Marty and Clark back home to their family. This is the first time their children in Anderson Corner have seen their Pa, and many are relieved that Clark is still the same man they knew before the accident that took his leg. All except Nandry, who is withdrawn and quiet. Marty wonders why, but her adopted daughter seems unapproachable.
A lot has gone on in the year Marty and Clark stayed on Missie and Willie's ranch. Arnie is courting. Luke is heading off to medical school. Clare and Kate are expecting their first child. Clae and her husband Joe are likely taking a church out east. Meanwhile, Ellie has taken care of all the homemaking and housekeeping chores in Marty's absence.
Marty and Clark are thrilled to be home, but she doesn't seem to be getting her energy back the way she expected to after the trip, and the family silently worries about what might be wrong. Their days are filled with happy preparations for Arnie's wedding and Clare and Kate's baby, and the pain of temporarily saying goodbye to Luke. With unexpected sorrows along the way, the Davis family will need to lean on their faith to get them through.
Love's Unending Legacy is the fifth book in Oke's Christian historical series. As time goes on, we see that Marty's faith has deepened in the years since meeting Clark. Now, in her forties, Marty enjoys surrounding herself with her family and friends. This family saga updates fans of the series on where the members of the Davis family are in their lives. Told mostly from Marty's perspective, her mother's heart unfolds as she worries about a future with her children and grandchildren spread across the country, experiences joy at the thought of another grandchild, and wonders how long it will take Nandry to accept the loss of Clark's leg.
If you enjoy faith-based family sagas, Love's Unending Legacy is a good choice. This dramatic novel brings readers through the ups and downs of a family in a small town with some side plots involving other known characters. Like Marty, the faith in this series deepens as it continues. Great story!
Welcome back to the Davis family saga with the fourth book in Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series, Love's Abiding Joy.
Marty Davis has missed the oldest daughter she shares with her beloved husband Clark in the years since Missie married Willie LaHaye and moved farther west to start his cattle ranch. Letters aren't nearly enough to bridge the miles between them. But thanks to the Transcontinental Railroad and tons of support from their family, Clark surprises Marty with a birthday present of tickets to see their darling daughter.
The train ride seems like it will never end, but one day Marty and Clark get to see Missie, Willie and their grandsons, Nathan and Josiah, along with all the ranchers that have helped to make the LaHayes successful ranchers.
Clark and Marty settle in for a few weeks' visit, but when tragedy strikes, they must stay with the LaHayes longer than expected, bringing changes for the entire family. The Davis and LaHaye families must lean on their faith to get them through, and as tragedy turns to a renewed need to seek a closer relationship with God for the residents of this western town, Clark is called to help.
What a wonderful addition to this Christian historical series Loves Abiding Joy is. A parents' joyful reunion with their daughter and her family turns to tragedy when Clark is critically injured rescuing children. Oke portrays this family in crisis well: Marty and Missie's different approaches to praying for and helping Clark in the days after his accident; Clark adjusting to a different way to approach the physical aspects of his life; strong, silent Willie who bears a change in his family dynamic; and Missie's guilt over believing this tragedy happened because her parents were visiting.
Love's Abiding Joy further strengthens Clark's personality as a strong man of faith guiding his loved ones as the patriarch of the Davis family. His thoughtful insights into situations viewed through the ever-loving grace of God also help members of the community Missie and Willie call home. And when Clark and Marty finally board the train back to their own hometown, it goes without saying that the entire community will miss them.
This book gave me greater insight into why the movie plots changed dramatically as the series continued. They are both great ways to enjoy inspiring Christian fiction.
Join Missie and Willie LaHaye as they journey west on the wagon train to their new home in Love's Long Journeyby Janette Oke.
The Davis family saga continues in the third book of Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series. Missie (Davis) LaHaye said goodbye to her family and joined her new husband, Willie, on the wagon train headed further west than her mother, Marty, ever travelled. The hot, dusty trail isn't easy, and then when the rain comes, it makes the river impassable. But the LaHayes eventually arrive at their new place and begin their lives as ranchers.
With Love's Long Journey, Oke shares with readers the trials and triumphs pioneers faced as they moved across the country to settle out west. Missie and Willie symbolize just one of the many couples who endured the pain of separation from their families, knowing they might never see them again. Women followed their husbands into the unknown, leaving behind the safety and security of living near towns with doctors, schools, stores, and churches. Oke captures it all.
Love's Long Journey is also about a sense of community. With the wagon train leader dedicated to keeping one and all safe, Missie and Willie befriend others joining them along the way. Once the LaHayes reach their new home, a new sense of community is built around their ranch and the ranch hands they employ.
This is a beautiful addition to the Love Comes Softly series. Missie's struggles in this story are balanced by Willie's sense of adventure and optimism. And as their growing family spends two years in their little sod house, Missie ends the book with a touching note to her parents about all the exciting things that are happening, like the train that is coming soon, which might allow her Mama and Pa to pay them a visit.
Publisher : Bantam Doubleday Direct; Book Club edition (January 1, 1982)
Language : English
Paperback : 208 pages
ISBN-10 : 0871233150
ISBN-13 : 978-0871233158
This review of a book from my personal collection contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
The Davis family returns in Love's Enduring Promiseby Janette Oke. Clark and Marty Davis take care of their growing family while the town they live in says goodbye to some folks, welcomes new ones, and experiences a fair amount of growth too.
Love's Enduring Promise is the second book in the Love Comes Softlyseries. Oke brings readers through a story that involves a lot of changes for the Davis family and the town in which they live. Clark and Marty welcome three more biological children into their family (Arnie, Luke, and Elvira), and adopt Nandry and Clae Larson when their father decides to move farther west after his wife dies.
Meanwhile, the town builds a new school and a church, so they welcome a teacher and a parson to their community. As the town continues to expand, young couples get married, new people move to town, babies are born, the Davis and Larson children grow and change, and Missie has her first caller.
As one reads Love's Enduring Promise, they can't help but notice how different the pacing is for this novel as compared to the first book in the series.
While a lot happened in Love Comes Softly, it focused on a short period of time (fall to spring) as Clark and Marty's relationship developed. While the reader met the Grahams and Wanda Marshall, the majority of the plot revolved around Clark and Marty. Now, part of that might be because they were more isolated in a new town, but it unfolded slowly.
In Love's Enduring Promise, the novel focuses on the Davis family and people in the town; the Larsons, the Grahams, the Marshalls, the LaHayes, and the McDonalds (owners of the local store), over a series of years. It also is a novel where the reader witnesses a tremendous amount of growth in the town. In addition to the new school and church, the town has their own doctor, a sheriff's office, and a bank.
While I enjoyed Love's Enduring Promise, I can't say it was a favorite. Way too much happened and so much time passes that I felt like the Davis children in this novel were added just to show pioneers often had an abundance of children. What was wonderful to see, however, was the Davis family prosper and become such an integral part of the town.
In this novel, like the first book in the series, the reader should be warned that the pioneers' opinions of Indians and how they talk about them could be deemed offensive.
Love's Enduring Promise is told mostly from Marty's point of view, giving the reader a further glimpse into Marty Davis' life as a pioneering wife and mother in a growing community. This family saga has been popular for decades. If you enjoy family sagas, historical romances, or faith-based fiction, this could be a good choice.
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. M W Arnold will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
During a hectic couple of weeks in February 1944, the girls of the Air Transport Auxiliary Mystery Club must face devastating personal loss amongst their number. A member of an illegal faction blackmails Betty, whilst a mystery at Mary's ancestral home threatens to cause more trouble than anyone thought possible. In the midst of what should be the happiest of times, the portents seem to be catching up and little is what it seems to be. Can the girls find the strength to battle forces both internal and external, yet still maintain their dignity and friendship?
Read an Excerpt
After lowering the shoebox into the newly dug hole behind Riverview Cottage, Walter stood up straight again.
“Over to you, Ruth,” he said, bowing his head.
Ruth nodded, bowed her head, and clasped her hands before her. “Dear Lord, in whom we trust and worship, accept this, a symbolic foot, to your mercy. Look over my son in his time of need, all his friends, and the subjects of His Majesty, King George the Sixth. Amen.”
“Amen,” Walter echoed and handed Ruth a trowel.
Bending down, Ruth shoveled some dirt over the box before passing the tool back to Walter, who did the same. Turning around, Ruth called for Bobby and placed him on the leash once he came to a halt at her ankles. Walter now filled in the rest of the hole and patted it down with the back of the trowel.
Dusting some dirt off his knees, Walter got to his feet. “Ready for work?”
Ruth cast one glance down at the small mound of earth. “I suppose.”
“There’s the enthusiasm I love!” he joked, offering Ruth his arm.
Taking it, Ruth led him toward the side entrance with Bobby pulling on his leash, eager for an early morning walk. Squeezing Walter’s hand, Ruth told him, “At least I can put in my next letter to my son that we’ve held a funeral for his foot. I feel a little guilty, as it’s a while now since I told him I’d do one.”
M W Arnold lives near Northampton, UK and is known to his family and friends as, Mick. He was in the Royal Air Force for 16 years, visiting many different countries and very much enjoying himself. If he ever meets the Queen, he will have to thank her. He began writing as these characters needed their own voices. For a few years now, he's been a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, a wonderful group of writers who've welcomed this bloke into their fold with open arms.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
This week's topic is just what I needed. I've been re-watching clips from The Thorn Birds mini-series for a couple weeks--a nice distraction when my mind is wandering. I think once Massachusetts gets closer to normal it will help. Our offices are due to open next week with some strict restrictions.
But, I digress...
I pulled out my old copy of The Thorn Birds--the one that belonged to my mother. The front cover is long gone because a) this is a first edition copy, so it's over 40 years old, and b) I've read it multiple times. I bought a new copy with Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward on the front cover, but for the life of me I can't find it.
Considering it has been decades since I read the story, this list will combine reasons I love The Thorn Birds book and mini-series.
The Scenery I am a simple little girl from New England. Especially when the mini-series came out in 1983, I had no idea what New Zealand, Australia, or Rome looked like. Between the book and the mini-series, a corner of New Zealand filled with thick, wavy red-headed Clearys came to life. As they made their way to school with young Meggie, the Cleary boys walked the wheel-rutted Wahine road where white calla lilies and orange nasturtiums flowered the high grass and wooden fences bordered properties.
As Father Ralph drives the road from the presbytery in Gillanbone to Mary Carson's Drogheda homestead, clouds of dust trail behind him and he must avoid flocks of sheep roaming the pastures. He steps out of the car and opens twenty-seven gates leading to Drogheda, his patience waning with each gate, and the impressive sheep station looming in the distance. The brown landscape is dotted with sparse trees, Close to the house the roses in a variety of colors bloom. Contrast that against the opulence of the Vatican with its stunning artwork, plush furniture, mosaics on the floor, and elegant chandeliers. Only Drogheda comes close in comparison in this story, but even Mary Carson's wealth can't compete with that of the Catholic Church.
The Music (mini-series) Henry Mancini--one of my father-in-law's favorites--is the genius behind the musical arrangements for The Thorn Birds mini-series. From the theme song to Meggie Grows Up, from Paddy and Fiona to Ralph and Meggie, and from Forbidden Love to Goodbye, Dane and beyond, it is no wonder the music won Grammy Awards in 1983 and again in 1988. Even now, I can hear the music and know that it goes to the movie.
Paddy (spoilers in white) We quickly learn that the Cleary patriarch does not fear hard work. While his wealthy sister doesn't save him from it, he never expected her to when he came to Drogheda. Hat in his hand, head bowed, he expresses his gratitude for what Mary has done for him and his family. He also knows that one day, his beloved wife Fiona (Fee) will take her rightful place in society. In the book and the mini-series, we learn more about his tense relationship with Frank, their oldest son. We are also saddened to know he will never hear Fee tell him what was truly in her heart.
Stuart or Stu (spoilers in white)
Easily overlooked, this quiet, sensitive young Cleary is closest to Meggie, the only Cleary daughter. They pal around together as the younger two siblings. After Frank goes away, Stu and Meggie grow even closer. It is he who shares her secret that she is in love with Father Ralph, but he is also the one who encourages her to move on because he can't ever stop being a priest ... even for her.
Strong Female Characters (spoilers in white) With Mary Carson, Fiona (Fee) Cleary, Meggie, and Justine there is no end to the strong female characters. Amazingly, all want nothing to do with the church for one reason or another. My favorite scene is when Justine is in Rome with Dane. Excited to show her his world, Justine is stuck meeting people at the Vatican. When she sits down to tea with Cardinal Ralph and Cardinal Vittorio Contini-Verchese, the latter notices how uncomfortable she is there and she makes a comment that except for the Virgin Mary women are relegated to the cheap seats in the upper balcony. Without missing a beat, Vittorio responds, "but you are forgetting that we call the upper balcony 'Il Paradiso.' Paradise." As they are saying goodbye, Ralph walks Justine out. He says the Cleary women always pit themselves against God and the church. Justine says they have Dane to pray for their redemption. He mentions how protective she is of Dane and that she seems to fear for her brother among the "red-robed vultures." She says it is pretty fast company for "a boy whose only ambition is to give his soul to God." Touche!
The Complexities of Ralph de Bricassart (spoilers in white) I'm always fascinated by what motivates characters. Ralph is motivated by one thing--ambition. His ambition leads him to make choices--or not make choices--that torture him until the very end. Instantly taken with young Meggie Cleary when she arrives at the Gilly Station, she becomes his special project. He can love her because she is a child. Problem is she grows up. Not only does she grow up, but he has fallen in love with her and knows she loves him. Since he considers himself above mortal men, he simply can't give into his yearnings for Meggie. Besides, he wants to be pope one day, so he must deny his feelings. For decades, Ralph fights his desire for Meggie while he rises through the hierarchy of the Catholic church. Trying to forget him, Meggie starts a life of her own. Destiny, however, will bring these two together again.
Anne & Luddie Mueller (spoilers in white) Having been blessed with in-laws who treated me more like a daughter than a daughter-in-law, I've always been drawn to the caring couple living at Himmelhoch.
After Meggie marries Luke O'Neil, they move to Queensland. Unable to buy a station of his own, Luke sets up a place for Meggie to stay while he works. This childless couple takes to her instantly and treats her more like a daughter than a servant. They love Meggie; perhaps more than her own parents ever will.
Fee as a Grandmother (spoilers in white)
As a mother, Fee left a bit to be desired. She gave all her love to Frank and ignored her only daughter. One would think Paddy's death would soften her, but it made her harder, more stubborn. It isn't until Justine and Dane grow up on Drogheda that we get a sense of the loving side of Fee. It is her love of Dane that brings her to tears when they learn he has drowned (the first tears she has shed since Paddy died), and it is her love of Justine that brings her to beg for Meggie's forgiveness and pleads with her to help her daughter before it's too late.
Love Triumphs(spoilers in white)
Richard Chamberlain, who played Ralph de Bricassart, said in an interview that The Thorn Birds was the biggest tragedy-driven soap opera. It's true: bad stuff happened to these people all the time. Not just Meggie and Ralph. The author truly put most of these characters through the ringer. The reason it remains so popular, however, is that Meggie and Ralph's love for each other triumphs despite all of it. Ralph comments on it more than once in the mini-series, that despite all she has lost, Meggie never loses her ability to love. After losing Frank, her father, Stu, and Dane, Meggie still loves. She loves "with a singleness of mind and heart." Ralph even tells Vittorio he wishes he could love like that. It doesn't seem possible Justine could ever find love either. It's not like she has a great example considering her parents are no longer together, and her mother has always mistreated her for being Luke's daughter. Yet, Rain is determined to be with her. Justine refuses to believe it could ever work out, and uses Dane's death as an excuse to pull away from him. In the end, Rainer begs Meggie's help so that Justine doesn't waste her life on Drogheda trying to make it up to Meggie for living while Dane died.
How the Book was Adapted to a Mini-series (spoilers in white) Many times the book is better than the movie or mini-series it is based on. In the case of The Thorn Birds, both are equally good. I do, however, prefer the mini-series in many ways to the book.
Having seen the mini-series before reading the book, I simply can't imagine a twenty-eight-year-old Father Ralph with dark curly hair versus Richard Chamberlain's features, but many of the changes made sense.
One thing I didn't remember from the book is that Ralph actually dies before Vittorio, and the latter admits he always figured Dane was his son; whereas in the mini-series Vittorio dies before Ralph. The words Ralph utters to Meggie right before he dies, actually belong to Meggie in the book. Since it truly was Ralph and Meggie's love story that propelled the plot forward once the Cleary family came to Drogheda, it is fitting that the last scene in the mini-series is of Justine's plane flying overhead off to her future with Rain while Meggie rests her head in Ralph's lap after her has died.
While there is so much more I could say about The Thorn Birds, I don't want to make this post into a novel in and of itself. I hope you'll decide to read it if you haven't.
If you enjoy books steeped in history and filled with family traditions, faith, and mystery then you may find The Kingdom of the Rings by Duane R. Lindberg worth reading.
Beginning in the thirteenth century and ending in the twentieth century, this saga takes readers on a fantastic journey through time and across oceans following three golden interlocking rings discovered in the Magi's gift to the Christ Child.
The premise behind this story fascinated me: three rings that were part of the Magi's gift to the Christ Child are separated and handed down through centuries until they reappear in America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the possession of two Norwegian families and a family descended from Egyptian Mamelukes.
The symbolism behind the three rings is easy enough to comprehend. The families who protect these cherished rings pass them from generation to generation, along with the stories behind them. For Christians, this aspect will be meaningful, as will the book's conclusion.
Inside these pages, the characters confront issues such as slavery, immigration, racism, and abuse. Modern day readers will relate and may connect with this aspect of the story.
What this reader struggled with is the delivery. Dr. Lindberg clearly has a great deal of knowledge regarding these subjects and holds a PhD in American Studies. He is also a man of faith. His ancestry plays a role in The Kingdom of the Rings, which makes the early years of this story the most vivid for me. It simply doesn't read like a novel. It is pages and pages of narration, as one would expect from a history book. Read any Civil War narrative by James M. McPherson and you'll get an idea of what to expect for how it is put together. It even has a bibliography and page citing photographs, maps, and artwork used.
The Kingdom of the Ringsremains a fascinating story. It just isn't what I expected and, as a character-driven reader, there isn't a lot of getting to know the people in the story. As one would expect, historical figures are woven into the fictional ring carrier storyline. If, you're more of a plot person, some of the things I struggled with may not concern you. Give it a try and see for yourself.
Paullina Simons is the author of TULLY, THE BRONZE HORSEMAN, and eleven additional novels, as well as two children’s books, a cookbook, and a memoir. Her books have been published in over 23 countries and have been on many bestseller lists around the world. Born in Leningrad, Russia, Paullina immigrated to the United States in the mid-seventies, and now lives in New York with her husband and half of her children. Discover more about Paullina on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit her website at http://paullinasimons.com
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Leningrad, USSR. In 1968, my father was arrested for protesting the Soviet Union’s invasion of Czechoslovakia and spent the next five years of his life in the Gulag prison camps and in exile. In the mid-seventies, my family and I managed to leave the U.S.S.R. and immigrate to the United States.
When did you begin writing?
While growing up in Russia I dreamed of someday becoming a writer. My dreams were put on hold as I learned English and overcame the shock of a new culture. After graduating from the University of Kansas and working various jobs as a financial journalist and as a translator, I wrote my first novel Tully.
Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?
I have a small writing studio less than a mile from my home. I go to work in the morning after I drop off my daughter at school and then come home at dinnertime. That sounds much saner than it is because as I get deeper into a book, it gets harder and harder to turn it off. So I’ll often also work at home, in bed, on the train—almost anywhere.
What is this book about? The Tiger Catcher is a love story of Julian and Josephine, set in Los Angeles and London. He is on his second or third career, living in the land of dreams for sale, and searching for someone to change his life. She is a stage actress, shuffling between New York and L.A. working toward her big break. When they fall in love, it’s like a fairytale, because they fall in love in paradise.
Unfortunately, Josephine is not what she pretends to be. This causes a fracture in the foundation on which Julian has built his life and destroys the hopes on which he built his future. The Tiger Catcher is the story of the love, of that fracture and its aftermath, and what both Julian and Josephine must do as a man and a woman to repair what has been broken and retrieve what’s been lost.
What inspired you to write it?
The story of a man who loved a woman so much there was nothing he wouldn’t do to find her again, to love her, to help her, to save her, came to me all at once during one particularly vapid movie outing at which I was zoning out. When the movie was over, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about it, but I had envisioned my End of Forever saga almost in its entirety.
This wasn’t an acorn; it was an entire oak. I didn’t realize how big an oak it was until I finished the first book and saw that I had barely scratched the surface of the story, maybe planted the roots and tilled the soil. In total, I spent five years planning, writing, and then polishing these books.
The undying love and the hope to make it right that comes with a second chance is what animates these books and these characters.
Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?
The fact that we had all three books finished, and we didn’t have to wait a year or three for me to conclude the story, allowed my publishers to come up with a creative publishing approach. They wanted to tap into the way we as a culture consume our entertainment. We binge on it. We want it all, and we want it now. It wasn’t always the case, but it is the case today. So, William Morrow is publishing all three of the End of Forever novels in 2019: The Tiger Catcher on May 28th, A Beggar’s Kingdom on July 23 and Inexpressible Island on November 19.
Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?
Readers can purchase The Tiger Catcher at their local bookstore and online wherever books are sold (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.).
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?
Write your first book, everything follows from that.
What is up next for you?
On the one hand it’s hard to imagine starting something new since I have been in Julian’s world for five straight years. On the other hand, I started feeling the itch for my next book a year ago, and I have another three that I’m dying to get to.
Is there anything you would like to add?
It’s been a pleasure chatting with you. Thank you for the opportunity. I hope you enjoy The Tiger Catcher and are inspired to read the next two books in the End of Forever trilogy.
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