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Take This Journey of Broken Souls Restored
and Tentative Hearts Brought Fully to Life
When family tragedy derails Henry Phillips's college studies, he's left unmoored and feeling abandoned. The only things that can tamp down his grief are the family farm, his fiddle, and an unexpected friendship with sweet but unusual preteen Mayfair Hoffman.
Unfortunately, Mayfair's older sister, Margaret, despite her spray of freckles and cute, turned-up nose, has a completely different effect. His grandmother's helper, she's always around, ready to push his buttons, and it seems at first that she doesn't care about his troubles.
Henry soon realizes, though, that Margaret's facing her own struggles. Mayfair's health and unique gift sit at the heart of those worries. Henry and Margaret soon find themselves relying on each other as potential tragedy collides with growing hope in a warm story of family bonds and the surprising ways healing finds us all.
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Review
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is the second book in the series. I believe it does stand well on its own. Having read the prequel novella(which is free right now) and the first book, I had more background information on the characters.
I cannot imagine what I would do with the sudden unexpected loss of one of my parents. That is what faces Henry when he comes home from college for the Christmas holidays. Compound that with living in small-town USA where everyone knows everyone, well, there's not much that goes on that they don't already know.
While reading through Henry's actions, reactions, and emotions, we're right in the middle of his heartbreak. There were a few times I just wanted to reach into the pages and pop him one for doing something stupid. But thankfully he was raised right, has spectacular support from family and friends, and has a good head on his shoulders.
I loved the character of Margaret. I can really sympathize with the big frizzy hair and freckles. Welcome to my world. Though I have not been ridiculed by my mother for looking the way I do. Margaret is perfectly written to be Henry's match. And I love the back and forth between the two of them. They are good sparing partners and so naturally go together. And Henry is just that much more lovable for his caring for Mayfair.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone. This series would be perfect for summer reading. It takes you through the trials and struggles of 3 generations of families in the hills of West Virginia. If you don't have a family who supports, loves, and cares for you unconditionally, I hope and pray you find your own family like Margaret and Mayfair. There was one line in particular that stuck out to me. The preacher Ray was riding with Henry and were talking about Esau's story. The preacher was talking and said, "God works in His own way, and it's almost never the way I expect." I've heard many say the same thing through the years. God's timing is always perfect.
