If the Prospect Pleases and The Mountain's Son
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ChrisKauf
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If the Prospect Pleases and The Mountain's Son
If the Prospect Pleases by Sally Laity is a wonderful story of life, love, faith, and redemption.
The story begins in Philadelphia PA in 1878. Fourteen year old Annora Nolan’s parents passed away only a week apart from typhoid. She is taken in by the minister’s family. Reverend Baxter and his wife, Millicent, have one daughter, Mirah who is not pleased with this arrangement. She has always been doted on and given everything she wanted. Her mother, in particular, sees her as perfect. Sharing her room is not pleasing to Mirah. She makes it her mission to make Angora look ungrateful and destructive. Angora is finally moved to the attic with no heat. Mrs. Henderson, the housekeeper, sees Mirah for her true self and tries to help Annora as much as she can. She cannot stand up to Mrs. Baxter as Mrs. Henderson was fortunate to be taken in and given a job many years ago after the death of her husband. Annora is also given the job of cleaning the church. Her church duty includes keeping the notices bulletin board current. One day she finds a note for posting from a single Dad in the Wyoming territory. He needs a nanny and housekeeper and possibly marriage. Annora debates whether this unknown would be better than her situation at the present time. She confides in her best friend Leslie who offers to support her whatever she decides. Annora has some big decisions to make and as always she turns to God and His word. Neither path will be an easy one but she knows God is always watching over her. Will she find happiness in his life? Will she be redeemed? Will she be able to offer forgiveness to those who gave false witness against her? There many surprise twists in the plot of this story.
I felt I knew Annora and wanted to hug her and counsel her. She is a very strong character who depends on her faith to carry her through any hard times. Her friend Leslie is also a caring Christian who is willing to give of herself and her resources to assist others. The Reverend comes off as a bit weak to me; I felt he allowed his wife to punish Annora at will even if he was unsure what really happened. Mirah comes across as your typical spoiled, selfish teenager. Mrs. Baxter is concerned for her community image and making sure their daughter will be prepared to snag a husband of proper wealth and standing. Mrs. Henderson is loving and caring but must also protect herself, something we often see in real life. I did feel all of the characters were well developed and you could relate to them.
Also included is a bonus story, The Mountain’s Son by Gloria Brandt. It also covers several themes ranging from change, love, forgiveness, grief, and redemption. All of the characters must go through some form of all of these.
The story begins in May of 1880 with the Bennet family moving from Independence MO to the frontier town of Darby in the Wyoming Territory to open a mercantile. The father, John and daughter, Lydia are adventurous and excited about this new life. The mother, Mary and daughter, Sophia are less so. They get their store set up and are generally welcomed by the residents in their new home. They attend the local church each Sunday. Mary encourages the local banker, Bradley Smyth, in his attentions towards Lydia. Sophia has the attention of the local doctor which pleases her mother but again will they wish to continue in a relationship or do their hearts belong to others? Lydia is very impulsive and at times this gets her into trouble and she needs to be rescued. Will Bradley be able to tame her or be able to accept her wild ideas and behavior? When she gets into a major fix will Bradley or local horseman Caleb Jonas be able to save her or will either want to? Caleb has his own somewhat secret past that the residents speculate about. Is Caleb a good guy or bad guy? Is Bradley really who he appears to be? There is plenty of excitement and a surprise ending.
The characters are well developed and seem like real, people you may know. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will be looking for more stories from this author.
This book rates a solid 4 out of 4 stars. It will appeal to anyone who enjoys Christian fiction and romance.
I received a free copy of the booked from Net Galley, in exchange for my honest review.
The story begins in Philadelphia PA in 1878. Fourteen year old Annora Nolan’s parents passed away only a week apart from typhoid. She is taken in by the minister’s family. Reverend Baxter and his wife, Millicent, have one daughter, Mirah who is not pleased with this arrangement. She has always been doted on and given everything she wanted. Her mother, in particular, sees her as perfect. Sharing her room is not pleasing to Mirah. She makes it her mission to make Angora look ungrateful and destructive. Angora is finally moved to the attic with no heat. Mrs. Henderson, the housekeeper, sees Mirah for her true self and tries to help Annora as much as she can. She cannot stand up to Mrs. Baxter as Mrs. Henderson was fortunate to be taken in and given a job many years ago after the death of her husband. Annora is also given the job of cleaning the church. Her church duty includes keeping the notices bulletin board current. One day she finds a note for posting from a single Dad in the Wyoming territory. He needs a nanny and housekeeper and possibly marriage. Annora debates whether this unknown would be better than her situation at the present time. She confides in her best friend Leslie who offers to support her whatever she decides. Annora has some big decisions to make and as always she turns to God and His word. Neither path will be an easy one but she knows God is always watching over her. Will she find happiness in his life? Will she be redeemed? Will she be able to offer forgiveness to those who gave false witness against her? There many surprise twists in the plot of this story.
I felt I knew Annora and wanted to hug her and counsel her. She is a very strong character who depends on her faith to carry her through any hard times. Her friend Leslie is also a caring Christian who is willing to give of herself and her resources to assist others. The Reverend comes off as a bit weak to me; I felt he allowed his wife to punish Annora at will even if he was unsure what really happened. Mirah comes across as your typical spoiled, selfish teenager. Mrs. Baxter is concerned for her community image and making sure their daughter will be prepared to snag a husband of proper wealth and standing. Mrs. Henderson is loving and caring but must also protect herself, something we often see in real life. I did feel all of the characters were well developed and you could relate to them.
Also included is a bonus story, The Mountain’s Son by Gloria Brandt. It also covers several themes ranging from change, love, forgiveness, grief, and redemption. All of the characters must go through some form of all of these.
The story begins in May of 1880 with the Bennet family moving from Independence MO to the frontier town of Darby in the Wyoming Territory to open a mercantile. The father, John and daughter, Lydia are adventurous and excited about this new life. The mother, Mary and daughter, Sophia are less so. They get their store set up and are generally welcomed by the residents in their new home. They attend the local church each Sunday. Mary encourages the local banker, Bradley Smyth, in his attentions towards Lydia. Sophia has the attention of the local doctor which pleases her mother but again will they wish to continue in a relationship or do their hearts belong to others? Lydia is very impulsive and at times this gets her into trouble and she needs to be rescued. Will Bradley be able to tame her or be able to accept her wild ideas and behavior? When she gets into a major fix will Bradley or local horseman Caleb Jonas be able to save her or will either want to? Caleb has his own somewhat secret past that the residents speculate about. Is Caleb a good guy or bad guy? Is Bradley really who he appears to be? There is plenty of excitement and a surprise ending.
The characters are well developed and seem like real, people you may know. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will be looking for more stories from this author.
This book rates a solid 4 out of 4 stars. It will appeal to anyone who enjoys Christian fiction and romance.
I received a free copy of the booked from Net Galley, in exchange for my honest review.
Latest Review: "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon
