Valerie Fraser Luesse

I absolutely loved Letters from My Sister by Valerie Fraser Luesse. An historical novel set in rural Alabama, it features the large and rambunctious Bullock family, especially the two daughters, Callie and Emmy. The book takes place in the early years of the twentieth century — there’s some technology and medical/scientific insight, but no cell phones, automobiles, or social media to distract the characters and readers. I found the look at a large family in a small community to be refreshing. But don’t think this book doesn’t have any deep themes. The characters are left to confront loss, prejudice, identity, and purpose. The male characters add a lot to the narrative — color, wit, and some romance — but the women’s stories are the heart of this novel. The author draws on the relationships within her own family to inspire the book, but as pointed out in the afterward, Callie and Emmy and Hepsy and Lily and Tirzah are their own people. And this is what I really loved about Letters from My Sister. The characters became very real to me. That’s probably why I didn’t want to let them go as I read the last page. I rejoiced as Callie grew, I mourned with the family’s losses, I was angry when evil men seemed to get their way. and I was relieved as justice prevailed. There is also a spiritual element that is very special. It may not be conventional for the modern reader, but it points to a God who sees and is active in our lives.

Letters from My Sister does not begin with a bang. Its slow pace fits the story — it fit my reading mood and took its time to touch my heart. The only negative is that the story had an ending. 😉 My book club is discussing this book later in the month. I sure am glad, because this book just begs to be talked about.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)… (meer)

A powerful novel of a boy becoming a man in the midst of grief.

The Key to Everything isn't your usual coming of age story. It spans two childhoods, a son searching for answers in his father's life after a tragedy.

I don't know that I have read any coming of age story from a boy's and mother's point of view, and I find that I liked it. And I loved the way that The Key to Everything ended, really, this novel has to be read to feel the emotion that it has in every word.

While I enjoyed the book, I did not like how there was not any spiritual content, though there are mentions of being protected by a saint.

This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing (Revell), through Interviews & Reviews.
… (meer)