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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful look at a Southern town in 1964, May 16, 2007
Orchard of Hope by Ann H. Gabhart is the story of Jocie Brooke and her family in the late summer of 1964. Hollyhill, Kentucky is starving for rain, and as the weather is heating up, so are tensions in the town as the schools start to desegregate and a new black family moves to town. Jocie quickly makes friends with the son Noah, and her father, Reverend David Brooke, hires him to work at the town newspaper he owns and invites the family to come to services at their Mt. Pleasant church. Tensions are also building in the Brooke's home as their friend Wes moves in with them to recover from a broken leg, elder daughter Tabitha approaches the end of her pregnancy, and their housekeeper keeps losing more of her memory. This book is packed with so many sub-plots, but Gabhart never loses track of them or makes any story seem any less important than any other. While much of the story is seen through 13 year-old Jocie's eyes, narration jumps through her family and friends. It's hard to sum up a book this powerful in just a few words. Gabhart does a phenomenal job of portraying the tautness of the Civil Rights movement, the wonder of unexpected love, the despair of love lost, and uses Jesus to ground each. I wish I had read The Scent of Lilacs, the first book in this series, because I'm sure that I would care even more about each character. I teared up in the last chapter, and I'm sure that there is more that the author has to say through the sweet, fresh voice of Jocie. It's one of those rare books where I will miss reading about the characters now that I'm done.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!, March 5, 2007
This second book in the story of Joci Brooke is just as good as the first one. I really enjoy Gabhart's writing style and her chracter building. I hope we see a lot more from this author in the Christian Fiction aisles of bookstores.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Story, April 12, 2007
It's 1964 and the Civil Rights Movement has come to Hollyhill. Most of the excitment has passed by this small southern town, until the Hearndon family buys a farm and moves there from Chicago. Hollyhill has blacks, but none like Myra Hearndon who has been arrested marching in civil rights protests. She isn't about to accept racial discrimination. Hollyhill is segregated, but it hasn't been a problem and it's small enough to escape the attentipn of the activists, but Myra changes all that. The woman is trouble on the hoof.
David Brooke, editor of the Hollyhill Banner and pastor of the Mt. Pleasant church has his hands full. He's a single father to daughters Jocie and Tabitha. Jocie is fourteen years old and helps work at the newspaper after school. Tabitha is pregnant with no husband in sight, which doesn't set well with some of the church members.
Since Myra's son, Noah works for David at the newspaper and the Hearndon family attends his all-white church, David is caught in the middle. The Orchard of Hope is a compelling story of people forced out of their comfort zone. The time has come to stand by what they believe, and they have some tough decisions to make. Will they do what is right or will they take the easy way out. the characters are so strong and so real they engage the reader's hearts and emotions. I strongly recommend this book. It's a winner.
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