Tag Archives: Books

The Lost Story of Via Belle

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Via Belle

The Lost Story of Via Belle is a dual-timeline novel by Melanie Dobson inspired by the life of Grace Livingston Hill. The book is not a fictionalized retelling of Grace’s life, but it draws on some of her circumstances and experiences.

In 1940, Via Belle is the pen name of Olivia Ashe. She’s written dozens of sweet romance novels with clear Christian themes. She and her husband had built a lovely lake-side home with a turret where she did all her writing. But first their daughter died, and then her husband passed away. Olivia’s next novel is due and her publisher won’t extend her deadlines any more. But she can’t find the words.

She’s invited to be on a panel of authors at a university. She’s the only one who writes novels: the others are more scholarly or literary. She feels distinctly out of place. But she’s able to share a few things. Then a long line of female college students stay and ask her to autograph their copies of her novels.

A Professor Simon Farrow stays as well, complimenting her on her work and how she handled herself on the panel. One invitation to dinner leads to another. Though Simon is much younger, they fall into a whirlwind romance. Olivia’s words come back and she finishes her novel in record time.

Olivia and Simon marry, in spite of her Aunt Hattie’s reservations. There are things about Simon that don’t make sense, but there’s always some reason to explain away his actions.

Yet, before too long, Olivia realizes she made a mistake.

in 2006, Harper Rayne is an aspiring screenwriter. Her best friend is a movie star with a producer-father, but he doesn’t take Harper’s work seriously. After blowing an opportunity to pitch her film idea, Harper accepts the invitation of her late mother’s friend to house-sit in a small town in PA where Via Belle lived sixty years earlier. Her mother had loved Via Belle’s books, and after Harper picks up her favorite, she begins to wonder if one of Belle’s books could be turned into a movie. As she looks into Belle’s life and tries to tour her home, Harper begins to think that the life of the author herself would make a good movie. But no one seems to know what happened to Belle: she went missing, and anyone who might know anything about her has no comment.

As Harper keeps digging, she finds not only more about Belle, but also surprising connections to her own life.

Melanie shares in her end notes that she had loved Grace Livingston Hill, and this book was inspired by parts of her life as well as those of Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie. Grace was married to a pastor and lived in PA, where she had two daughters; Belle only had one daughter who died young. After her husband’s death, Hill married a man much younger than herself, but their marriage was eventually annulled. Belle’s situation with her second husband is where much of the fiction comes into the story. Melanie shares some of her research here, including a tour of Hill’s home.

I enjoyed the beginning of the story. The middle seemed a little soap-opera-ish to me. But I loved how everything came together at the end.

The Dean’s Watch

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Dean's Watch

The Dean’s Watch is a novel by Elizabeth Goudge, published in 1950 but set in an English cathedral town in the 1870s. The town is unnamed but based on Ely, where Goudge lived for a time, bordering the marshy Fens region.

The story opens with watch- and clock-maker Isaac Peabody, a shy, quiet man working in his shop repairing Dean Ayscough’s watch. We’re told about his work, his shop, his lack of faith in God, and his fear of the cathedral (though we’re not told why he fears it until much later). He’s currently in one of his “good times.”

He lives with his sister, Emma, a rigid, brittle woman. Emma considers herself a gentleman’s daughter and is ashamed that her brother is a tradesman with his own shop. Her shame is deepened by the fact that Isaac visits the local pub during his “bad times.” Her mission in life is to “turn him into a sober, businesslike, gentlemanly good man,” and she knows she is failing.

Their maid, Polly, is a bright, cheerful, soul, and Isaac and Polly get along well when Emma is not around. Emma knows this and is jealous.

On Saturdays, Isaac keeps his shop closed and visits some of his customers whose clocks need winding and cleaning. One of those customers is the Dean (a head Anglican priest). Isaac times his visit for when the Dean will be out at the church. But this Saturday, the Dean is home with a cold. And, much to Isaac’s terror, the Dean wants to see him.

As it turns out, however, the Dean just wanted to thank Isaac for the paper included with his repaired watch. Isaac put little scraps of sayings or poetry with his watches, and the Dean particularly liked this one.

This led to a discussion of horology (the study of clocks and watches) as the two reserved men opened up to each other, with a promise of more visits to come.

The Dean is described as imposing, tall, and ugly, with a raspy voice. He commands authority and has fought against corruption in the city, particularly that involving children. But very few know his gruff exterior hides a tender heart.

Job Mooring is an orphan, stolen from his family as a child and then sold to various apprenticeships. He now works for a fishmonger who beats him. Way back as a young child made to climb chimneys, Job was rescued by the Dean, though he didn’t know that’s who he was. Job is secretly courting Polly.

One night when the Dean stops by Isaac’s house unexpectedly, he sets off a series of events with long-term ramifications.

In the meantime, his weekly visits with Isaac are redemptive for both men.

This book inspired yesterdays post on patience with old books. The book is not that old, but it’s written in the style of the 1800s. First we see a long description of Isaac and his shop, then the city, the fen people, several hundred years of the cathedral’s history, Emma, and the Dean. The story itself doesn’t seem to take off until about a third of the way in.

But once it did, I loved it. I loved the characters and the redemptive threads throughout. I liked the double meaning of the title: both the Dean’s physical timepiece, plus his watching over the people in the city, particularly the main characters. As he walked around the city at night, “He would stand in dark doorways and pray there for the men and women within the shuttered houses. If he lacked the common touch, if he was not the priest he had longed to be, this at least he could do.”

According to Wikipedia, though Elizabeth wrote several books, nonfiction and fiction, for both adults and children, The Dean’s Watch was one of her top three favorites.

Patience with Old Books

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Patience with old books

Modern writers are told they need to hook the reader within the first couple of pages–preferably the first few paragraphs.

Fiction writers are also instructed not to write long descriptions and backstory. Instead, they’re told to tuck necessary details in here and there.

They’re also told to “Show, don’t tell.” You don’t say, “Sue was angry,” or even worse, “Sue was very angry.” You show her actions and let the reader infer what she felt: “Sue’s face reddened as she stomped out of the room and slammed the door.”

Other widespread writing advice: Use strong verbs and nouns, fewer adjectives and adverbs. Write shorter paragraphs. Cut everything that’s not absolutely necessary.

Old books are written differently.

They might start with the character’s ancestry three generations back and give us a detailed description of himself, his job, his home, and his family before we get even a hint of what the story is about. They generally “tell” more than they “show.” Their paragraphs, and sometimes even their sentences, are long and circuitous.

It’s not that the modern style of writing is right and the old way is wrong. Some books have continued to sell well for centuries even with their wordier construction. Different styles fit different times.

Older writers might be appalled at our modern lack of patience. But we not only have shorter attention spans–we have a plethora of material to read. If something doesn’t capture our interest right away, we move on to the next option.

I wonder if people savored reading more when they had fewer choices. I think they must have looked on reading–fiction, at least–as a time to anticipate and relax.

Italo Calvino has written, “A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” It still speaks to us today.

I think of it a little like traveling to a longed-for destination. Before you can get there, you have to make plans, book flights, pack, and endure the journey–all things I don’t like about travel. But most people find the destination with the effort.

It might help to ask for recommendations from a friend or Google classic books in a genre you already like. Finding out a little about the background and author aids understanding as well, but I caution you not to read the introductory material in many classics written by someone other than the author. Those seem to assume the reader is already familiar with the story and give away too much. (I’m still steamed at the writer who tossed out the ending of Anna Karenina like it was common knowledge and ruined it for me).

There are blogs and podcasts like The Literary Life Podcast which shed light on specific titles. I listened to their discussion of Dracula alongside my reading. I didn’t think I’d like the book, but I gained so much more by what I learned from their knowledge and discussion.

So I encourage you to be patient with older books and give them time. Accept that they may be more wordy and take a while to get where they’re going. But the payoff in a recognition of human character or a bit of wise insight is usually worth it.

Insights on Revelation

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Revelation

The book of Revelation can be daunting to read, with all its symbolism and strange experiences. I used Charles Swindoll’s Insights on Revelation as a companion this time through the book and found it quite helpful.

Swindoll says this book is a “mile-high” view of Revelation. He goes into more detail than a mere overview, but mainly hits the high points.

The Greek word for “Revelation” is apokalypsis, form which we get our word apocalypse. Today, apocalypse conveys the meaning of a massive, end-of-the-world-type battle. Though Revelation tells of the final, victorious battle between good and evil, the word actually means an unveiling. This is an unveiling of the future, but even more so, and unveiling of the true King.

Revelation was written by the apostle John, brother of James. He was an old man now, living in exile on the island of Patmos, when he was caught up to heaven and told to write what he saw.

First he is told to write seven letters to then-existing local churches. Swindoll calls these a type of performance review. Each church is told what they did right, what they’re doing wrong, and how God wants them to respond. The message to each church has much to say to us today as well.

Then John sees several visions of things to come, including the reign of the Antichrist during seven years of what we call the Tribulation, leading to the final judgments of mankind, the resurrection of all from the dead, and the crowning of Jesus Christ as the King of the universe, with all those who believed on Him through the ages coming to live with Him in His kingdom.

Revelation pronounces a blessing on those who read and obey it: “The one who reads this is blessed, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it are blessed, because the time is near!” (Revelation 1:3, HCSB). The blessing is repeated near the end of the book: “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book” (Revelation 22:7, ESV).

Swindoll emphasizes that we may not understand everything in the book–even John didn’t understand everything he wrote. But there is still much we can glean and be blessed by. He says careful observation of what the text says, paying attention to the context within Revelation, and bringing in what we know from other parts of the Bible help us understand it better. He says, “The book of Revelation wasn’t written to confuse, frighten, or entertain. Rather, it was given to believers to read, understand, and apply.”

There are groups of people with very strong opinions on some questions in Revelation: whether there will be a “Rapture” of the church, a catching away of Christians; when that will occur (before, in the middle of, or after the tribulation–seven years of trouble); whether there will be a literal millennium–a thousand year reign of Christ on Earth; or whether everything in the book is symbolic. I felt, even before this book, that these things are not worth arguing over or breaking fellowship over.

In fact, the study of Revelation can often devolve into trying to prove one’s version of these things. But a focus on these things can obscure or even miss the point. “The purpose of Revelation is to change us, not simply to inform us.” The book of Revelation gives us hope for the future, inspires us to live holy lives in light of what’s coming, and “moves us to worship God, who will ultimately triumph over evil.”

After each section, Swindoll share practical applications we can draw from the text for our lives here and now.

Some of the judgments God pours out on the unbelieving and rebellious in the end times are some of the most awful things we’ll read in the Bible. But the good news is, God has made a way to escape those judgments by believing on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior now. The last chapter of the book contains an invitation: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price” (Revelation 22:17).

My Lady Ludlow

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My Lady Ludlow

My Lady Ludlow by Elizabeth Gaskell is a short novel–or a long novella–about an older aristocratic woman in the changing times of the late 1700s.

Her story is told by Margaret Dawson, a distant relative, now an old woman looking back on her time with Lady Ludlow. When Margaret was a teenager, her father died, leaving her mother with nine children. To help out, Lady Ludlow offered for Margaret to come stay with her, where she “did her Christian duty” by several young “gentlewomen” who were “out of means.” So Margaret traveled several hours to Lady Ludlow’s manor.

In those days, the Lord or Lady of the manor had pretty much the authority of the whole area. Lady Ludlow had a strong sense of The Way Things Should Be, based on the way things had always been. She could seem imperious and intractable, but she had a kind and generous heart.

She had frequent arguments with the young rector as well as her own steward about educating the “lower classes.” Reverend Gray wanted to open a Sunday School and then a village school, to teach doctrine and prepare young minds for the world to come. Mr. Horner, the steward, cared more about the here and now and “wanted to make every man useful and active in this world.” He had taken it upon himself to educate a bright young boy who happened to be the son of a man known for poaching. Mr. Horner thought the boy could be saved from the kind of life he was otherwise sure to grow into and possibly even come to work for the estate.

“My lady would hear of neither one or the other.” She thought the teaching of doctrine was best done by the family and church. She called reading and writing “edge-tools,” saying, “If our lower orders have these edge-tools given to them, we shall have the terrible scenes of the French Revolution acted over again in England. When I was a girl, one never heard of the rights of men, one only heard of the duties.” She thought that if the boy Mr. Horner was teaching, and others like him, learned to read and write, “his duties become complicated, and his temptations much greater, while, at the same time, he has no hereditary principles and honourable training to serve as safeguards.”

She then related a long story about friends in France who were killed during the Revolution, part of their fate hinging on a boy reading and sharing a message he should not have.

At first I wondered why Mrs. Gaskell created such a character. From what I’ve read about the author, Lady Ludlow’s views were not her views.

But, without spoiling the plot too much, Lady Ludlow gradually changes her thinking on many things. Then I realized the author was appealing to those who held the same views as Lady Ludlow, gently trying to open their eyes to other, better views.

My Lady Ludlow is one of the stories incorporated in the Cranford BBC TV series, along with the novel Cranford and another novella, Mr. Harrison’s Confessions, even though these stories don’t originally occur in the same place. The rector in the TV series is from one of the other books, so it’s sad that Rev. Gray wasn’t in the series. Mr. Horner, for some reason, is renamed Mr. Carter there. In the book, Lady Ludlow has one son remaining from her original nine, but he never appears at the manor. The TV series has him coming back as a ne’er-do-well, only interested in money, wanting to sell the estate to the railroad company. I know films can’t portray the books exactly, but when they add in their own plots, I want to say, “Go write your own books with your own characters, and don’t subvert those of others.”

Though Lady Ludlow is not as easy to like as Matty Jenkyns in Cranford, I did like the way she changed through the story.

C. S. Lewis’ Letters to an American Lady.

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C. S. Lewis was a prolific letter-writer. Just the third volume of his collected letters covering the last thirteen years of his life is over 6000 pages.

Yet Lewis often felt burdened by the volume of letters he needed to write. He even asked friends not to write to him at Christmastime because he heard from so many people then, answering their correspondence became almost impossible.

Clyde S. Kilby says in his preface of Lewis’ Letters to an American Lady that Lewis said “one essential of the happy life is ‘ that a man would have almost no mail and never dread the postman’s knock.'” Yet he wrote because he “believed taking time out to advise or encourage another Christian was both a humbling of one’s talents before the Lord and also as much the work of the Holy Spirit as producing a book” and “one’s days and his talents are given him not for private expenditure but to be used in all lowliness within the will of God. Though the flesh abhorred it, he mortified the flesh.”

The American lady this collection of letters was written to is unnamed, by her request. After Lewis’ death, she donated his letters to Wheaton College. She was a widow and a “southern aristocrat” who “loves to talk and speaks well.” She also wrote “reviews articles, poems, and stories.” She had fallen upon hard times financially as well as family problems and, in the end, various health issues.

Her letters to Lewis are not printed here, but her first seems to have praised him for his books. He writes that he would have to “be either of angelic humility or diabolical pride not to be pleased at all the things you say about my books.” She must have shared some of her troubles with him, because he assures her of his sympathy and prayers.

Their correspondence goes on to include over a hundred letters. His tone is always cordial, though at times he says he can only write “a pen scratch” because of busyness or illness.

She writes that she has converted to Catholicism. He says that path is not for him, but he did not want their correspondence to be controversial. He was happy that her “faith and joy are so obviously increased.”

Some of his notes are sprinkled with humor:

About sleep: do you find that the great secret (if one can do it) is not to care whether you sleep? Sleep is a jade who scorns her suitors but woos her scorners.

As for wrinkles—pshaw! Why shouldn’t we have wrinkles? Honorable insignia of long service in this warfare.

Over the thirteen years they wrote to each other, we see glimpses of his personal life and what books he was working at the time. His marriage to Joy and her death took place in this time period. But most of the letters focus on encouraging her in her troubles.

Some of the quotes that stood out to me, some of which are well-known:

How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing (and perhaps, like you, I have met it only once) it is irresistible. If even 10% of the world’s population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before a year’s end?

(Concerning someone she had a problem with) I mustn’t encourage you to go on thinking about her: that, after all, is almost the greatest evil nasty people can do us—to become an obsession, to haunt our minds. A brief prayer for them, and then away to other subjects, is the thing, if one can only stick to it.

I suppose the only way with thorns in the flesh (until one can get them out) is not to press on the place where they are embedded; i.e. to stop one’s thoughts (firmly but gently).

Your faith is a support to me as well as to yourself.

Remember one is given strength to bear what happens to one, but not the 100 and 1 different things that might happen.

As for the bug-bear of Old Peoples’ Homes, remember that our ignorance works both ways. Just as some of the things we have longed and hoped for turn out to be dust and ashes when we get them, so the things we have most dreaded sometimes turn out to be quite nice. If you ever do have to go to a Home, Christ will be there just as much as in any other place.

Re some of their health problems:

Not that you and I have now much reason to rejoice in having bodies! Like old automobiles, aren’t they? where all sorts of apparently different things keep going wrong, but what they add up to is the plain fact that the machine is wearing out. Well, it was not meant to last forever. Still, I have a kindly feeling for the old rattle-trap. Through it God showed me that whole side of His beauty which is embodied in colour, sound, smell and size. No doubt it has often led me astray: but not half so often, I suspect, as my soul has led it astray.

Pain is terrible, but surely you need not have fear as well? Can you not see death as the friend and deliverer? It means stripping off that body which is tormenting you: like taking off a hairshirt or getting out of a dungeon. What is there to be afraid of?

Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave it with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.

Remember, tho’ we struggle against things because we are afraid of them, it is often the other way round—we get afraid because we struggle. Are you struggling, resisting? Don’t you think Our Lord says to you “Peace, child, peace. Relax. Let go. Underneath are the everlasting arms. Let go, I will catch you. Do you trust me so little?”

Of course this may not be the end. Then make it a good rehearsal.

Though I’ve had this book in my Kindle collection for several years, it wasn’t on my radar to read any time soon. But in looking for a particular quote (the one about having better things ahead than behind), I began to read that in context, then read some more, then started at the beginning. Though I read some of these in the last volume of his collected letters, it was good to have all his correspondence to one person put together.

I’m so thankful this lady shared Lewis’ letters with the public. They were an encouragement to me, as I am sure they have been to many others.

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

(Updated to add: someone thought this book contained letters written to Joy Davidman, who later became Lewis’ wife. No, these letters are to someone named Mary. I don’t think Lewis knew Joy yet when he first started writing to “Mary.” None of his letters to Joy are in the larger volume of collected letters.)

Cranford

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Cranford

Cranford was originally written as a series of vignettes by Elizabeth Gaskell in Charles Dickens’ magazine, Household Words. She started out with just two, but he encouraged her to write more. Afterward, with a little alteration, the pieces were formed into a book.

As such, there’s not an overarching plot through the book. The stories take place in a fictional small town whose residents are mostly older single women living in genteel poverty. They live by a strict code–“calling” is only for three hours a day and only for fifteen minutes. They are constantly evaluating situations by class–how to dress for this person’s get-together, whether it was right for that person to marry this one, and so forth.

The two main characters are sisters, Deborah and Matty Jenkyns, daughters of the former rector. Deborah is older and very strict in her views of what is acceptable and what is not. Yet she surprises others by breaking protocol sometimes in her compassion for others. She leads the way in new thinking that class is not always the basis for one’s actions.

When she passes away early on in the book, the more timid Matty has to come into her own.

The stories are told through a Miss Smith, who comes to visit often. This is what I would call a quiet book. The characters experience ups and downs, joys and sorrows. Gentle humor is sprinkled throughout.

When a man with two daughters moves into the neighborhood, the dynamics of society are shaken up a bit, especially as he doesn’t know that things like one’s financial situation are not discussed in public. A series of robberies take place just as a magician comes to town, making him a suspect. Matty comes across a former suitor she’d had to turn down decades ago.

This Kindle version of the book has a couple of interesting appendices, one on the historical context of the book, and one on Gaskell’s life. Many of the stories are based on Gaskell’s memories of living in Knutsford (including one tale of a cow dressed in flannel. She told someone she scaled down some descriptions a bit, thinking no one would believe the full version). The former article says, “The tale of Cranford, then, is the tale of England in miniature: a society caught in a moment of profound transition, learning to reconcile its cherished traditions with the irresistible tide of a new and unfamiliar age.” It also says Gaskell captured the “quiet comedies and secret sorrows of her characters.”

Gaskell’s family were Unitarians, and she married a Unitarian minister. The article describes them as “Dissenters,” though I had not associated that word with Unitarianism. The article says, “This progressive faith emphasized reason, social responsibility, and individual conscience over rigid doctrine” and “shaped her entire worldview. It instilled in her a powerful sense of moral duty and a deep-seated empathy for those on the margins of society.” I would not agree with many religious aspects of Unitarianism (they deny the doctrine of the Trinity, for one thing), but that does not come up much in the book. The emphasis here is more on “social responsibility.”

I first read Cranford about fifteen years ago, and thought it merely “pleasant.” But then I started watching the BBC series, which combines stories from this book as well as My Lady Ludlow and Mr. Harrison’s Confessions. That renewed my interest in the characters, so I went through the book again, this time via audiobook superbly read by Prunella Scales.

Though I like others of Gaskell’s books better, I liked this one much more than I did on my first reading.

The Spy Keeper of Marseille

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In The Spy Keeper of Marseille, a novel by Roseanna M. White, Zelie Bellerose is the widow of an Army officer in France with two young children during the German occupation of France during WWII. She becomes involved in the Resistance, with her children safely away from the area with her mother. When their leader is imprisoned, Zelie is the only one who can step in and take over the network. But this works to her advantage, as no one expects a woman to be in that position.

Marcel Laurent was a well-known concert pianist, but enlisted the the French army. He was captured and imprisoned in a POW camp for a year. He is freed in a prisoner exchange with the help of a wealthy businessman involved in the Resistance. Marcel is recruited to join them. He applies to be the conductor of a youth orchestra, picking up intel he hears, sharing news in code in the orchestra’s weekly broadcasts. To his surprise, a Nazi SS officer is assigned to oversee the orchestra, causing Marcel to have to exercise extreme caution.

Zelie and Marcel share a love for music, and that and their meetings for the Resistance draw them closer. But then a stunning betrayal threatens the whole alliance.

This story is based on real-life Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, who set up and then ran the Alliance network of spies in France during WWII to get information to MI6 in England. These spies were not professionals. The idea was to place people in areas like restaurants, museums, concert halls, etc., where Nazi visitors might be more relaxed and less on their guard, and pick up information they might let slip. Then they transferred anything pertinent through a series of secret radio transmissions.

Once again, Roseanna has written a gripping story with relatable characters. Their religion was Catholic, which is accurate for the time and place. But I disagreed with a couple of points.

And I thought there were a couple of implausible occurrences in the plot. Zelie’s son seemed much more mature than an average ten-year-old. And I wouldn’t think some of the operatives would discuss and choose new call signs in front of children. Though the children were away from the main action, there was still an underlying danger that they could be traced to Zelie. So it seems the adults would have kept much more from the children who, in their innocence and naivete, might share information they shouldn’t.

But other than those things, I enjoyed the story very much.

I listened to the audiobook which was nicely read by Megan Tusing.

Theo of Golden

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Theo of Golden

In Allen Levi’s debut novel, Theo of Golden, Theo is a man in his 80s, originally from Portugal, who comes to visit to the small town of Golden, Georgia. He only gives his name as Theo, saying his last name is difficult to pronounce. When asked what brings him to town, he vaguely says he has some properties to attend to.

He enters a local coffee shop one day to find its walls lined with nicely-drawn portraits. When he asks about them, he learns they were made by a local artist and the subjects were all local people. Theo studies them intently. Then he decided to buy them, one at a time, and give them to the subjects in them. He gets a little help finding the right names and addresses and writes an elegant letter asking the subject to meet him at a public place, the town fountain. There he gives them the portrait of themselves, asks for their story, and tells what he sees in their portrait.

Theo is warned that some people might react negatively to such a request for a meeting with a stranger. But for the most part, the meetings go well and the recipients feel honored–not just to receive a portrait of themselves, but to hear Theo’s assessment. Most approach the meetings with curiosity, some with skepticism.

Along the way, we learn bits and pieces of Theo’s backstory. He’s cultured, well-traveled, and apparently has a seemingly endless supply of money. He has known tragedy that still haunts him.

We also learn about the townspeople. Though Golden, Georgia is very different from Jan Karon’s Mitford, NC, I get the same kind of feeling from them. There are some good-hearted, salt-of-the-earth types as well as quirky characters and a few villains.

Some of my favorite quotes:

How is it, Theo wondered, that a piece of paper – a letter, a photo, a ticket stub, a sketch, a painting – is suddenly transformed by placing it in four bits of wood beneath a pane of glass? What does it mean that we place permanent boundaries around transient moments? What does it say of humankind that we take such trouble to freeze specific memories, that we devote such energy to capturing and preserving the “minute particulars” of our lives?

It’s hard enough to define what art is, much less ‘good art.’ I wonder if there is such a thing. Maybe there are just good responses. But I guess if a work of art makes us see something familiar in a new way or makes us feel something we ought to have felt all along or shows us our place in the world more clearly, maybe then it qualifies as ‘good.’ If it makes us better somehow, maybe that’s what gives it value.

It was better to see one thing well than many poorly.

Music was a microcosm. It was portraiture in sound.

It is another of life’s great mysteries that sadness and joy can coexist.

Beauty, throughout my life, has always seemed to hint at something more.

When I first heard of Theo of Golden, I didn’t think the premise sounded very interesting. But I saw so many people just raving about this book, I decided to look into it. As I read, I thought it was . . . nice. At first I was afraid it was an “angel in disguise” story, but I was glad to see Theo was very human. He was a good example of putting interest in others before himself, showing kindness and generosity, seeing below the surface. Yet, I still didn’t quite see what all the fuss was about.

Then a little past the 80% mark, there was a gut-punch of a plot twist. As we learn who Theo really is in later pages, that changes everything about some of the relationships in the story.

Sometimes after I finish a book, I’ll look back at the first pages in light of what I know from the ending. I was astonished to find all sorts of little clues about what would come later. Some scenes were so much more poignant now. I decided to get the audiobook and listen through the whole book. I am so glad I did. It’s nicely read by David Morse. One thing I like about audiobooks is that I don’t usually think in the accents of the characters as I read, but hearing them greatly enhances the story.

One remarkable thing about this book is that the author did not write it with publication in mind. He’s had a checkered career as a lawyer, judge, musician, and songwriter. He wanted to challenge himself to see if he could write a complete novel. When he showed it to a few friends, they urged him to publish it.

Since he was almost 70, he didn’t want to go through the two-year process of traditional publishing. He asked his niece to look into self-publishing and handle that aspect of it. And that led to another remarkable happening: the book became a bestseller, largely by word of mouth. (A good article about its publishing journey is here, but it’s behind a paywall). Later, it was acquired by Simon and Schuster.

Some articles and interviews with Levi about the book:

The author did not want to publish the book as Christian fiction, but his faith informs his writing. There are some concise but clear references to the gospel and allusions to Bible passages. One of my favorite scenes is when a homeless woman with some possible mental issues tried to bring her bicycle into an upscale church. Some in the congregation called 911. Others were “curious and even amused that an actual sinner had entered the elegant premises of James, the saint. The biblically literate among them might have expected a finger to start writing on the wall.” The church’s name was St. James–interesting since the book of James has verses about not showing favoritism to the rich. After Theo and an older woman diffuse the situation, “One could almost hear the sound of stones dropping to the ground.”

There’s a theme of gold running through the book. Not only is the town named golden, but gold is pointed out in sign lettering, people’s clothes, a chalice, a river, jewelry, even leaves. It shows up so often that I am sure it’s meant to symbolize something, but I don’t know what. Maybe the image of God in flawed people, maybe looking for the good in them and in circumstances.

There’s also a theme of gifts. Theo tells people their portraits are a gift for which they don’t don’t have to do anything–a picture of grace. But gifts of various types, including kindness, are mentioned throughout the book.

There are a few language issues in the book, mostly from one or two characters. There are also some information dumps, a lot of unnecessary detail on certain points.

But overall, though the book was a slow burn at first, ultimately I ended up loving it.

(Sharing with Between the Bookends)

New Children’s Book about Elisabeth Elliot

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Elisabeth Elliot children's book

My friend Susan recently shared that there was a new children’s book about Elisabeth Elliot: Elisabeth Elliot: The Brave Girl Who Chose to Love by Ellen Vaughn, who wrote a two-volume biography of Elisabeth a few years ago.

I’ve considered Elisabeth my “mentor from afar” for decades, so I was delighted to learn there was a children’s book about her. The story is written for 4-7-year-olds, though I am sure older children would enjoy it as well.

The book provides a very simple overview of Elisabeth’s life, from the time her parents hosted missionaries in their home, which inspired Elisabeth, to her marriage to Jim, their ministry in Ecuador, and the birth of their daughter, Valerie. Jim’s death is shared straightforwardly. The name of the tribe who killed him is shortened to “Wao” here. Elisabeth later decides to try to tell the tribe that Jim loved about Jesus, thinking maybe “they won’t be scared of a woman and a little girl.”

After a few years, Elisabeth and Valerie leave for the United States so Valerie could go to school. The rest of Elisabeth’s life is summed up in a couple of paragraphs.

The author shares Isaiah 43:2 at intervals as something Elisabeth leaned on when she was tempted to fear: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you” (NIV).

At the end of the book are questions to think about, a timeline of her life, a world map that notes where significant parts of Elisabeth’s life took place, and a link to some printable pages that children can draw on or fill in.

The illustrations by Emma Randall are nicely done and not “silly.”

This is a great introduction to Elisabeth’s life for children, touching on themes of missionary service, forgiveness, and trusting God when afraid.

I can happily recommend this book.

I noticed it was part of a “Do Great Things for God” series by The Good Book Company. There are fifteen books in the series so far, on people like C. S. Lewis, John Knox, Susannah Spurgeon, Amy Carmichael, Corrie ten Boom, Joni Eareckson Tada, Queen Elizabeth, and others, some of whom I had never heard of. I’m excited to see these biographies being made available for very young children.

(Sharing with Between the Bookends)