Book Review: Angel Sister by Ann H. Gabhart

Angel Sister is not the first book I have read by this author, but it is certainly the best.    

Here is the description of the book from the author's website:

It is 1936 and Kate Merritt, the middle child of Victor and Nadine, works hard to keep her family together. Her father slowly slips into alcoholism and his business suffers during the Great Depression. As her mother tries to come to grips with their situation and her sisters seem to remain blissfully oblivious to any problems, it is Kate who must shoulder the emotional load. Who could imagine that a dirty, abandoned little girl named Lorena Birdsong would be just what the Merritts need? 

This richly textured novel reveals the power of true love, the freedom of forgiveness, and the strength to persevere through troubled times. Multidimensional characters face real and trenchant problems while maintaining their family bonds, all against the backdrop of a sultry Kentucky summer.

I read Angel Sister in a short amount of time because I didn't want to leave the story for even a few minutes. I felt like I was right there with the characters as they struggled with life issues and the fears that come as a result. I thought about how difficult it must be to live in a household with an alcoholic and what it means for a young girl to try and hold her family together when everything in it is falling apart.

As the story progresses, there are many secrets revealed in the character's lives. The plot does not falter, but keeps the reader moving quickly through as questions are raised, then answered one by one. People die, relationships are restored, and the Merritt family finds forgiveness and redemption as God works in and around them through a little girl named Lorena Birdsong.

This book is a keeper. I give Angel Sister 5 out of 5 stars!

“Available February 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

(I received this book from Revell Books for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.)

Living just thirty miles from a restored Shaker village in Kentucky, Ann H. Gabhart has walked the same paths that her characters might have walked in generations past. Her thorough research provides a convincing and colorful backdrop for her Shaker novels. Gabhart is the author of several bestselling novels, including The Outsider, The Believer, The Seeker, and Angel Sister.