Home Sweet Simple Home
Homestead Type Book Review
I was able to sneak in an hour by myself at the library on Saturday and found a wonderful new series to bury my nose in. The Wortham Family Series by Leisha Kelly. I am a few chapters away from finishing the first book: Julia's Hope and am eager to dive into the next (Emma's Gift) and continue the story.
Last summer I enjoyed reading Karen Andreola's book, Pocketful of Pinecones, not just for the homeschool story but the setting and such. The book was set in the mid-1930s during the Depression. I loved the background storyline of a life of not just "making do" with what you had but finding joy in it. I loved how people reached out and helped each other- meeting each other's needs. When I finished Pocketful I couldn't help but wish the story continued.
Here's what Christain Book has to say about Julia's Hope: "By 1931, the Worthams had lost everything---Samuel's job, Julia's inheritance, and their home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Pursuing an empty promise of employment, they trudge off to Mt. Vernon, Illinois, but a violent summer storm and an abandoned farmhouse change their course. Has God provided a new home for a desperate family . . . and a new family for an elderly stranger?"
That blurb just doesn't seem to do the story justice. Yes, they end up in an abandoned farmhouse but more than that they end up finding the lovely older woman who owns the farmhouse and take her back to live there and work the farm with her. Though circumstances are less than ideal and many people think the Worthams are taking advantage of the dear old woman and want to drive them out of town, God provides again and again for the family. Emma, the dear older woman, showcases such an extraordinary gracious giving attitude. The story weaves in the desperate times they lived in but more than that it shows how they lived and farmed with much less than we have today.
The story isn't all tied up with a pretty bow at the end which, I feel, makes it more realistic. Sure I'd like the fairy tale ending of everyone realizing that the Worthams are wonderful, loving, God-fearing people and then they all apologize for treating them so horrid- but I know life doesn't happen like that. So, it is more realistic to see them continue to struggle with people's perceptions as well as their struggle to survive daily living with no money and no job prospects.
I loved reading how they found the house and made it a home. How Julia gleans weeds and greens and herbs and prepares meals. How God provided again and again.
This book is truly a lovely read. Each chapter is assigned a character in the story (Julia, her husband Sam, and Emma) who tells part of the tale from their perspective. At first this threw me but I quickly caught on and quite enjoyed getting the first-person perspective from the 3 main characters; it added so much more to the story- a deeper connection to these 3 main characters.
I look forward to reading the 2nd and 3rd books in this series and then the series that follows it, The Country Road Chronicles.
And so, bottom line- if you enjoy a homestead story with "a time for planting and a time for harvesting" and a great mixing of God's provision added for good measure, then check out this book/series.
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