Julia's Last Hope (Women of the West Series)

This story takes place in a small lumber town of Calder Springs, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. John and Julia Harrigan live a contented life, with their twin girls and enjoy the beautiful home they were able to build in this small community. Then the mill suddenly closes and all their hopes and

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dreams come crashing down on them. The town is slowly dying as folks move away in search of jobs. Julia tries to turn this town into a tourist area, but it is an uphill battle. With the family having to separate to survive, they must come to realize that "home" is truly where the family is together, and not necessarily the "house" they live in.

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When the lumber mill closes down in Calder Springs, it essentially spells sudden doom for the town. But Julia is determined to find a way to keep the town going and to hold on to her home for her family in Julia's Last Hope by author Janette Oke.

This is at least the third time I've read this novel

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over the years, from one of my all-time favorite series, Women of the West. Sure, some of the aspects still aren't my cup of tea (too many dashes making much of the dialogue jerky, tears so frequent that they lose their effect, and other issues.) Even so, while some of the stylistic and delivery choices here aren't what I go for in ChristFic now, there are reasons why I keep returning to this series.

In the case of Julia's story, even knowing the ending already, I had to see the process again. The eerie feeling in the streets and among the remaining townsfolk as a "ghost town" cloud starts creeping over the place. The questions and uncertainties. The way Julia's industrious idea brings about outcomes she wouldn't have foreseen and lessons she wouldn't have learned otherwise.

Plus, wholesome novels that are easy to digest are still great to mix in between heavier reads. I'll again be making my way back around to this series of standalone novels in the near future.

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