Ann H Gabhart
Revell, 2022
379 pages
Amazon Description:
If any place on God’s earth was designed to help one heal, it is Meadowland. Surely here, at her brother-in-law’s Kentucky farm, Rose and her daughters can recover from the events of the recent past–the loss of her husband during the 1918 influenza epidemic, her struggle with tuberculosis that required a stay at a sanatorium, and her girls’ experience in an orphanage during her illness. At Meadowland, hope blooms as their past troubles become rich soil in which their faith can grow.
Dirk Meadows may have opened his home to his late brother’s widow and her girls, but he keeps his heart tightly closed. The roots of his pain run deep, and the evidence of it is written across his face. Badly scarred by a fire and abandoned by the woman he loved, Dirk fiercely guards his heart from being hurt again. But it may be that his visitors will bring light back into his world and unlock the secret to true healing.
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Thanks to Revell Reads for sending me a copy of When the Meadow Blooms so that I could participate in your review program. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way influenced by Revell.
This is the first book I’ve ever read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I read it super quickly, finishing it up in a little over two days. I would describe it as a quiet, hopeful story, even though there are hard things like illness, lost loved ones, and abuse that impact the characters.
The main theme of When the Meadow Blooms is allowing hope and love in your life after trauma. Dirk is very hesitant to open his heart to Rose, Calla, and Sienna, even though he opens his home to them fairly willingly. And while she is grateful and happy with her new home, Calla seems to be always waiting for the other shoe to drop, sure that their new situation must be too good to be true forever. All of them have to give each other grace, time, and kindness in order to help each other heal and find peace.
It’s really a lovely story with a lovely cover. I would recommend it to anyone who likes stories of families and enjoys historical novels.