Refining Emma (Candlewood Trilogy, #2)

Refining Emma by Delia Parr


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the second in this series and it is as good as the first. As I said in the first review, this is an inspirational book about ordinary people struggling to do God's will and act as God would have them act. It isn't about action or mystery. It is similar to the Mitford series or the earlier Miss Read books.

In this book, Emma again strives to bring her will in line with God's will. She tries to be a loving and gracious hostess in Hill House and to meet the needs of the people around her. A romance that began in the first book develops further in this one and there are some unpleasant guests which lend spice to the book. Emma finds it difficult to deal with the cantankerous Burke brother and sister and struggles to find something redeeming in them. She also struggles to keep the secret of her unwise investment in Hill House, which she loves and which is a haven for so many who are dependent on her.

I am inspired by the care she takes of those around her and how she finds a way to love them as God loves them. It is refreshing in this era of "me first." I have to admit I am also inspired by the amount of work she cheerfully does even when exhausted. It reminded me of the description of people, "not afraid of hard work" and caused me to think a lot more about the attitudes of earlier generations towards work in general. After reading hundreds of old family letters, I know that Emma's work is not an exaggeration and I am in awe of their strength to not falter when the work load is heavy.

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A Hearth in Candlewood (Candlewood Trilogy #1)

A Hearth in Candlewood by Delia Parr


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This delightful book is reminiscent of the Miss Read series and the Mitford books. It is a simple inspiring tale of Widow Emma who runs a Victorian boarding house in the canal town of Candlewood. The story is set in the 1840's and has an interesting collection of visitors and permanent residents who people Emma's life. There is Emma's mother-in-law, who has been with Emma for thirty years, 2 16 year old girls who help about the house, a retired minister and the elderly Aunt Frances. As Emma struggles to make Candlewood a ministry to provide a caring place for guests, she also struggles to bring her own actions in accord with the God she loves.

Some may call this book or the Mitford and Miss Read books to sweet or unearthly, but they detail the daily lives of people who struggle to do the right thing and to hold themselves accountable to God. The struggle Emma has to guard her heart and to treat all the people she encounters with God's love inspires me to do the same. I can't help think how different this book is to the recommendations of modern thinking. We are encouraged to "look out for number one." "if you don't like it, lump it" or "that's just the way I am, baby." It is refreshing to read about people who struggle to do God's will in everything.

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Abigail's Story: A Novel (Women of the Bible)

Abigail's Story: A Novel by Ann Burton


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ann Burton has taken the few sentences about Abigail in the Bible and turned it into an inspiring story that might have been. We aren't given a lot of details in the Bible, but what facts there are have been skillfully woven into a story which depicts the lives of the people of the era in a way we can all identify.

Abigail is an only daughter who has to offer herself in marriage to an odious and greedy man in order to pay off her wastrel brother's debts to keep him and her elderly parents from being sold off into slavery. She is send off to the hill country the day after her marriage to manage the wild herdsmen in preparation for the annual accounting. When she arrives she finds an almost unlivable cottage with virtually no roof and starving herdsmen whose lives have been made miserable by her greedy husband. As she comes to know these people, her heart goes out to them and she travels back to her husband to obtain food to keep them from starving. At the same time, she meets and befriends the outlaw shepherd, David, who is to become King of Israel.

What I liked most was the way Biblical events came alive in this story. The author doesn't pretend that this is what happened, but it could have happened.

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A Case of Nosy Neighbors: A Morning Shade Mystery

A Case of Nosy Neighbors: A Morning Shade Mystery by Lori Copeland


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a delightful read. Stella, the 87 year old heroine, is as unconventional as she can be, but her claim to fame is solving mysteries. She and the local sheriff have to find the peeping toms that are threatening the citizens of Morning Shade. No one can find a trace of the scoundrels and the only description is that they are incredibly ugly.

Stella's daughter suffers a mishap which leaves her with a broken ankle and while she is on the table, the doctor also operates on her wrist badly crippled from carpal tunnel syndrome. Since she is home bound, Stella has to drive herself and companions to their community service jobs and manages to do it in such a way that they spend the whole time in fervent prayer.

Add to that the problems of Stella's unwise granddaughter who seems on the verge of another unfortunate romance with the local kennel owner and you have more than enough laughs and tears to take you away from your everyday concerns. The book is easy to read and very entertaining.

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