I absolutely LOVE Lynn Austin! This book was no exception.

A wonderful tale of ancestory and how the life and roles of women have changed dramatically through the years, and across the generations. You will fall in love with Emma, Grace, and Suzanne and all the other many characters in this book. You will cry, you will get mad, you will feel the injustice as if you are actually there. But in the end, you will see that Heavenly grace covers a multitude of sins.

Austin captures you from the first chapter!

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So far, every one of Lynn Austin's books that I have read have been 5 stars. I had this book on my shelves for almost a year. Read it in a matter of days and then thought to myself "Why did I wait to read this book? It was great!"

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This is an awesome book. It is about Eve Brauer who shares her family's history with her daughter and granddaughter that she has kept secret for 50 years. After seeing the destruction of her granddaughter's marriage, she begins to wonder if secrets that she has kept may have been part of the reason for her granddaughter's unhappiness. This book scans through several generations of a family and shows that no matter what a secret is, or how long it has been secret, it comes to the light. Excellent book that everyone in my opinion would love.

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"...a compelling story of four unforettable women -- their struggles, their crises of faith, their triumphs."

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This started a little slow for me but really grabbed me once it got going! Another Lynn Austin masterpiece that I could not put down.

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Best book I have read in a long time!

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You feel as if you are part of the story by the time it ends .

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I enjoyed this book and the theme that ran through it. It has religious undertones, but I'm not religious and could still appreciate its message.

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The only fiction I normally ever (and very rarely) read is that which is the most highly esteemed classic literature of the English language. Therefore, I was not at all impressed by the actual writing (grammar, language, style, construction, etc.) of this story. My standards are far too high.
I did enjoy the story overall. The characters became real enough to me that I could share their emotions somewhat--more of the pain than the joys.
The Christian gospel message was not direct/overt enough for my liking, nor was true Biblical doctrine clear enough. Confusion concerning Roman Catholicism is a huge concern-- an unbeliever reading this might wrongly conclude from this book that it is a valid form of Biblically orthodox Christianity.
I did not feel like the dialogue nor the relationships between the women of successive generations were realistic. Intensely emotional, life-transforming conversations seemed to happen far too quickly and be too short, but books can't always be 1000 pages long.
I think it's purpose was to promote extending grace and compassion, especially amongst family members, which is wonderful, but the intensity of the gospel message leading to definite salvation in Christ was lacking. I was left feeling unsure of the conversions of Emma and Suzanne, for example.
So this book was entertaining but I cannot recommend it very highly.

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Not my cup of tea

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