When the Meadows Blooms, / by Ann H. Gabhart
Revell ISBN 9780800737221
Adult Rating: 4
Bestselling author Ann H. Gabhart pens a historical novel set in Kentucky when families face challenges during the 1918 influenza epidemic.
In When the Meadows Blooms, recently widowed Rose Meadows is at a sanatorium, recovering from tuberculosis. Meanwhile, her young daughters – Calla and Sienna – live in an orphanage until Rose is finally well enough to reclaim them.
Having nowhere else to go, they move to the Kentucky farm where her reclusive brother-in-law lives. Dirk Meadows struggles with his own pain, after being scarred by a fire and abandoned by his fiancee. Rose doesn’t know that the girls suffered under terrible conditions at the orphanage. Can all of them find physical, spiritual, and emotional healing together on the Meadowland farm?
Gabhart pens a character-driven story where true healing and trust in God takes place within their hearts. Both Rose and Dirk closed off their hearts in grief, but they learn that healing starts when they stop bottling up everything. The mysterious circumstances surrounding the fire are solved and closure is found by Dirk. Calla and Sienna are endearing characters
Although it seems a little slow in the beginning as Gabhart lays the groundwork for the story, it grabs the reader’s attention until the story’s end. Uncovering the layers of truth behind the past pulls at one’s heartstrings and hope is slowly built. Faith elements that aren’t preachy, descriptive narratives, and well-developed characters show how God can bring new life to even wounded hearts.
Recommended for Gabhart fans and readers of historical fiction.
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