BookPikks

A fictionalized account of the effects of the Salem witch trials on the author’s own family. Very well written. Illustrates the effects of fear and superstition, as well as the need for forgiveness and sacrifice.

Kathleen is estranged from her parents and siblings. Now her teenage daughter is showing signs of rebellion, and Kathleen knows that something must change. So she takes her daughter Joelle, and heads back to her hometown, in an attempt to fix some mistakes of the past. When she gets there, Kathleen discovers old friends and family, who give her a new perspective on the lives of her mother and grandmother.

Kathleen’s story wasn’t very interesting to me, but I did enjoy reading her mother’s and grandmother’s stories. Overall, the book was pretty good, although the ending wrapped up a little to easily and neatly. The book reminded me a lot of another book by Austin - Eve’s Daughters. Eve’s Daughters was also told by revealing the history behind each generation in a family. However, it was much more interesting and suspenseful than All She Ever Wanted. Both books reflected the theme of the sins and mistakes of the past affecting future generations, and the theme of learning from the past to change your own life.

This trilogy includes Gods & Kings, Song of Redemption, and The Strength of His Hand. It is a Biblically-based, but fictionalized account of King Hezekiah of Judah. I was skeptical when I first picked it up, as I’ve read many novelizations of the Bible that haven’t been very good. (Some of Francine Rivers’ works immediately come to mind.) However, I was pleasantly surprised.

Austin bases her books on the main events in the life of King Hezekiah, the prophets Isaiah and Micah, and the countries of Judah and Israel. Of course, she adds characters and plot-lines and re-arranges the order of events, but overall, she stays true to the themes that come out in the biblical story of Hezekiah. I especially liked how she wove the words of scripture into the story. Sometimes when authors quote scripture in a novel, it seems as if someone said, “Insert scripture here,” so they picked some random verse to fill in. With Austin’s books, the use of scripture as dialogue seems genuine and flows well with the story.