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A review by meezcarrie
Shine Like the Dawn by Carrie Turansky
5.0
This is my favorite Carrie Turansky book yet! (And I’ve enjoyed all her novels) In Shine Like the Dawn, Turansky has quite simply outdone herself with the characters, the setting, and the theme.
I love Maggie as a heroine, in part because of her spirit and personality and in part because she’s not from the wealthy privileged class. She has more strength than she realizes and more faith than she thinks she does. She’s also had to face more loss than anyone should ever have to, especially one so young. Yet despite these tragedies, she remains friendly to everyone – whether wealthy or servant – and keeps a tender heart.
As I’ve mentioned there is a lot of loss that the characters must deal with. But faith and romance are both woven naturally and sweetly through the pain. In fact, Maggie and Nate are my favorite romantic pairing of all of Carrie Turansky’s novels, their childhood friendship simmering into something more is truly delightful and made me smile more than once. Additional romantic subplots in the background of this novel are also quite sweet and add dimension to the supporting characters.
The theme of trusting God with what hurts – with what we don’t understand – is so tenderly conveyed through Maggie’s quest to find out the truth behind her parents’ death. Her grandmother’s wisdom, Nate’s affection, and the Reverend’s insight all work together to form a thread that seamlessly supports the rest of the story with gentle but profound and important truth.
Bottom Line: Shine Like the Dawn is Carrie Turansky’s best novel to date. With a vividly drawn setting, lovable characters, and even a little mystery and historical tension, you will certainly find it difficult to put down once you’ve started reading! The tender message of trusting God with even the most painful parts of our past is sweet and sincere, never preachy, and the romance will steal your breath. It’s a stand alone novel but I for one wouldn’t mind returning to Heatherton for a visit or two, should the author feel so inclined...
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.)
see my review at Reading Is My SuperPower
I love Maggie as a heroine, in part because of her spirit and personality and in part because she’s not from the wealthy privileged class. She has more strength than she realizes and more faith than she thinks she does. She’s also had to face more loss than anyone should ever have to, especially one so young. Yet despite these tragedies, she remains friendly to everyone – whether wealthy or servant – and keeps a tender heart.
As I’ve mentioned there is a lot of loss that the characters must deal with. But faith and romance are both woven naturally and sweetly through the pain. In fact, Maggie and Nate are my favorite romantic pairing of all of Carrie Turansky’s novels, their childhood friendship simmering into something more is truly delightful and made me smile more than once. Additional romantic subplots in the background of this novel are also quite sweet and add dimension to the supporting characters.
The theme of trusting God with what hurts – with what we don’t understand – is so tenderly conveyed through Maggie’s quest to find out the truth behind her parents’ death. Her grandmother’s wisdom, Nate’s affection, and the Reverend’s insight all work together to form a thread that seamlessly supports the rest of the story with gentle but profound and important truth.
Bottom Line: Shine Like the Dawn is Carrie Turansky’s best novel to date. With a vividly drawn setting, lovable characters, and even a little mystery and historical tension, you will certainly find it difficult to put down once you’ve started reading! The tender message of trusting God with even the most painful parts of our past is sweet and sincere, never preachy, and the romance will steal your breath. It’s a stand alone novel but I for one wouldn’t mind returning to Heatherton for a visit or two, should the author feel so inclined...
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.)
see my review at Reading Is My SuperPower