All Things New

It has been a while since I wrote about a book that I have read, so I figure that it is about time.

I checked out Lynn Austin's lastest book from the local library: All Things New. Actually it was ordered in from another library and put on hold at my local library.  Funny thing is that the library that the book was ordered from is the library that I attended the ground breaking for when I was in grade school, just one block from the elementary school that I attended.  Small world!

Anyway,  All Things New is a fabulous book and I did not want to put it down once I started reading it.  I did have to tear myself away for a few days when hubby got a bit out of joint about having my nose in a book for so long, but definitely a great read. 

The book is a historical fiction novel set in 1865 during the ending months of the Civil War in the state of Virginia.  There are three featured heroines encompassed within the pages.  Josephine Weatherly, age 22, is the main heroine.  The two secondary heroines are Eugenia Weatherly (matriarch of the Weatherly family) and Lizzie (one of the few remaining servants).  After the war concludes and slavery is abolished the Weatherly family tries to pick up the pieces of their once grand plantation and struggles with learning to adapt to a new world with new rules.  With the death of Jo's father and eldest brother during the war the burden of the estate falls to the shoulders of the remaining brother.  The war of course has affected him so that he is more concerned with trying to regain what is lost than rebuilding what remains.  So it is up to Jo, Mary, and their mother to forge ahead.  The old customs and rules of high society hold Eugenia and Mary back, but Jo is willing to change and adapt which is necessary to survive.

One segment of this book that still sticks out in my mind is that Josephine is angry with God and just believes that he does not hear her prayers.  At one point she walks out of the church during Sunday service, goes to the grave yard and sits at the foot of her father and brother's graves in despair.  I can relate to that.  I too have sat at the foot of my mom and grandpa's graves when I have been upset and wondered "why? what was the purpose?  why so close together?  why was mom so young?" As Josephine sits there a concerned friend joins her.  He suggests that she reads the Book of Job.  Job was also angry with God and Job suffered much heartache and pain.  The book of Job shows that it is okay to be angry, that God has not forsaken us.  He does listen to prayers, but he works in his own time and his own ways.  In the end all that was taken from Job was restored, not to the original specifications but even grander and more wonderful.

This book is about learning to change, hoping to change, and growing by change.  Once you have a suffered a great loss, a great trauma- you can never go back to the way things were.  You have to learn to adapt, to change, to become stronger, better, braver.  Even when it seems like the sun will never shine again, we must have hope and faith that God has a plan and that we will once again see the glorious sunshine.  

Once again, it is WELL past my bed time.  I have a full day of preparations tomorrow to get ready for a garage sale this weekend, so I must be off to bed to recharge my batteries.  I hope that everyone has a great rest of the week and a lovely weekend!