In the midst of tragedy and uncertainty love stumbles in...
The years of WWI and the flu epidemic that followed have left Carrie orphaned and taken in by her distant relatives who have also suffered injury and loss. She finds herself drawn to the youngest of the five brothers, a dedicated Christian her age who becomes her emotional support. When he leaves with a small church group to spread the Gospel, Carrie is heartbroken.
As she finds the strength to survive and navigates the challenges of her first job in a wealthy household, she is forced to examine herself and question her own heart and the directions life leads her.
Just as the 1920's were a decade of change, so they prove to be for Carrie.
Blog post: In the years of World War I and the flu epidemic that
followed, American society and its people underwent profound changes. Carrie
and her adopted family are not spared these changes and tragedies, yet what can
they do but continue on the best way they can? As Carrie comes of age, she is
faced with a future very different than the one she hoped for. She gave her
heart, only to have it returned back to her and now she must search herself to
find a new direction or give in to the temptation to simply give up and let
circumstances dictate her life.
Judd has spent his young adult years coping with the aftermath of
war injuries and profound family losses. With no time to grieve or recover, he
is thrust into the role of family head and pours himself into steering his
brothers and Carrie to adulthood while also seeing to the needs of the family
farm. Like Carrie, his losses have caused him to grow cold towards God, leaning
only on himself to bear the weight of his responsibilities. The pressure has
forged a resolute hardness in him and an unwillingness to be close to anyone.
The life journey of both is in need of new direction, if they will choose to
take a chance and step toward it.
Excerpt 1: Judd grabbed one of Silas’ arms and one of hers and shoved them
ahead of him into a corner of the barn semi-sheltered by an empty stall. With
his back to the approaching threat, he pressed them against the wall next to
the stall and spread his arms to shelter them. The ominous sounds of a bull
snorting and bearing down on them filled her with terror. Judd whispered, “No
noise. Don’t move.”
Excerpt 2: Her mind wandered back to
days spent with Mama, watching her cook, and sharing the small triumphs while
she learned. Memories warmed her and loosened her tongue. “I wish she could
know how good I am at it now. With her gift for pies and cake, and mine for
bread, maybe we could’ve run a bakery together. That would’ve been wonderful.”
Lucas rumbled out an indeterminate sound. “Two women running a
bakery? Never heard of that.”
Carrie’s wistful, nostalgic mood shattered. How backward. Was
Jesse the only man in this family with any foresight?
Quenching a sharp retort, she kept her voice airy. “It’s the
twentieth century, in case you forgot. Women can do pretty much anything these
days. Vote, get a job. Why, I read a story the other day about women policemen
in California.”
Lucas sputtered out a laugh. “You
just called them policemen. Wouldn’t they be policewomen?”
She scowled at his smirking
expression. “Ha-ha. You know what I mean.”
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