Closing The Circle

What You Said To Me by Olivia Newport is a marvellous dual timeline novel about heritage and families. It is the fourth book in the Tree Of Life series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is set in present day and 1893 in the form of a diary. It concerns families who are trying to track down ancestors in order to close the circle and to heal hearts. We witness some who want to know their roots and shoots and others who do not care.

We are not destined to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. We always have the choice to choose a different path.

Ripples of the past travel down the years. We can be proud of our ancestors. The novel shows some modern forward thinking philanthropic hearts in 1893.

There are some who realise the treasure to be found in people. In contrast there are others whose hearts lie in wealth and titles. They will always be disappointed if they treasure worldly goods over beating hearts.

There are a variety of fathers in the novel. Some have huge hearts, others are disappointing. Our heavenly Father will never let us down or disappoint us. He loves us unconditionally.

We see the importance of not judging. “Don’t ever label a child as trouble.” Far too often labels stick and we live up or down to them. Beneath every troubled soul, there beats a heart. There is always a root cause to a troubled soul. We just need to find it.

I am loving this Tree Of Life series. They are cracking tales with strong godly messages. They are perfect reads for winter days.

I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

JULIA WILSON