The book was predictable, and yet, somewhat delightful. If you need something easy to read and are seeking romance, this book hits both boxes. I wasn't so absorbed that I read it in one sitting, but it only took a few days. It would make a quick beach read. I think The Littlest Library is still my favorite from this author.
Powerful! That is the word that resonated in my brain and on my lips when I left the theater. I haven't seen a movie like it in many years. Sometimes, Christian movies suffer from poor acting and weak scripts. Not so with A Great Awakening! The movie sucked me into the historical context. George Whitefield was born in the early 1700s and worked in his family's inn. Thanks to someone's referral, he ended up attending Oxford as a servant/student (working to earn his keep and study). His great goal was to become an actor on a Shakespearean stage. However, when he came into contact with the Wesley brothers (Charles and John), his life and dreams changed.
He became a preacher with tremendous impact and crossed the seas to reach souls in America. His elocutionary skills aided him in reaching tens of thousands of people at one time. Benjamin Franklin was not a believer, but rather a practical deist intent upon rational thought and moralistic living of virtues. Yet, his interest in capturing Whitefield's story, led Franklin into relationship with this preacher. This movie is a faithful portrayal of history. But, more than that, it is a convicting story of the gospel.
At several points, I cried over the beauty of this sound gospel testimony. I loved that it presents Christ as key. Indeed, Whitefield often said something to the effect of "let my name be nothing and Christ's be exalted." Early in his story, he attempted to align his will to the will of God. Wesley argued Whitefield wasn't seeing the gospel clearly. What he truly needed was new birth and recognition of God's undeserved grace. Salvation brings a new birth, something that is tangibly demonstrated in God's Biblically mandated baptism. I cried at Whitefield's baptism. I cried when he baptised the filthy workers in a coal mine (such a powerful image of the filth of sin being washed away through the blood of Christ).
This was a great man of God! Yet, his humility was stunning. He did not want to draw attention to himself, but put all focus on Christ. When he was shunned from the pulpits, he took to the streets to awaken dead souls to life in Christ. He probably won many thousands into the kingdom of God. So convicting! What have I done? I want to be more effective in wooing others to the Lord, in calling out sin and declaring the grace that saves men's souls from damnation and transfers them (Christ's righteousness applied and the Holy Spirit given as a seal of inheritance) into God's family where no man can snatch them from His hold (John 10:27-29).
If you only go to see one movie this year, make it A Great Awakening (although for many theaters, TODAY is the last day it will be showing)! If you are a believer, it will stokes fires within you to reach the lost. If you are not a believer, perhaps George Whitefield's message from the grave will bring you from death to life in Christ. Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, God will meet you in this movie! And if all you take from it is a history lesson, even still the time will be well spent. For me, I cannot wait to see this movie again and hope to take my husband along before it leaves our area (it appears to be showing through next Thursday in towns further away). If you see the movie, please leave a comment letting me know if it impacted you as strongly as it did me. Would that my life witnessed for Christ one-tenth of the magnitude of George Whitefield's flame!
The author highlights eight women in the Bible with characteristics to emulate. I mentioned, at the end of this post, that my verse this year was drawn from Ford's first chapter on Anna (the watchful heart). I hope to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. I hope to watch, as Anna did, for our Redeemer's return. Other types of hearts are mentioned, too: a tenacious heart, a searching heart, a valiant heart, a daring heart, a liberated heart, and a sacrificial heart.
It was no coincidence that I read the fifth chapter, exploring Esther, during the weeks my Bible Study Fellowship class was focused on Esther. Then, the final chapter on the woman at the well (the good-news heart), seemed something the Lord wanted to drive home to me. While I read that chapter, I heard two different sermons from two different churches and both considered the woman at the well. Then, I saw a Facebook post highlighting this woman's example. In the end, I decided God was trying to remind me to draw from His living water, rather than coming up empty with my own resources in my daily battles. He was also encouraging me to spread the good news as she did. I love when God repeats the lesson until He drives it home. I also love that books fall into our hands at specific moments of need. Isn't that the coolest!
Almost a year ago, I discovered and joined a Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. It was not only fun, but also introduced me to a host of new-to-me authors. I signed on for several author newsletters and that is how I first came to know about Joanna Davidson Politano's books. I borrowed The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House from my library. Sadly, my stack of current reads kept me from it and other readers in the hold line were eager for their turn. When she mentioned a launch team for The Life She Forgot in her newsletter, I jumped at the chance.
The Life She Forgot is an Edwardian dual-timeline historical mystery set on the Cornish coast. It is the first book in Politano's House on the Edge of the Cliff series. You can pre-order the Kindle version and it will be auto-delivered on April 21, 2026.
It is 1913 and Merryn cannot remember who she is or where she is from. Three years ago, Lady St. Laurent took her in, grateful that Merryn saved her 7-year-old grandson Cecil from being hit by a car (the act that brought on her amnesia). At Lady St. Laurent's death, her will stipulates that Merryn will receive a small fortune and guardianship of the boy. However, Lady St. Laurent's daughter Sabine will receive the house. Sabine feels cheated and is determined to have Merryn declared unfit and sent to an asylum.
Merryn's only hope seems to be in proposing marriage to the young man she met at the park three weeks ago, A.J. Winthrop. She doesn't know herself, let alone anything about this young man, but she is desperate to retrieve her memory and prove her ability to care for Cecil. Can she trust A.J.? Will he help her restore her memories? Then, memories of another man and another wedding begin to surface. She hopes a trip to Cornwall will bring clarity, but she is being followed and time is running out.
In 1947, William Thatcher is plagued by memories of the war. He leaves his wife behind (thinking it is in her best interest) when he inherits Dunn Cottage on the Cornish coast. He doesn't even know Anwen Dunn. Why would she leave him the cottage? He is drawn to a painting of a woman and determined to find out the story and value of the portrait. Can he prove its provenance and secure enough funds to send back to his wife? Why does he think she'd be better off without him?
Although there are several storylines and characters to keep track of, the two timelines interweave, even to the point of sharing ending and beginning lines in chapters. I enjoyed so many things about this novel. On the one hand, memories can plague a person. On the other hand, losing memory is like losing the essence of yourself. Multiple questions lure the reader and ramp up the plot repeatedly. Merryn is in a race against time to retrieve her memory so she can save herself and Cecil.
This book considers identity, parenting, greed, and marriage. Both William and Merryn have made mistakes in the past that haunt them in the present. Both struggle with their marriages. I loved the line, "Marriage is the Russian Roulette of humanity--deposit yourself firmly in the arms of another and hope they deign to catch you every day of your life." We all enter marriages unaware of what the future holds. Sometimes we wound one another. Sometimes we save one another. If you're looking for a Christian historical novel full of intrigue in a beautiful coastal setting, The Life She Forgot, will woo you and win you.
Diana Gruver has written a book that is highly important and a must-read if you're a Christian battling clinical depression. Companions in the Darkness: Seven Saints Who Struggled with Depression and Doubt yells with a megaphone, "You are not alone! You are not useless!" Diana Gruver outlines the lives and strategies of seven key figures like Charles Spurgeon, Martin Luther, and Mother Teresa. Many of the seminal hymns we sing were written by individuals familiar with this battle. It is possible to face doubt and despair in the midst of strong faith in God.
Indeed, I can see Gruver writing a follow-up book with the same message, focusing on greats of the Bible. There is a place for lament (Lamentations, David's psalms of lament). Prophets expressed depths of despair to the point of no longer wanting to live. Moses, in Numbers 11:15, declared to God, "I'd rather you kill me!" Job was perfect and upright. He feared God and eschewed evil. He was considered such a threat that Satan was determined to break him. In the midst of his physical, emotional, and spiritual battle, Job wished his life would end (Chapters 3, 7, 10). Can you see a self-righteous Christian today saying to Ezekiel, "Stop being self-indulgent! Gain some spiritual maturity, will you? You're looking at your circumstances and lacking in your faith. Your doubt is sin."
From Martin Luther's life, the reader learns the spiritual lesson of looking to the wounds of Christ. (Indeed, too many Christians seem to forget that Christ himself was despairing to the point of sweating drops of blood. Should the disciples have chastized him with, "Get your eyes off yourself?") If Christ bore wounds and the intense separation from the Father to atone for our sin debt, we can look to those wounds to help us endure the abyss. Luther also advised others to flee solitude and chase the smallest glimmers of joy that can be found.
From Hannah Allen's life we learn the imporance of journaling. This reminds us how God has intervened in the past. It also helps us recall the truths of the faith. Hannah's life encourages us to change our surroundings, as this sometimes helps. Sometimes, like David Brainerd, you must "choose to go, rather than stay." Forcing yourself to do what feels impossible, the next thing, moves you closer to healing. With Brainerd, may we say, "May every breath bring God glory and leave a legacy of faithful weakness."
The great hymn-writer William Cooper was incapacitated by depression and felt himself "on the rack." He, too, encourages us to seek a change of scenery and keep busy. His story reminds us to exercise, get outdoors, and be merry by force. Another great lesson I learn from Cooper's story is to "cling to the people God has brought into your life."
What a testimony Charles Spurgeon's life was. Gruver writes, "He also would not tolerate the accusation that good Christians do not get depressed. 'God's people sometimes walk in darkness and see no light.'" He was incredibly useful in spite of suffering physical pain and mental anguish. He preached thousands of sermons and sent countless letters. He was a wounded healer. I love that Gruver emphasized Isaiah 48:10, "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." At the end of this section, Gruver shared a letter she received in the midst of a dark spell. Her friend wrote these powerful words,"You are brave! You stand in the dark, whispering truth to yourself!"
In the section on Mother Teresa, Gruver comments on why depressed individuals often cannot take in the well-meaning reminder that God is close to the brokenhearted. She says, "That truth doesn't resonate in our icy hearts... prayer is different in the dark. It is filled with pain and longing." Mother Teresa walked with an unseen limp, a spiritual burden of feeling like God was absent. Yet, we must be obedient even in the limping, because like Gruver says, "He created you... with a beautiful way only you can image Him to the world." What a great reminder!
Finally, Gruver highlights Martin Luther King, Jr. He did not speak of his depression and did not seek any treatment, but those close to him recognized his despair and anguish. He battled sleeplessness. Exhaustion often exacerbates depression. He tapped four reservoirs: 1) the reservoir of resilience (press ahead regardless of opposition); 2) the reservoir of humor (laughter is a coping mechanism that keeps the demons at bay); 3) the reservoir of song (spirituals and songs like "Joshua Fit the Battle" inspired hope); and 4) the reservoir of spirituality (cosmic companionship - he said, "God's companionship does not stop at the cell door; God is your cell mate.").
Don't think this book is not for you if you've never battled depression. Chances are great that you know or have met someone who has. In the first appendix, Gruver offers ten useful steps to take when helping a friend/loved one who is depressed. In the second appendix, she provides brief biographies of each of the seven key figures. I probably took notes more intensely than usual. I need to return to these reminders and strategies when my own clinical depression pulls me under. Indeed, I may return to this book when life hits extra hard and, in spite of sound faith, my emotions and feelings threaten to overwhelm. It is a treasure chest of encouragement.
Sloane Madison has had a troubled upbringing. One bright spot is her deceased sister's daughter, Ivy. When Ivy's adoptive parents go away for a house-swap trip, they leave Ivy in Sloane's charge and put them up in the guest house on a wealthy property. It seems like a horrid trick when Sloane discovers the owner of the property is none other than her former business partner, Max Cirillo. Max wants closure but Sloane wants nothing to do with him. His lack of concern and spiteful retaliation in the past require forgiveness Sloane cannot muster.
Forgiveness is a key theme in this book. From neglect to misunderstandings to adulterous mistresses, there's lots of forgiveness fodder. Ivy has her own sub-plot as she searches for her biological father and discovers an unexpected wrinkle in her adoption story. I loved Ivy and her rats. I even liked Sloane, in spite of her constant bristle with Max. Max was physically swoony, but I struggled to feel as drawn to him as the others.
Each character comes with baggage and that baggage is steadily unpacked throughout the story. I loved the concept of giving to others what you need for yourself. So Sloane is learning to seek to meet the needs in others that she wishes her family had met for her in her childhood. Although I was unable to make the Zoom call interview with the author, I did watch it at a later point in time. My favorite part of that interview was when Becky articulated the truth that everyone experiences a novel differently because we come at the story with different histories, perspectives, and needs. I think this is also why you can read a novel at one point and then later, in reading again, experience it in a whole different way. If you are interested in watching that interview (including reader questions), click here.
I will happily try another Becky Wade book at some point, but I've too many books on my stack to seek the first and second in this trilogy. Indeed, before I even read this book, I had taken this screen shot of the author's declaration that all of her books are written without AI. In this day and age, that's a promise I want to bank on in books I read.
