The Promise of the Willows

I was beginning to think there was no such thing as a good Christian romance novel until I read this book, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The novel is well-written with an interesting plot; in 1898 a struggling family moves from San Francisco to become farmers in the Salinas Valley. Once in the valley, they continue to struggle as they deal with drought. I thought the setting and the author's description of both San Francisco and the Salinas Valley were wonderful. Since I spent the first half of my childhood near where the novel took place, it was almost like a trip down memory lane. The characters are well-developed and believable, especially the heroine Carrie. She is a good person who works hard but still has some realistic human flaws. She is a pessimist and irritated by her father's unfulfilled dreams, and she continues to be irritated as a local farmhand, Matt, seems to share in her father's dreams. This novel is a beautiful story of personal spiritual growth, which the author manages to convey without being overly preachy. I appreciated this novel and thought it was very nicely done.

The writing was easy to follow and interesting. I thought it was a quick and enjoyable read and I would recommend it.