A Great Book!

It's been quite some time since I gave a book review. I just finished the best book I've read in a very long time - "The Daughter's Walk" by Jane Kirkpatrick. For my local readers, you will find it in our church library. For non-local, check out your public library or order online.

This historical fiction novel takes place in the late 1800's - early 1900's. The rich details and deep emotions made it seem like a biographical work. This wonderful, inspiring story is about a family schism that author, Francine Rivers says, "comes full circle to love and grace". It is a story about a mother and daughter who walked across America from Spokane to New York in 1896, which has been documented in various records.

Here's a quote that I especially loved ...

"Women friends fill up a certain space in our hearts, ... and romantic love fills another. Family, though, has a special chamber that expands and expands. ... There's room for sunsets and rainbows and shiny rocks that remind us of our strengths, for dogs and horses and cats too. Room for the giggles of toddlers you don't even know. And over all is God's love, which flows through all the chambers, seeping into cracks and filling up the empty spaces until you're so full you almost cannot breathe. It's God who shines in the faces of all those other people looking back at you." ...

Beautiful!

I read a book cover-to-cover and in this book I found the author's notes and acknowledgements to be incredibly interesting. I don't believe I've read a book where the author documented so much research. The book really came alive.

I love reading historical fiction from this period. It is inspiring for me to see how women coped with the daily life of that time. In this book much was made of women's careers, which weren't looked upon favorably, and yet, I'm convinced were very real. They are truly heroines! The dedication caught my attention from the beginning ...

"To strong and transforming women of all generations."

Love it!