≡ PDF The Widow of Larkspur Inn The Gresham Chronicles Book #1 edition by Lawana Blackwell Religion Spirituality eBooks

The Widow of Larkspur Inn The Gresham Chronicles Book #1 edition by Lawana Blackwell Religion Spirituality eBooks

Download As PDF : The Widow of Larkspur Inn The Gresham Chronicles Book #1 edition by Lawana Blackwell Religion Spirituality eBooks

The Widow of Larkspur Inn The Gresham Chronicles Book #1 edition by Lawana Blackwell Religion Spirituality eBooks

"The Widow of Larkspur Inn", #1 in the "Gresham Chronicles" series by Lawana Blackwell, is a historical Christian fiction with a touch of romance. It opens in London in 1869 during the Victorian period, which is well past the Regency period that I usually read.

Though the book opens in London, very little of the story is spent there. Julia Hollis, a well-to-do doctor's wife, has recently become a widow. After her husband passes away, Julia is told that he was a gambler and that pretty much everything needs to be sold... including her London home. Julia learns that she owns a property the bank deems as worthless: an old coaching inn in the small town of Gresham, which has been abandoned for the past eight years. She and her three children Philip, Aleda, and Grace move there, and Julia hopes to gain enough income to live on by making it into a boarding house.

I purchased this book because I thought it would be a romance. I actually would not consider it as such. There are three romances in the story, but each comprises only a very small portion of the 400+ pages. That said, I think the book itself is beautifully and excellently written. I consider this to be a wonderful slice-of-life kind of story.

What I like:

*The Christian aspect of it is very well done, in my opinion. I like how it shows Julia making brief prayers throughout her days. Later on in the book, it does become a bit more preachy, but it's in the context of a vicar helping a struggling believer.

*I loved the cast of varied and realistic characters.

What I didn't like:

*It's fine for a story to be a fiction rather than a romance. Some people definitely prefer that. But I still feel that one of the romances really needed to be given more time.

*I liked the story but feel that it needs a little more to keep the reader's interest. I like slow-paced stories, but I struggled with momentum a bit on this one. It took me almost two months to finish it.

This is a high quality Christian historical fiction. It's very clean and from that respect, it's appropriate for any age. I will try another Lawana Blackwell book before deciding whether she's one of "my authors."


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The Widow of Larkspur Inn The Gresham Chronicles Book #1 edition by Lawana Blackwell Religion Spirituality eBooks Reviews

Great Christian fiction novels are few and far between. There are a lot of novels marketed as Christian, but to me, for it to be truly Christian fiction, then God is a main character, not a bit character. And if the main characters of the novel are Christian, I don't expect them to be perfect by any means. Not of us are. But, I do expect them to act in godly ways. So, many times in most "Christian fiction" novels, the characters lie, deceive, even use profanity, and act like it's acceptible, or they make excuses for it.
But, the characters that Lawana Blackwell brings to life are different. They are very human, and sometimes, one of the characters does willfully sin. But, instead of making excuses or trying to justify the sin, they end up regretting it, carry the guilt of it, and eventually make confession of it, asking for forgiveness. This is more like the true Christians I know and want to be like - not perfect, but honest when we do mess up, not making excuses or justifications. I also love the way the main characters seek God, admit when they haven't like they should have, and look to God for guidance and get it - that check in our hearts or confirmations that He gives us when we feel led by Him to act. This is true to life to me - these are the kind of people I go to church with.
This novel made me laugh, made me cry, and pricked at my heart. I cannot express how delighted I am to have found this author. I look forward to delving into more of her work.
While I wouldn't describe the story as suspenseful, it clipped along at an interest-maintaining pace. Blackwell was faithful to the time period. At any moment I expected a shift so that an issue or conflict would be resolved in a way most appealing to modern sensibilities, which would have annoyed me, but not so. Yet while the resolutions were realistic to the setting, they were nonetheless satisfying. The characters were very believable and thoroughly likable. I wanted to follow their lives. I was invested in them.

The spiritual or religious references were plenty and blatant, but the story didn't feel at all preachy to me. I think anyone, no matter how non-religious they may be, who enjoys the classics and is not turned off by the religious references in them will find those in this book in keeping. For those who are seeking stories that do not stray out of a certain set of moral standards, this is a book for you, especially if you are also wanting a little romance and a window into village life in Victorian England.

I find very few novels written in the last 100 years to be worth the time it takes to read them. I looked forward to every moment I could spend reading this one. It does not have the wit of a book by Austen, the intensity of a Hardy novel, the quirkiness of Dickens, or the poignancy of George Eliot, but I would put it on the same shelf in my library.
"The Widow of Larkspur Inn", #1 in the "Gresham Chronicles" series by Lawana Blackwell, is a historical Christian fiction with a touch of romance. It opens in London in 1869 during the Victorian period, which is well past the Regency period that I usually read.

Though the book opens in London, very little of the story is spent there. Julia Hollis, a well-to-do doctor's wife, has recently become a widow. After her husband passes away, Julia is told that he was a gambler and that pretty much everything needs to be sold... including her London home. Julia learns that she owns a property the bank deems as worthless an old coaching inn in the small town of Gresham, which has been abandoned for the past eight years. She and her three children Philip, Aleda, and Grace move there, and Julia hopes to gain enough income to live on by making it into a boarding house.

I purchased this book because I thought it would be a romance. I actually would not consider it as such. There are three romances in the story, but each comprises only a very small portion of the 400+ pages. That said, I think the book itself is beautifully and excellently written. I consider this to be a wonderful slice-of-life kind of story.

What I like

*The Christian aspect of it is very well done, in my opinion. I like how it shows Julia making brief prayers throughout her days. Later on in the book, it does become a bit more preachy, but it's in the context of a vicar helping a struggling believer.

*I loved the cast of varied and realistic characters.

What I didn't like

*It's fine for a story to be a fiction rather than a romance. Some people definitely prefer that. But I still feel that one of the romances really needed to be given more time.

*I liked the story but feel that it needs a little more to keep the reader's interest. I like slow-paced stories, but I struggled with momentum a bit on this one. It took me almost two months to finish it.

This is a high quality Christian historical fiction. It's very clean and from that respect, it's appropriate for any age. I will try another Lawana Blackwell book before deciding whether she's one of "my authors."