After All These Years

"After All these years" by Sally John is written for Christian's with the hopes they are affected by it (in my opinion). It contains a lot of already Christian characters and language. I think a non-Christian reader would have a hard time identifying with this book, but I really like that about this book because it's hard sometimes to relate to fiction books when it's aimed at only non-Christians, kwim? I like to think these people could be anybody in my circle of friends. I love that Sally places her characters in "anybody's town" .. they could be your neighbors. This book is meant for women like me! In the past I haven't been a big fan of contemporary romance, but it's growing on me. Sally definitely makes me want to read more, and I'll be looking up her books in the future for sure! I read it in less than 24 hours as well.. couldn't put it down! What is "After All These Years" about? There are two leading ladies in this book. Isabel who was doing just fine until her ex boyfriend shows up and tries to uproot her "Christian" values while doing a local interview. Has she really forgiven him for the past? And can she tell him the secret she's kept all these years? Lia on the other hand is in Valley Oaks to start new with her niece and escape some of the pains of her old life, but she finds that she can't run from somethings -- love included. ---------------------------- I will mention this book is very somber... or at least it was to me. There were a few funny parts, but definitely a heavy read with a lot of information to process. I'm not always in the mood for these books, but it definitely had a heartfelt and yearning notion in this book that drew me right in! If you're looking for something you can curl up and cry with, this is a great book! "After All These Years" is a good learning tool. I love that I can pick up this book and learn a few things about my own Christianity and how issues are handled. The message of forgiveness is a hard one for us to grasp sometimes and yet Sally makes it very clear through out her book that we need to be doing this. She pulls out the characters past heartaches and how they've handled forgiveness and how it challenges their faith. I found myself feeling the anguish the characters faced as my own past issues surface over forgiveness and appreciated how she showed a realistic portrayal of how her characters handled it. I like that the characters relied a lot on prayer and that they worked through the issues. It gives me encouragement and peace that i"m not alone!

I didn't realize the author made this a series and this was a very good sequel to continue the story.