With Endless Sight

I won this in a giveaway, and although historical fiction is not my genre of choice, I loved this book from the first sentence: "I wasn't asleep--wasn't even pretending to be--when my cousin Phoebe slipped into my room." So many thoughts come to mind with that sentence. What time is it? It must be night because the speaker is supposed to be asleep. Why is Phoebe slipping into a room when someone is sleeping? What's she up to? Why isn't the speaker asleep? Why doesn't she even pretend? What happens next? Allison K. Pittman can write! With the compelling plot, the main character so realistic that I felt as if I've had conversations with her, the twists and turns surprising me over and over again, all add up to make this ONE GOOD READ!

Belinda, the main character of "With Endless Sight", is different from the heroines of the previous books in the "Crossroads of Grace" series in two big ways: she is a woman who relies on God from the beginning the end of the story, and although she calls Jewell's brothel home for a while, she is never a prostitute. It may sound like her story makes for a fairly unexciting end to a sensational series, but that's entirely untrue. I won't ruin the plot for you by telling you WHY her story is exciting, you'll just have to read it yourself. But I will say that Pittman's third novel shows how God can bring someone through the most horrific events and still have their best interest at heart. Through everything that Belinda endures, God is still guiding her steps, and she needs only to believe that in order to make it through. What I love about her character is that she still has times of doubt, and times when she feels further from God than she wants to, just like we all do. She has the hope and strength of God's provision... without being so goody-two-shoes that it's impossible to read, as is often the case in Christian fiction. There are times in the novel where you may find yourself thinking that nothing of consequence has happened for the last thirty pages, when will she get to the meat of the story?... and yet, this novel is still so entirely riveting that you will not be able stop reading page after page until there is no more left to read! My favorite of the series is still the second book, Sadie's story, titled "Speak Through the Wind", and I loved seeing more of her in this novel. Even though the previous book ended Sadie's journey in a fairly satisfying way, I still hoped that Belinda's story would give a little more insight into the rest of Sadie's "happy ending". It was interesting to view Gloria from Belinda's eyes as well, and I had to keep reminding myself that Belinda knew Gloria before she had seen God's grace. It was also nice to finally "meet" Belinda after reading about her fresh-faced innocence in the previous two books; I thought it was a wonderful illustration of how no matter how perfect someone may appear to be, everyone has burdens from their past to bear, and EVERYONE needs God's forgiveness. I love the way that Pittman used three entirely different women with completely different pasts and paths, and drew them together to tell three different tales that still have a beautiful sense of cohesion. I sincerely wish that this wasn't the final book in the series, as the jacket suggests - I wish Ms. Pittman would tells us Mae's story, too! Overall, "With Endless Sight" is a wonderful conclusion to the series, which I wholly enjoyed. I highly recommend the entire series! Grade: A-

Belinda was born into wealth. Then, her Bohemian-like father decided to try out the new frontier. They head to Oregon against her mother's wishes. This trip leaves Belinda to trust only in God and to seek his redemption and love. With only His grace, she survives the horrible trials of the trip. Pittman has a rare talent for painting the setting with such detail that you feel as if you are with the characters. This will be a delightful read for anyone who loves Christian fiction and history.

With Endless Sight by Allison Pittman is the third and final book in the Crossroads of Grace series. 14 year old Belinda has set out for Oregon from her comfortable home in Illinois with her mother, father, older brother, and cousin Phoebe. They've left behind a life of luxury to start anew in 1861 to leave behind the new war and enjoy life in an undiscovered country. But tragedy strikes leaving Belinda to rely on nothing but her faith, and she has to begin her life again and again. Poor Belinda! This young girl is taken from her familiar home, then loses her family, then her only friend, then security. One by one each of her anchors are taken from her until all she has left is God. I fell in love with Belinda and her pluck. Confronted by a murderer, she shares her faith and changes a life. She manages to change those around her just by living her simple, trusting faith. By the end of the book, she's learned some hard lessons and lived through more than most adults ever will, but her faith is unshaken. I wasn't ready for the series to end: what's going to happen to Chester? What about Sadie? Pittman has a fresh voice filled with faith and truth and a great deal of promise.

In 1861, fourteen years old Belinda and her family leave Illinois with high hopes of starting anew in the Oregon Territory as her father wants them all to grow without having something handed to them like the ironworks shop he inherited. However, the journey, which started somewhat luxurious, proves dangerous in the Rockies. Belinda is hurt, but survives although she knows she will never be the same as her faith in God has been battered almost as much as her body and mind when she becomes a prisoner of Laurent the killer. She shows her belief in the Lord when she forgives him. As her spirit and beliefs return stronger than ever, eventually she makes it to a brothel in South Pass City, Wyoming Territory; where her faith in God is totally restored as these peddlers of the flesh renew her soul. The third Crossroads of Grace Americana tale (see TEN THOUSAND CHARMS and SPEAK THROUGH THE WIND) is an exhilarating inspirational thriller in which the heroine for a short time is a nineteenth century female Job as everything goes wrong ; though that occurs almost halfway into the plot. Readers will enjoy one year in the life of Belinda who WITH ENDLESS SIGHT seems much more mature in her dealing with men (except for her daddy) like her estrangement with her older brother Chester, her attraction to Del, forgiving the killer Laurent, and Buck who she hoped would make her feel like a woman. Harriet Klausner