Book Review: A Kingsbury Collection by Karen Kingsbury

I recently had the opportunity to read the three novel collection, A Kingsbury Collection, by Karen Kingsbury.  I have read several of Karen Kingsbury’s books and usually enjoy them to tears.  I had not previously read any of the stand alone novels in this collection.  The novels in this collection include: Where Yesterday Lives, When Joy Came to Stay and On Every Side.

Where Yesterday Lives follows Ellen Barrett, a prize winning journalist, as she examines her present, revisits her past and dreams of her future.  When Joy Came to Stay is a story of Maggie Stovall.  A woman who appears to have it all together and finds herself falling apart at every turn.  The novel, On Every Side, tells the story of Faith Evans and her fight to save a precious community statue of Jesus in a city park and the heart of a boy she knew long ago.

I enjoyed each title in this collection.  A couple of the stories included story-lines related to adoption which is very close to my heart.  I love how Karen Kingsbury creates characters and story-lines that are real, relational and relevant.  I would recommend her books to any avid fiction reader.  I strongly recommend the e-book format.  I found the size of this book to be a bit cumbersome to read and carry.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review: Waiting for Morning by Karen Kingsbury

Waiting for Morning is a fictional novel, filled with fictional characters that took me on a very real emotional roller-coaster.  The main character, Hannah Ryan, experienced such tragic loss early in the book.  I cried with her in her anguish and at times I wanted to reach out and shake her as she struggled to find new ground.    I rejoiced in the new friendships she unknowingly formed in the midst of tragedy.

Karen Kingsbury has written what I would call plausible fiction.  While this is categorized and intended as a work of fiction, I found myself asking if I would respond the same way Hannah Ryan responded if faced with similar circumstances.  In many ways, I hope not.  Yet, I realize that Hannah's response is very real and possible.  Could I be the friend to Hannah that she found in Carol and Matt?  Would my relationship with God change for the better or worse?  Would I be able to reach out to my children in my pain?

Waiting for Morning is the first of Kingsbury's Forever Faithful Trilogy.  I look forward to completing the series and taking another ride on an emotional roller-coaster.  Kingsbury also includes discussion questions at the end of her novel for personal or group consideration.

An excerpt of this book is available here.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah publishing for the purpose of my unbiased review.