\\ About the Book \\ A young woman determined to honor her commitment. . . An injured soldier convinced life is no longer worth living. . . A retired doctor certain it's too late to be forgiven. . . Jane Morrow has a dilemma, and love alone may not solve it. her faith has never been strong, yet somehow she hopes God will answer her prayers and tell her what to do. The answer she finds may not be at all what she expected. . . .Travelers Rest by Ann Tatlock is a nicely-written novel about Jane Morrow, a young woman whose future is practically shattered after the news that her soon-to-be-husband Seth Ballantine has been injured and paralyzed. Jane's character is easy to sympathize with. She is stuck in a hard place. Though she is dedicated to Seth, Jane realizes that Seth is no longer dedicate to her, and her struggle to remain in his life is fascinating to read. In that setting other characters like blind pianist Jon-Paul and retired doctor Truman Rockaway pop up, and the story only gets better. Both add new insight to Jane's journey and help her figure out her next steps.
This is my first time reading a book by Ann Tatlock, and I was pleasantly surprised. Her writing is really refreshing, and I know I'll be reading more from her. While I enjoyed Travelers Rest immensely, I also felt that it could nearly be divided into two separate novels. About halfway into the book Jane learns Truman's backstory, and the rest of the book is divided between the two characters' journeys. It's a little odd, because their separate storylines aren't really connected (only a little, but I won't give that away). And while both stories were intriguing, I was disappointed that Jane's was cut short in order to tell Truman's. Really, I was disappointed in how Jane's story ended. I felt like it was a rush to the end in order to get both stories finalized, and that only left Jane seeming unemotional (so unlike her character at the beginning).
Still, Travelers Rest is worth reading. Its subject matter gives a lot of food for thought, and Jane's doubts and questions give Tatlock a platform to gently and wisely unleash some biblical truths about trusting God. It's an enjoyable, encouraging book. My only disappointment is that Tatlock squashed two stories together that could have been better written apart. But, among the many choices of contemporary fiction these days, Travelers Rest is a great one to start with.
Life's gearshift's got no reverse, so you have to just keep moving forward.
\\ About the Author \\ I couldn't find a good bio of Tatlock, so, go to her website to read a great question/answer session!\\ In Case You Were Wondering \\
Title: Travelers Rest
Author: Ann Tatlock
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 352 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0764208101
Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a review copy!
