Review: Well Told - and Touching
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 9, 2011
Can there be any more poignant starting place for love than the mutual caring of a disadvantaged child? Shawna K. Williams provides a vivid and emotional tale of falling love - despite our scars, overcoming the odds, and the power of family in her novella, Orphaned Hearts.Brother David Langley is a church minister who fears he's about to have to send an orphaned boy, Caleb, into the arms of the unknown because the care of a foster family has fallen through. Being a physically and emotionally scarred orphan himself, David takes on Caleb's life, and problems, as his own, wanting to help the boy find security and a loving, stable home.Sadie Miller is a member of his church who possesses many more layers than what she, and many in the town, might see in her outward appearance. Sadie is a humble, lovely unmarried woman. She's growing, she fears, into life as a spinster, especially since her father has passed away and she is now, well and truly, alone. As the means to keep Caleb from being forced to return to the orphanage, Sadie agrees to take care of him until a permanent home can be found.The search brings the three of them together, and, by God's grace, builds the family unit all three of them so long to embrace, and share. The story becomes not only a romance, but an authentic exploration of the life of depression-era orphans, and the attitudes with which they were forced to contend. Innocents left unprotected by the presence of a mother and father were often thrown into a harsh world not of their choosing. In many instances they were taken advantage of - looked upon as potential workers rather than family members when churches and charitable institutions would attempt to place them in either foster care or permanent homes. In even worse cases, as the story portrays, there was criminal negligence as false adoptions took place, sending children into horrible conditions and unlawful work experiences.Williams writes in a tender, fluid manner that draws the reader in. Her depiction of David, Sadie and Caleb becoming a family against the backdrop of Depression-era America is real and touching. She further demonstrates how the power of love can thwart the way in which society casts blind judgments over uncomfortable situations such as physical handicaps and the stigma of being labeled. She paints a vivid picture of life in a mining town with lovely turns of phrase and details that place the reader in the midst of the scene.I enjoyed the loving journey provided by Orphaned Hearts and I look forward to more from Shawna K. Williams.The author provided a complimentary copy of Orphaned Hearts in exchange for my honest review.