Customer Reviews

Then Came Heaven

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever had the privilege to read. When at first I heard the news LaVyrle Spencer was retiring, I wasn't really disappointed because several of her later books had fallen flat for me. Now, I'm suddenly struck by the sadness of never, ever being able to read a new book of hers again. The setting is 1950 in a small Polish community in Browerville, MN - Spencer's hometown. Perhaps it's her familiarity with the setting that makes this book come alive. The book opens as the community is stunned by the death of a young wife and mother, Krystyna. No one is more grief-stricken than her husband, Eddie, who is the janitor and bellringer for the local Catholic church and school. Their two daughters, Anne and Lucy are 4th and 3rd graders taught by Sister Regina. Sister Regina has been questioning her vows and now that she is prevented from physically comforting the girls, she questions them even more. As the book progresses, Sr. Regina and Eddie begin to have feelings for each other but are frustrated by not being able to act on these feelings. I'm hesitant to reveal more for fear of spoiling this very wonderful, touching book. Please do yourself a favor this Holiday season and treat yourself to this book!

"Then Came Heaven" is a totally unique romance novel. Set in a midwest Polish Catholic community in the 1950s, it is a beautifully crafted glimpse of a time when the world was simpler and more innocent. The primary characters are a grieving widower and a nun who is struggling with her vocation. Spencer always does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into the emotional lives of her characters, and these two are particularly sympathetic. The majority of the book focuses on their individual struggles before turning to the romance that springs from their mutual respect and support. The love story is very sweet and handled with great sensitivity. I also enjoyed the glimpse into the inner life of the nuns.

Then Came Heaven is my first Lavryle Spencer novel. And, unfortunately, I can only report mixed reactions. I have nothing but praise for the author's tender and heartwarming portrayal of 1950's small town Mid-western life, and clearly well researched and very compelling portrayal of life amongst an order St. Benedectine nuns. Spencer does a wonderful job of developing a cast of strong, credible and diverse characters.

My only complaint is that the plot's romantic development was simply not executed as skillfully as the other aspects of the story. I had a hard time believing that just weeks after the heart-wrenching loss of his wife (my copy of the novel now suffers a little "water" damage in the early chapters)Eddie was already succumbing to his sister-in-law's seduction attempts. And it made me uneasy that Regina seemed so intent on emulating so many little aspects of Eddie's late wife. Too often the budding love affair between Eddie and Regina seemed like more of a continuation of his life with his wife than the beginning of a "new" life with a "new" woman.

Overall, this is a good read. And I'll hope my next Lavryle Spencer might be just a little better developed.

My favorite Lavyrle Spencer book is YEARS. I have yet to find one as good that one. However, this book was pretty good. Being raised Catholic I could relate to all the religious practices. I couldn't help but feel terrible for Eddie and his daughters. He was such a strong man for himself and his children. I liked Sister Regina. She depicted the fact that although one does make a commitment to God they are still human beings with needs. The only thing I had a hard time understanding was how quickly the love between these two developed. Not that it's written anywhere how long is it proper to wait until you fall in love again. But, the attraction between these two was pretty quick. I have to admit that I had a problem with Irene. Her sister wasn't even buried and she already had her eyes set on Eddie. What ever happened to respect, especially for your sister. Shame on Her! Other than that it was a good book.

What does God plan for your life? Just when you think that everything is God-blessed and the way it should be, suddenly a tragedy occurs that might make you shake your faith in Him. The year is 1950 and Eddie Olzcak had a wonderful life with his beloved wife and two young daughters. Eddie is a devout Catholic who works as a janitor in the local Catholic school, who rings the bells in the church for all the Masses, and helps out the nuns in the convent. One afternoon, his wife's car is hit by a train and she is killed instantly, shattering the perfect life he had with her. He is sad, angry, confused, he misses his wife terribly, he is lonely, but he knows he must go on with his life, and he does....Sister Regina, one of the nuns in the convent, who teaches 3rd and 4th grade at the school Eddie works at, and has his two daughters in her class, has been unhappy for some time with her life, wondering if this is the life God really wanted for her. She is part of the Benedictan order of nuns that has strict codes and follows a Holy Rule that forbids, among other things, any type of secular interaction that involve emotions or feelings; her life is supposed to be directed at constant prayer. So when Eddie's wife dies, Sister Regina feels at a loss; she wants to hug the children, but she can't; she wants to counsel Eddie, but she can't, and during this time, she realizes that being a nun isn't her calling. If she's not a nun, does that make her any less holy than Eddie's wife, Krystyna, who was a wonderful woman, who helped out in the community, who loved her husband and children dearly? Something also happens to Sister Regina during these next few months: she's getting feelings for Eddie, and he senses it, and Eddie discovers that he's starting to feel the same way about her. Both have guilt...Eddie wonders if it's too soon to love again after his wife dies, and Sister Regina wonders if it's a sin to fall in love with a man just because she's a nun. This is just a wonderful story about how love can be found again after a tragic circumstance and Lavyrle Spencer handles it beautifully. Isn't love between a man and a woman a gift from God? Eddie and Sister Regina find out that it is. I really enjoyed this story and it was a great final book for LaVyrle Spencer to write before she retired. I will miss her writing.

I think all of the reviews here miss the point.

Maybe I have a different perspective because I was lucky enough to stumble across the book on tape first. I bought the abridged version first, but the story was so very engrossing, I eventually checked out the un-abridged edition. The telling of this story must be very different than the reading because I found it very compelling and couldn't wait for the next chapter.

In this modern day, we rush. We move at a break neck pace in everything we do, even our relationships. We rush in where angels fear to tread and then back out at leisure and on to the next.

Welcome to Browerville. A slower pace; a town you might pass on the highway and wonder for a moment about the lives lived there. Not a more "innocent" time, a cliche one reviewer falls back on, as most do when referring to the mid 1900's. This story is earthy and practical. The characters heart-breakingly human and real, deserving of the time and care given to them.

What doesn't happen here, and what I think is unimaginable for some of the reviewers is that these two people actually do what is best for them but they wait until the right time to do so. They don't ride roughshod over other people to get what they want. They don't think only of themselves. Their journey is one of shared agony and love, both unspoken. How they come to finally verbalize what they know the other is feeling and how it develops into romance is a subtle refrain in this story I feel many have missed.

I found their inner and and outer struggles daunting. How they deal with their growing feelings for each other, their families, their community and their beliefs is nothing short of an everyday miracle reminding us of the strength and the power of true love.

A story not to be missed and definitely worthy as Spencer's last effort.

As a woman who grew up in the 50's I was taken back to the ideas, mores and habits of that time through the words in this book. While I did not grow up Catholic, a close friend of mine did and this book echoes many of the memories she has shared with me about her Catholic girlhood and that of a relative who became a Catholic nun. I think this book will be a step back in time for many "over 50 year olds" who grew up Catholic.

I thought it was very spiritual, but inspirational. I felt all of the emotions throughout the book. I'd recommend this book to my family and friends, and readers everywhere.

I have read 7 of LaVryle Spencer's novels and this is problably the worst one yet. Usually I can't put her books down, this one took me over a week to read (usually I read one in 2 days). It was a nice story but I loved her other books so much this one just didn't stack up. I recommend YEARS, MORNING GLORY, and SEPERATE BEDS.

I love LaVyrle Spencer but I had a problem with Then Came Heaven. I gave it 3 stars because of the first 90 pages that dealt with Krystyna's death and funeral, and the description of the school, the nuns' house and the description of the individual nuns. I tried to like the idea of a relationship between Eddie and Jean but I just couldn't do it. And believe me, I really wanted to. I did like the descriptions of Thanksgiving at The Olzack's and Christmas at the Potlocki's, and I enjoyed reading about Browerville. (We drove through Browerville in 1980 and I vividly remember driving by the church!)

After I read the book I thought if someone else had written it she might have eventually written a "prequel" about Eddie and Krystyna's childhoods and marriage (after all, they were married for 10 years) and also Jean's childhood and what exactly made her decide to become a nun when she was "just eleven." There were a lot of interesting characters in the book, i.e., Irene, Rosella Potlocki, Romaine and Rose, etc., that would have been worth developing.