A Long Time Comin' - Robin W Pearson

A Long Time Comin’ is the Christy Awards Debut Novel winner for 2020.  Although this story is centered on the cantankerous Beatrice Agnew, it begins when things are not going too well in her granddaughter Evelyn’s life.  Evelyn has just found out that her husband Kevin has had an affair, and she’s also found out that she’s pregnant.  At the same time a little too much curiosity about some letters in a box her grandmother’s house results in her being turned out of the house by the formidable ‘Granny B’.

Trying to find some space to think, she goes to stay with her mother Lis, but rather than finding the solace she’s seeking, she discovers Granny B has terminal cancer.  Then, Evelyn has a car crash…

To begin with, we think that the story is about whether Evelyn and Kevin can mend their marriage and whether Evelyn and Granny B will be reconciled, but this is a book with multiple threads as along the way we meet each of Beatrice’s six children and find out something of each of their own hopes and troubles.  

Pearson’s characters are ‘real’ and flawed.  They make bad choices at times and live with the consequences, but in some ways this makes the story more grounded and enables the reader connect in a way they may not with some other Christian novels where the real world can seem strangely distant.  The faith elements are well woven throughout and yet this book never feels preachy.  The lead women are all very strong willed and sometimes frustrating to the reader as well as their relatives!  

This is a story which challenges the issues of loving and living, when both elements are rooted in sometimes harsh realities, and where long held secrets impact lives both while they are kept, and when they are revealed.  There’s a strong element too of being reminded that things can be very different in reality from how they appear on the surface.  An involving and immersive read.

9781496441539, Tyndale House

Note: for transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own.

The Painted Castle - Kristy Cambron

The Painted Castle is the winner of the Christy Awards Historical Romance award, 2020.  Set in the 1800s, in the 1940s and in the present day, the author weaves the three stories together masterfully.  ‘Today’, Irish art expert Keira is enticed away from nursing her broken heart and injured pride to the run down Parham Hill Estate in Suffolk to assess a painting with an unknown and intriguing past and a royal connection.  To do so however means working with a man long suspected as an art thief.  

 

In the ‘40s, Amelia Woods acquired a title when she married RAF pilot Arthur, Viscount Huxley.  But their happiness was cut short when he was shot down and killed. Parham Hall is now filled with refugee or evacuee children, and then a whole heap of US servicemen unexpectedly arrive from the nearby airfield.  Including Captain Wyatt Stevens.

 

But the book opens in the 1800s with the young Lady Elizabeth, who loves to sketch, and whose life is upended when she sees her father shot in the street.

 

I love mystery novels, and this book is absolutely full of questions, despite being an historical romance.  Kristy Cambron writes beautifully, the story is compelling, the characters very well drawn, and the plot constantly keeps you guessing.  The only reason I’d knock a star off my review is because there are SO many inaccuracies in the portrayal of the 1940s section.  And a few other weirdnesses: ie Framlingham Castle does not, and never has had spires! But that aside, this is a very enjoyable read.  Despite that fact that it’s book three in a series, it can be read without having read the other two books first.

9780718095529, Thomas Nelson

That Sounds Fun - Annie F Downs

March sees the UK publication of That Sounds Fun: The joys of being an amateur, the power of falling in love, and why you need a hobby.  You might immediately discard this as being lightweight, fluffy, and not particularly relevant.  But you would be wrong. This is one of the most powerful books I’ve read for some time. 

 

In 2018, author, podcast host, frequent flier, and conference speaker Annie Downs felt God saying to her that the next autumn she needed to be off the road, staying at home.  Despite that usually being her busiest time of the year, she decided to obey that inner voice.

 

‘As I write these words (in 2019)’ says Annie early in the book, ‘here I am: grounded. All I want to do is slam my computer shut and escape. My mind started dreaming of all the places I could run to and drive to and fly to and be right now. All the other places but HERE. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that even if I did run away, there is no getting away from my insides. It’s as if the sadness has taken residence, and it’s not going to be left behind just because I leave.

And leaving isn’t an option right now anyway.’

 

Wow, how would she have known as she wrote these paragraphs just how many of us this would apply to.  How many of us would feel as though our fun was abruptly taken away, and instead of fun our worries would grow enormously.  How many of us would face big losses of all kinds.  When God grounded Annie – at a time she could have said ‘not yet, Lord, I’m having too much fun travelling to stop right now – He knew exactly what he was doing.  By grounding Annie early, he encouraged her to write a book which is hugely encouraging for all of us who’ve subsequently been grounded.  I asked her a few questions about her focus on fun, and its significance in her life and ministry.

 

What made you start asking people what they do for fun, and why? Why did fun become such an important part of your life?

 

I think fun has always been a core part of my life. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I looked around and realized the same thing wasn’t the case for most of my friends. So I guess it wasn’t that it suddenly grew in importance to me, it’s that I realized it was neglected by a lot of people around me. I decided to start asking my podcast guests what they do for fun because I wanted the listeners to hear a variety of answers, but I also wanted the guests to walk away thinking about fun in their own lives.

 

You talk about needing to laugh in the midst of tragedy, about needing to still find fun, and you talk about it not being 'light and breezy'. What do you mean by that? Is there a link between hope and fun, do you think?

 

Absolutely! When you are having fun, genuinely experiencing something that you would label as fun (even if it wouldn’t necessarily bring fun to everyone else), it reminds you of what COULD be, it lifts your spirit and gives you hope that there are still very good things going on in and around us.

 

'Fun' is sometimes almost used as a negative word.  What makes fun important rather than frivolous?

 

There’s a certain misunderstanding that fun is childish and fun is frivolous. I would disagree with that, obviously, because I think fun is actually a gateway to honesty, to hope, to connection. It isn’t more serious than its name, it’s just more powerful than it is given credit for. To have fun is to allow yourself to be vulnerable and laugh, to connect with the people around you, even if just for a second (like on a roller coaster), and remember other times when life was like THIS, whatever THIS is. Fun is important because it reminds us there is more to life than the serious things.

 

Do you sometimes think we expect too much from fun? How do we keep it uncomplicated? 

 

Absolutely. We expect too much from fun when we think it will be the freedom we’ve looked for or the rescue we need or the release we’ve waited on. Fun can be a part of all of those things, but not the fullness of them. We can’t ask fun to fill in a gap that was only meant to draw us closer to God. As they often do, experiences make for poor heroes, poor rescuers, and poor gods. But fun is great for exposing what matters most to us, what brings us joy, and what we long for and miss. We can seek fun and have fun while not expecting fun to be our God.

 

I found the idea of 'being an amateur' interesting. In a world where achievement is so important, how can we feel ok about 'just doing' and not necessarily 'achieving/going pro'? 

 

I actually still believe achievement is important, it just isn’t the ONLY thing and doesn’t have to be accomplished in every area. If we treat everything like a hobby, we become excellent and professional at nothing, and I’m not sure that’s a good use of this one life we’ve been given. But if we treat EVERYTHING like we have to be excellent and professional, we stop trying new things, we stop sharing ideas and opinions, and we take all our failures far too seriously.

 

How do you deal with the times when the hoped-for fun doesn't happen, or not right away, such as with your connection with Harvest House? (Note: Harvest House is the home Annie moved into, but took a while to make an emotional connection with.)

 

Time, time, time. Time helps in all things—in healing, in comfort, in connection. It takes time to decorate for Christmas, to cook a meal, to redesign a porch. All that time equals lots of investment. And the more I invested, the more I loved.

 

How do you keep day to day life from swamping fun?

 

It’s a discipline for me, honestly. I look at my calendar every week and literally ask myself, “When are you planning to have fun?” It doesn’t mean spontaneous fun doesn’t show up, it just means that I have lunches with friends planned or a hike outside or time set aside to cross stitch or work on a puzzle. Free time can often turn into chores time or clean-out-the-closet time, but it is good for our bodies, minds, and souls to be intentional about allowing free time to stay free and fun.

 

How do you think people should start bringing fun back into their lives? Is it just about grabbing opportunities when they arise, or a more intentional process? 

 

I think it’s honestly looking at the life you already have and asking yourself, “What is fun here?” Can you identify anything in your life that brings you joy, makes you laugh, surprises you, helps you rest? That’s a great place to start. But practically, if you look at your life and find NO fun in it, start scheduling it in like a meal or a workout. Make a list, think back to your ten year old self and ask that child version of yourself, “What sounds fun to you?” then maybe do what that little voice says. 😊

 

 

Note: for transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own.

9780800740306, paperback, Revell 

(An extended version of a feature written for the Jan/Feb21 issue of Together Magazine.)

 

 

Only Child - Rhiannon Navin

I read this book from cover to cover in a single sitting, because I just couldn't put it down!

Written from the point of view of 7-year-old Zach, it starts when he and his class are caught up in a school shooting.  The terror of his class and teacher are vividly described as they crouch as silently as they can hiding in a cramped cupboard in his classroom, waiting for help and hearing the 'pops' of the gunshots and screams of fellow students. Afterwards, it slowly becomes clear that Zach's older brother Andy is not with the survivors...

This is a stunning debut novel.  Full of very well drawn characters, of whom Zach shines out. His conflicted emotions and the after effects of his experience are completely brilliantly described, and you just long for him to begin to heal.  And for his parents to stop fighting, and his mother to realise she has more than one son, and to rein in her passionate wish for revenge.

Highly, highly recommended.

For transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own.

From a Wonky Path to an Open Road - Janey de Nordwall

I really enjoyed reading this book, especially the sections when Janey is on the road with Charlie the VW campervan and Kenny the Cat. Her descriptions of the countryside they travel through and the characters they meet make me long to be on the road again in my own VW campervan and to visit some of the same places. But most of all I relate to her need to set off on a 'wonky path' of a couple of thousand miles! I also relate to her in that I'm a similar age, single, with no children and I enjoyed some of her comments about that through the book.

The travel sections are woven through the story of her life. Some of this I related to rather less, not being a BAFTA winner myself, but these sections are as well told as the travelogue elements. There's much to think about here, as well as some genuinely funny sections - the 'knocking on the van' is an example, and Janey's career progression is absorbing. But, for me, the best bits are the van, the cat, and the journey. Definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys reading about people's travels 'on the road', and nice that this one stays in the UK! Oh, how I wish I could head off for the hills right now!