Book Review - It is Well: A Novel by James D. Shipman by L. A. Keller
I'm not sure what motivated me to select this book which is not a mystery but rather a story about a family in a small Washington State town during World War II.
We meet Jonathan Bleecher, who has just buried his wife after a two year battle with cancer, his daughter Mary and sons Matthew and Luke. Jonathan is a very religious man who runs a small hardware store and has lived his life by a strict standard of behavior.
His son Matthew heads off to work for a civilian contractor in the south Pacific and shortly thereafter Luke, a popular but lazy young man, joins the army. The story jumps between the father and two son's perspective from chapter to chapter. There are some disturbing war scenes and much sadness in their lives. It deals with their fears, insecurities and commitment to God and country.
There were moments when I wanted to throw the book across the room in frustration with their behavior - how long does it take someone to learn life's lessons? Without giving away too much I will say this novel does not have all happy endings. In fact, there were a few places where I wished it had ended differently. Despite that, the reality of the time dictates following more closely with the truth of how hard times were.
There were only a few short passages where I felt the story did not progress well. Otherwise, the pacing was good and the characters believable. I would recommend this book when you want to read something different.
Happy Trails,
Leslie
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We meet Jonathan Bleecher, who has just buried his wife after a two year battle with cancer, his daughter Mary and sons Matthew and Luke. Jonathan is a very religious man who runs a small hardware store and has lived his life by a strict standard of behavior.
His son Matthew heads off to work for a civilian contractor in the south Pacific and shortly thereafter Luke, a popular but lazy young man, joins the army. The story jumps between the father and two son's perspective from chapter to chapter. There are some disturbing war scenes and much sadness in their lives. It deals with their fears, insecurities and commitment to God and country.
There were moments when I wanted to throw the book across the room in frustration with their behavior - how long does it take someone to learn life's lessons? Without giving away too much I will say this novel does not have all happy endings. In fact, there were a few places where I wished it had ended differently. Despite that, the reality of the time dictates following more closely with the truth of how hard times were.
There were only a few short passages where I felt the story did not progress well. Otherwise, the pacing was good and the characters believable. I would recommend this book when you want to read something different.
Happy Trails,
Leslie
Visit my website
Twitter Instagram Facebook Menu for Murder Cocktails at Sunset
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