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Being Dorothy: In A World Longing For Home by Michele Olson

May1

Coming Home

Being Dorothy: In A World Longing For Home by Michele Olson is a most delightful Christian tale. It is the second book in the Mackinac Island Stories but can be read as a stand-alone. I would recommend reading book one first for character continuity and progression.

Once more, the reader journeys to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. The year is 1980 and there are references to the filming of the movie Somewhere In Time in 1979 (one of my favourite movies of all time), which was the focus of book one. We meet Piper and Cam, the leading characters in the first book.

In Being Dorothy, the focus is on another couple, Gideon and Dorothy. They are special agents running from an unknown threat, and have a marriage that is in trouble.

The couple do not know God. They have been running from Him but God is relentless in His pursuit of His children.

God uses people to accomplish His will. We need to have lives that are in tune with Him. “Thank you, Piper, for your boldness… I felt the nudge.” Sometimes God will ask us to do things that requires us to step out in faith, in order to help others in their faith walk. When God says ‘do it!’ Do not question, just do it! The fate of others may rely on our faithfulness.

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Being Ethel: In A World That Loves Lucy by Michele Olson

Apr26

So Delightful

Being Ethel: In A World That Loves Lucy by Michele Olson is an absolutely charming Christian novel that I adored. It is the first book in the Mackinac Island series and I cannot wait to read the rest.

As the series title suggests, the book is set on Mackinac Island in 1979. The Grand Hotel takes centre stage as a new movie, Somewhere In Time is being filmed. This, as it happens, is one of my all-time favourite movies. I, therefore, found the location easy to picture.

The leading lady has experienced a huge loss. Her emotions are conflicting as she experiences, guilt, anger and grief. Her walk with God has been damaged. “Being mad at myself, and God.” She feels that her father, an evangelist, escaped justice by dying (before the book opened.) “It’s quite a trip to see a person ooze love and acceptance in the pulpit yet act the way he did at our house.” Her father did not walk the walk in private, only when he was in the spotlight.

There is anger at God too, for allowing the deaths of her mother and twin sister (before the book opened.) The leading lady views God as a God of wrath. An encounter with a godly nun, opens her eyes. “I don’t want to fall into a religion trap, I just want to know Him [Jesus], His Father and the Holy Spirit.” It is all about relationship and not religion. After years of living in the shadows, “my self-worth comes from who I am to the Lord.”

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Hope On Hope by Susan Gray

Mar22

Love Wins

Hope On Hope by Susan Gray is the most charming historical novel that I absolutely adored.

The novel is mainly set in the north west of England in 1946. War is over but families are still feeling the effects. There are empty spaces around tables.

We also cross the channel to France to re-connect with family as the war years kept families apart.

War brings secrets. Even after it has ended, a character keeps quiet about her role in the resistance, for fear of reprisals. “She played her part – a small but vital part.”

For so long, fear ruled in even the bravest of hearts, so it isn’t surprising that a character is still cautious. “How long would it take for the memories to fade and the fear to subside?” One never knows just how brave one is until called upon to act without thought to personal safety. “War makes people inventive. It causes them to step outside their comfortable places.”

We see the importance of having hope. “Hope is my lifeline.” Clinging to hope, even in the bleakest of circumstances means a character declares “hope helps me to move forward.” Without hope, the people perish. She “trained herself to never lose hope. Hope was her anchor.”

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A Hundred Magical Reasons by Laura DeNooyer

Mar17

Amazing Grace

A Hundred Magical Reasons by Laura DeNooyer is a powerful dual timeline Christian historical novel that I read in just one sitting.

The action is set in the early twentieth century and in 1980 as we hear an older woman telling a young woman, her life story.

Running throughout both time periods are the stories of Oz by L Frank Baum. Pilgrims Progress also features highly as well as many other literary works. Songs, old and new, are referenced too. This all helps to give a familiar feel to the book.

The book is also a journey of discovery – how characters move from distrusting God to resting in His arms, knowing that He can be trusted. “The Lord cares for us, even when we ignore Him.” God waits patiently for us to return home.

In the early twentieth century, women were expected to marry and obey men. In 1980 the young woman also has the weight of other people’s expectations on her shoulders. “I can’t live in their box anymore.” Self-awakening sees characters bud and blossom.

A friendship with the author, L Frank Baum, brings a young woman out of her shell. “He encouraged me no differently than his sons to pursue my dreams.”

Laura DeNooyer realizes the importance of dreams. “With him [L Frank Baum] you blossom.” His raisin d’etre is “making children happy and stirring their imaginations.”

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