Scent of Lilacs: new Christian fiction by Ann Gabhart

    After the summer of 1964, life for Jocie Brooke will never be the same.

    Life-changing events rarely happen in quiet Hollyhill, Kentucky, and when they do, they are few and far between. But for young Jocie Brooke and her family, they happen all at once during the humid summer of 1964. Though on the surface, things are just fine, it seems like everyone in Jocie’s life has something they’re not saying, something they’re hiding from her - and from themselves. As Jocie digs into her family’s past, she stirs up a whirlwind of discoveries. Will she find the answers everyone so desperately needs? Or will her questions lead to truths better left hidden?

Joy In Our Journey's review:

    My friend, Jan, read and wrote the review for this book today.  Here's what she had to say about Scent of Lilacs:

    This book was so good that I read it in one day.  (At this stage of my life, I do not have children to take care, of just a husband!) 

    How did I feel about the new book Scent of Lilacs by Ann H. Gabhart? 

    Very simply, I just loved it! 

    Why?

    I remember the time period, and Ms. Gabhart hit it just right.  The setting was the perfect place for the story, and the characters fit right into the time and place.  I appreciated the soft, gentle way she portrayed each character and the problems each faced.

    Josie, as a thirteen year old girl on the brink of "growing up," was true to the time period.  She was innocent in a way that fifty years later seems almost too hard to believe.  Josie has two prayers:  first, that her sister will come home, and second, she would like a dog.  How God answers her prayers is a miracle. 

    David, Josie's father, feels that God has called him to be a pastor, but he is struggling with the fact that his wife left him and subsequently divorced him.  What congregation would want a divorced pastor? 

    Oh yes, the book also has a character named Wes, who is Josie's best friend.  He is, strangely enough, from Jupiter.  Seems that his space ship left him on earth by accident!

    Aunt Love cares for Josie and her father, but she is not quite as quick as she used to be, and often has some real disasters.  Aunt Love also seems to have a deep seated problem or hurt that is bothering her.  How can Josie help?

    How God works a miracle in the middle of a tornado to heal this family is a satisfactory ending to this well written book.  Remember Scent of Lilacs by Ann H. Gabhart.

Author Ann Gabhart

    I started writing when I was ten and have been writing ever since. I've now published twenty novels for adults and young adults.

     I'm married to Darrell Gabhart. We got married when we were both very young, but we defied the odds and are still married all these years later. Maybe because we went to church together and were committed to the Christian life. We have three children, Johnson, Tarasa, and Daniel, who are all grown and married and they've given us nine wonderful grandchildren.

    I've been going to the same small country church since I was seventeen, and I used my memories of how it used to be in Scent of Lilacs.

     I like walking in the fields and woods, finding wildflowers and spotting birds and wildlife while trying to keep in shape. I'm crazy about dogs, with three of my own and several neighbor dogs who like to hang out in my yard or take walks with me.

    Scent of Lilacs is available March 2013 at your favorite bookseller ~ from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

    I received one copy of Scent of Lilacs from Revell in exchange for Joy In Our Journey's opinion and thoughts in this review.  No other compensation was provided. 

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