Hennepin County Library paperback 318 pages
genre: Christian historical fiction
Where has this author been all my life?! This book was wonderful, with a compelling story and lots of faith-challenging and faith-building content. It will be great to have book club discussion in a few weeks. (Week and a half . . . )
"Orphaned in the cholera epidemic of 1833, Adria Starr was cared for by a slave named Louis, a man who passed up the opportunity to escape his bondage and instead tended to the sick and buried the dead. A man who, twelve years later, is being sold by his owners despite his heroic actions."
I don't have much of substance in my brain for blogging right now, but want to make note of some passages I tagged with post-its:
Page 29 - "The man's words were a mishmash of Scripture strung together, but somehow the words sounded right when he spoke them. A man who loved the Lord." This is about Louis. I feel that way sometimes when I have a heart overflowing with love for the Lord, but can't seem to quote Scripture exactly. God's words have an abundance of blessing, even when we can't recite them exactly!
Page 56 - "Or when he put extra money they didn't have to spare in the offering plate if the preacher spoke of a need in the church. The Christian thing to do. A person couldn't sit on a church pew claiming the title Christian if that person didn't allow Christ to work through him." Amen! Ruth's observation about Peter living his faith encourages me.
Page 94 ' "'Sometimes it's best to depend on nobody but the Lord. You can be sure he won't never do you wrong.'" Louis is wise! Such truth.
Page 119 - "A prayer rose in his heart that he would find his way through this dry-bone valley with doubts rising like tares all around him. Not doubts of God's existence. He could have no doubts there, but what of his own calling to preach?" I realize that faith and doubt are different for different people, but I also don't doubt God. I doubt myself and my role in His kingdom.
Page 137 - "She hadn't liked him. On sight. Not exactly a Christian attitude for someone who just came from church, but no use pretending. The Lord could see right through any kind of smoke screen straight into a person's heart." Thank you, Lord, for loving me even in my sinfulness!
Page 140 - "'We're all on the way to the cemetery, Miss Starr. Some of us are taking a longer road there than others, but long or short, a person might as well enjoy the trip.'" This is probably my favorite line from Logan Farrell. He was just too clearly a scoundrel . . .
Page 144 - "One plus the Lord can do mighty things now and again." This is such a good reminder and Adria's answer to prayer.
Page 155 - This bugged me! Philippians 4:6-7 is one of my absolute favorite verses, but instead of the more common "Be anxious about nothing . . . " the author used "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God." I don't know why that bothered me so much. Perhaps the words "be careful for nothing" seem like "be careless" to me . . .
Page 209 - "Who am I to say the Lord don't have the best plan?" Will pondering Louis' words of faithfulness struck him, and me. When things don't go the way I hoped / planned, why do I experience such disappointment? Why don't I trust in God that His will is best?
Page 253 - "There was no need to think about what might have been. Better to consider what was and decide on her tomorrow with a clear eye." I love this! Too often, I get lost in the "would have, should have, could have" mode instead of deciding on tomorrow with a clear eye. This may be my favorite quotation from the book.
Page 264 - "The worshipers didn't come out on Wednesday the way they did on Sundays. But Will liked gathering with those serious about the need for prayer." This made me think about Wednesday night prayer at my church!
Page 313 - "'He has a knack for doin' that. Makin' a way outa no way.'" Once again, Louis' deep abiding faith is in play as he talks with Adria about the night's activities. I loved finding out in the author's note that she based this work of fiction on a slave named Louis who actually did save many people and bury 55 dead during the cholera epidemic in Springfield, Kentucky in the 1830s. Very cool.
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