Always Jan

This book inspired me to look into my own heart and realize there was a message I needed to hear. All of Roxanne's books are truly wonderful and i can promise you will not be disappointed if you take the time to read them.

We plan and God answers with a nudge, reminding us that He is in charge. That He knows what is best for us and that it is so much more than we ever imagined it could be. In Always Jan, Roxanne Henke welcomes us to Brewster, North Dakota, the kind of town where most people would love to live and raise a family. It's a place where people know your name and reach out to help each other. It's where folks gather at the restaurant or gas station to gossip and commiserate with each other. It's a place, like most others, only smaller, where the inhabitants have hopes and dreams, love their friends, family and neighbors and share the sadness of broken dreams and deep hurts. It's also a place where God lives. Jan believes she is "getting old" and losing her beauty. Kenny owns the local gas station but there isn't enough money for his growing family. Ida, Kenny's aunt, values independence, health and a vital future. Each character experiences a "challenge" that they didn't expect and didn't want. Henke weaves each character's life dilemma through the lives of the others in a seamless manner. Jan, Kenny and Ida are each broken, in their own way, and each must learn through their personal trials that God's plan is the best plan. There was a time when I didn't enjoy Christian fiction because it wasn't real life. It seemed that life in Christian fiction was always "happy ever after," if only we believed. Real life isn't always perfect, even when we trust and believe. Roxanne Henke's novel Always Jan approaches life in a "real" way: real people, with real problems, who struggle to live their faith. I smiled, I squeezed the tears threatening to break free and I kept reading. I didn't want the story to end because I felt I knew these people and I liked them, "warts" and all. I can't wait to read her other novels. If you haven't read Roxanne Henke's novels, please do so and "Welcome to Brewster...it's a good place to call home."

Always Jan really got to me. I have enjoyed every book Roxanne Henke has written, even learning something while I experienced a terrific, page-turning read. But this one hit home in a special way. Maybe it is because of my age - and the book is about aging; maybe it is because of a close relative's life which rather parallels Ida's in the story. I'm not sure. But I found this book to be so much more than just a wonderful read. The story is told in multiple, first person, points of view - a style that well suits Henke's clear, concise writing. Jan: the beauty who is fearful of aging, Kenny: the sports-playing dad who wants to replay those high school days, and Ida: Kenny's elderly Aunt who struggles to live alone as her health declines and loneliness threatens to overcome. Roxanne weaves these three lives together in a beautiful tale that grabs your heart and won't let go until the last line. I absolutely loved it! And recommend this wonderful book to every person who likes to read the best in inspirational lit.

This book beautifully shares the truth that "getting older will be, and is, a joy as long as you do it with the Lord at your side!"

Having read all of Roxanne's books, I looked forward to this one and was not disappointed. Roxy has a way of making you see her characters as the person living next door or down the street. Hopefully you have all had an "Ida Bauer" in your life--or will be an Ida Bauer to someone else. One of the most profound messages was given by one of the lesser characters (I won't go into it because it would give you too much of the storyline) so you can see Roxy develops her characters well. Lessons on aging, on friendship, on unconditional love, on giving someone a chance, on "glory days"...very well done! I'm a librarian in a small town and can't keep the other books in the series on the shelf!