Customer Reviews

Rachel's Prayer (Country Road Chronicles #2)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not long after Peal Harbor, many Americans from all parts of the country enlisted. In Southern Illinois, Robert Worthem, his best friend Will Hammond, two of the latter's brothers, and other townsfolk join the army. By the third week in January, just over a month since the sneak attack, the new soldiers are off to war. Robert's parents and the Hammond's widowed dad are proud of their respective offspring but worry and pray for their safe return.

As if he knows his mom Julia needs solace Robert sends a letter home that includes a special prayer from his girlfriend Rachel. She shares the prayer with her spouse Samuel, her daughter Sarah and Willy's family especially his dad George and brother Frank. Each turns to God for comfort and pray that their loved ones will come home alive.

Four years have passed since RACHEL'S PRAYER with a new test of faith being WWII and its impact on the young males of the Worthem and Hammond families that are of an age to fight. Readers actually see the effect on those left behind praying for the safe return of their loved ones as perspective is rotated between Rachel, Sarah, and Frank. Americana historical readers will appreciate the inspiration and hope found in the message that belief and prayer enables those left behind are able to cope with their fears.

Harriet Klausner

Rachel's Prayer is the fifth in the series of books that chronicles the life of the Wortham family and their friends and neighbors. It retains fresh storylines while keeping the characters true to their original personalities. Each book has expressed messages of faith while exploring the frailties of the human spirit. I will read about this group of characters as long as Leisha Kelly writes about them.

Rachel's short prayer was frequently repeated all during this novel when the character needed encouragement in a difficult situation. Prayer today can be a powerful weapon against evil rampant in our world. Prayer is something that is private or spoken privately between a person and God.

Book was in great condition and exactly the way it was described. This book is part of a wonderful series to read that my mother and children and I have enjoyed. Great value! Thank you!

Of all the books about the Wortham and Hammond families, this my favorite, next to the first one. I like the way the characters are developed, although some of them don't turn out very well. I especially like the growing love between Sarah and Frank which is so special. The only complaint I have about the book, and the series, is that I think Leisha Kelly could say the same thing in a lot less words. She tends to be somewhat repetitive.

I have read and enjoyed all of the other books in the series and found this one to be disappointing in comparison. The plot of the boys going to war and the family coping at home is thin, repetitive and drags on. The books seems to be weighted down by everyone doubting their faith. It also contains more of George Hammond not coping and behaving badly, just as he did after his wife's death. The most interesting part is the character development of Franky and Sarah and their relationship.

I have enjoyed all of the books in this series. This is the last of the series. For some reason, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the others but it was still a very good book and I would recommend it.

Rachel's Prayer by Leisha Kelly examines the struggles of two close families during World War II, as young men from both families leave to fight.

The story tends to go off on tangents that appear to have no other purpose but to further over-emphasize the difficulty and pain that these families--the Worthams and the Hammonds--are besieged with. Apart from that, this book can be difficult to read because the narrator of this first-person tale changes with each chapter. It is true that this technique significantly opens the story and allows the reader to see important details from the eyes of the character most deeply involved, but it is also confusing and challenging to read. However, if the reader can overcome this nuisance, several interesting characters will be discovered within the tale.

Sarah Jean Wortham and Franklin Drew Hammond are the two main characters in this story. Sarah's brother Robert is fighting in the war, as are Frank's three brothers, Kirk, Joe, and Willy. Frank walks with a limp and is, for insufficiently explained reasons, illiterate. Because of this, he was unable to go to war and, instead, stayed at home with his verbally abusive father. Sarah is a quiet and gentle girl who struggles with her emotions while her brother is at war, and begins to wonder if her Christian faith is lacking.

Julia Wortham is Sarah's mother, and the third narrator of the story, though she doesn't feature as prominently as Franky or her daughter. Julia's point of view is mostly used to provide the reader with thoughts that are more mature than what would naturally come from the younger narrators. Rachel, though she is mentioned in the title, is barely even mentioned in the book. She is Robert's girlfriend and is waiting for him to return in the hope that he will propose to her.

Overall, this book was a decent story. If I had read Leisha Kelly's other books and had already known these characters, I may have found the story more interesting. At the least, I likely would not have gotten so lost in the opening chapter when there are too many characters running around and it is nearly impossible even to tell which ones are the protagonists. After the difficult first chapter, however, the story picked up and seemed promising for a few chapters before settling into a steady, but somewhat dull, saga. I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind a rather predictable story that is highlighted by interesting characters. - Sarah Haines, [..]