Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Fiction

A different kind of historical fiction: Review of All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner

There’s a “famous” quote in Christendom by ancient mystic Julian of Norwich, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” I love this quote, and it’s where this book by Susie Finkbeiner gets its title and theme, but that’s not what drew me to the book. To be honest, I didn’t make the connection right away. 

I first heard about All Manner of Things because of social media. The author is a friend of a writing friend (and now that we’ve met in person at a writing retreat, I consider her my friend, too!) so I’ve been following her on socials for a few months, and this, her latest book, came up as a review possibility through her publisher’s blogging program. I said yes to a digital review copy without really knowing anything about the book.

Let me fill you in:

Annie is an 18-year-old living with her mom and brothers in Michigan in 1967. Her father, a veteran of the Korean Conflict, left the family years ago and they haven’t heard from him since, and Annie’s older brother Mike, is about to enlist in the Army during the Vietnam War. There’s the chance for family reunification as Mike discovers their father’s address.

If that plot sounds simple, it is. But it’s also not. I’ll try to explain.

First, I can’t remember ever reading a historical set in this time period. It feels weird to call it historical because the events happened only a decade before I was born, but I liked reading something set in a time period that wasn’t early 20th century or late 19th century, even though I enjoy stories set in those time periods as well. I’d love to hear from someone who lived through the late 1960s if the story is well-represented. (I trust the author so I suspect that it is.)

Second, it doesn’t feel like a lot happens during the story, but don’t take that to mean it’s boring. Far from it. The war is always looming in the background of the everyday back-at-home events. All Manner of Things is, to me, a beautiful illustration of what it’s like for families with loved ones serving in a combat zone. Life at home doesn’t stop, but it’s always shadowed by thoughts of war. The story doesn’t drag. It moves at a comfortable pace and reflects what I assume were the ordinary goings on of a teenager’s life in the 1960s.

I’m already a fan of the author as a person and now I’m a fan of her writing as well. I can’t wait to read more of her stories!

This one moved me to tears and left me lifted with hope at the same time.

I’d encourage you to give this one a read.

Disclosures: I received a free digital copy of the book from the publisher. Review reflects my honest opinion. And this post contains affiliate links, which simply means if you click the link and make a qualifying purchase, I receive a small percentage of the purchase which costs you nothing extra and helps support my writing.

Saved the best for last: Review of Searching For You by Jody Hedlund

I’m usually sad to see a book series end, and in the case of Jody Hedlund’s Orphan Train series, I’m especially sad because she saved the best for last.

You can read my reviews of the first two books in the series here and here, and if you haven’t read them, I’ll try not to spoil too much for you with my take on this third and final story. Each book tells the story of one of three sisters who have had to make hard choices about their life and future in order to survive, and for all of them, the choices ultimately led them to board an orphan train heading west from New York to rural towns in Illinois.

Maybe you can already tell why I’ve liked this series. (It’s Illinois, in case you’re wondering.)

Searching For You tells the story of Sophie Neumann, the youngest of the three sisters and the one who has been on the run and missing from her sisters’ care. She has been caring for two young children, themselves orphans, and doing whatever it takes to keep them all alive and fed. When her current living situation becomes too dangerous, she is forced to board an orphan train with the two children and head west. Sophie plans to disappear with the kids in Chicago but that plan doesn’t work out and the three of them land in a rural Illinois town where the two younger children are taken in by a family and Sophie goes to live and work on a farm with a Scottish family who embrace her as one of their own.

And it’s here that Sophie is reunited with her one-time neighbor Reinhold Weiss. While she learns more about farm life and hears about her sisters’ lives since they separated, Sophie enlists Reinhold’s help to get the two children she’d been mothering back into her care.

That’s all I’m going to say about the plot, specifically, but here are some of the things I loved.

  • The way Sophie settles in to rural life and finds belonging. She blossoms with stability and learns to stop running from her problems.
  • The family of Scots, who are a delightful addition to this community. The mother, Euphemia, is full of grace and wisdom, including this gem: “When we’re finally willing to let go of the messes we’ve made, the good Lord can step in and salvage the scraps.”
  • And I’m especially fond of stories where a romance blooms out of a friendship because it mirrors my own love story. (This is not a spoiler, exactly, because Jody Hedlund writes historical fiction chock full of inspirational romance.)

I’m a big fan of Jody Hedlund books, so I won’t spend another blog post gushing about how I drop everything to read one of her books and let everything else in my life go until I finish it. (This is the highest compliment I can give to any author.)

If you are into historical romance, I would recommend anything by this author. If you don’t want to start with this series, I can point you in a good direction for where to start.

Disclosure: I read an advance copy of the book from the publisher. Review reflects my honest opinion.