Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Call number
F PET
Publication
Tyndale
Description
From the highly acclaimed author of The Outcast and The Alliance comes an engrossing novel about marriage and motherhood, loss and moving on. When Ruth Neufeld's husband and father-in-law are killed working for a relief organization overseas, she travels to Wisconsin with her young daughters and mother-in-law Mabel to bury her husband. She hopes the Mennonite community will be a quiet place to grieve and piece together next steps. Ruth and her family are welcomed by Elam, her husband's cousin, who invites them to stay at his cranberry farm through the harvest. Sifting through fields of berries and memories of a marriage that was broken long before her husband died, Ruth finds solace in the beauty of the land and healing through hard work and budding friendship. She also encounters the possibility of new love with Elam, whose gentle encouragement awakens hopes and dreams she thought she'd lost forever. But an unexpected twist threatens to unseat the happy ending Ruth is about to write for herself. On the precipice of a fresh start and a new marriage, Ruth must make an impossible decision: which path to choose if her husband isn't dead after all.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member vintagebeckie
At first glance, How The Light Gets In is merely a contemporary retelling of the story of Ruth and Naomi, two women struggling to make sense of loss and begin a new life. And while that is how the book starts, Petersheim quickly brings the reader into a deeper story of lost dreams. This novel takes
How The Light Gets In is a story of a family, a marriage, and individuals. That’s really how life is — one is not merely a daughter, or a wife, or a mom, but all mixed together in a slightly discordant mosaic, whole, but with pieces not always fitting together snugly. Ruth Nuefeld finds herself a single mom and virtually homeless after the death of her husband Chandler. She packs up her two girls and moves with her mother-in-law to a foreign land — a Mennonite community in Wisconsin. As grief consumes her, she struggles to raise her young daughters. This part of the story, resembles the Ruth story of the Bible fairly well. It helped me look at the loss that Ruth and Naomi felt as they left their lives in Moab to finish out their days in Bethlehem. But as the book progresses, How The Light Gets In is all Ruth. Of course there are other strong characters such as Chandler and Elam, but to me they serve to further Ruth’s progress. Loss, grief, and forgiveness are intertwined. Anger at her dead spouse and her loss of identity beyond wife and mother are at the forefront of Ruth’s character development. She has a lot to work through! And so does the reader. There are lots of surprises along the way in this novel. Some will be welcomed by the reader, others not so much. At one point in the book, I had to reconsider all I had read before. It was a daunting task, but made me go back and re-read passages with a new eye. So, my advice to you is to take your time reading this book. Keep an eye out for subtleties of behavior and attitudes. How The Light Gets In is also not a light read. Emotions are raw and the circumstances often a bit close to home. Don’t expect this book to be your weekend read. 😉
You may be asking yourself after reading my thoughts, should I really read this book? I say yes. It is an intriguing novel of loss and forgiveness that is perhaps best read with the anticipation of discussing it later or along the way. Get a couple of friends to join you on the journey — you will want to talk about this book.
Recommended.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to TLC and Tyndale for a complimentary ARC. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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the reader on a twisting journey that leaves the characters (and perhaps the reader) shocked, dismayed, and finally resolved that their lives will be new and whole. I don’t usually read what others think of books before writing down my own thoughts. But because of the mixed feelings I had about How The Light Gets In, I looked at a few of the early reviews. That pursuit really didn’t help. I have decided that readers will want to come to their own conclusions based on their own reactions to this complex story. That’s why it will make a great book club selection — everyone is going to have an opinion! And that is just one reason why I am giving it a recommended rating.How The Light Gets In is a story of a family, a marriage, and individuals. That’s really how life is — one is not merely a daughter, or a wife, or a mom, but all mixed together in a slightly discordant mosaic, whole, but with pieces not always fitting together snugly. Ruth Nuefeld finds herself a single mom and virtually homeless after the death of her husband Chandler. She packs up her two girls and moves with her mother-in-law to a foreign land — a Mennonite community in Wisconsin. As grief consumes her, she struggles to raise her young daughters. This part of the story, resembles the Ruth story of the Bible fairly well. It helped me look at the loss that Ruth and Naomi felt as they left their lives in Moab to finish out their days in Bethlehem. But as the book progresses, How The Light Gets In is all Ruth. Of course there are other strong characters such as Chandler and Elam, but to me they serve to further Ruth’s progress. Loss, grief, and forgiveness are intertwined. Anger at her dead spouse and her loss of identity beyond wife and mother are at the forefront of Ruth’s character development. She has a lot to work through! And so does the reader. There are lots of surprises along the way in this novel. Some will be welcomed by the reader, others not so much. At one point in the book, I had to reconsider all I had read before. It was a daunting task, but made me go back and re-read passages with a new eye. So, my advice to you is to take your time reading this book. Keep an eye out for subtleties of behavior and attitudes. How The Light Gets In is also not a light read. Emotions are raw and the circumstances often a bit close to home. Don’t expect this book to be your weekend read. 😉
You may be asking yourself after reading my thoughts, should I really read this book? I say yes. It is an intriguing novel of loss and forgiveness that is perhaps best read with the anticipation of discussing it later or along the way. Get a couple of friends to join you on the journey — you will want to talk about this book.
Recommended.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to TLC and Tyndale for a complimentary ARC. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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LibraryThing member BooksCooksLooks
Ruth and Chandler met while doing missionary work. He is a doctor like his father. They have a whirlwind marriage and almost immediately adopt a little girl. Soon after they have a daughter of their own. Chandler loves Ruth but he is a restless sort and needs to be out helping others so he leaves
Then comes word that both men have died in a bombing and Ruth and her mother in law return to the family cranberry farm to bury their men. Ruth and her girls find solace within the Mennonite community despite their being outsiders. She also finds herself drawn to Chandler’s cousin, Elam.
As they have nowhere else to go, they decide to stay on for a bit to get their bearings and Ruth and Elam find they have much in common. But Ruth doesn’t want to feel what she is feeling for another man – she and Chandler may have been having problems but she loved her husband. She and Elam take it slow but can’t deny the feelings they have for one another. Ruth’s mother in law is all for the burgeoning relationship – her son is dead and she wants Ruth and her granddaughters to be cared for and happy.
But what if Chandler were still alive?
That question fills the second half of the book and there is a very big twist that I did not see coming that was a delightful way to end this thought provoking novel on love, marriage and family. Ms. Petersheim takes her time in telling her story moving back and forth in time to show how Ruth and Chandler met, fell in love and married.
The relationship between Ruth and Elam also develops as might in real life. I fully understand the lightning that can hit when you find love. I agreed to marry my husband after 6 weeks of dating. The dual love stories are very different and both are treated as the unique tales that they are. Ruth is the center around which every other character spins and she is at once complex and very simple – she is a woman who wants to be loved for who she is.
This was a very enjoyable book to read despite the sad themes. It is, overall a love story and sometimes there is nothing quite so satisfying as a love story. All good ones have conflict for despite the desire for all things to go smoothly and easily. We know that life is not a fairy tale. I generally enjoy Amish/Mennonite fiction as it takes me back to the visits to Lancaster, Pa. I would make with my family and then my husband.
Overall a good read with real characters. A twist at the end that I did not see coming that turned the whole book upside down. It makes you rethink the whole story.
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his small family and goes off with his dad to work at a hospital in Afghanistan. Ruth is left alone to care for two small children. And to worry.Then comes word that both men have died in a bombing and Ruth and her mother in law return to the family cranberry farm to bury their men. Ruth and her girls find solace within the Mennonite community despite their being outsiders. She also finds herself drawn to Chandler’s cousin, Elam.
As they have nowhere else to go, they decide to stay on for a bit to get their bearings and Ruth and Elam find they have much in common. But Ruth doesn’t want to feel what she is feeling for another man – she and Chandler may have been having problems but she loved her husband. She and Elam take it slow but can’t deny the feelings they have for one another. Ruth’s mother in law is all for the burgeoning relationship – her son is dead and she wants Ruth and her granddaughters to be cared for and happy.
But what if Chandler were still alive?
That question fills the second half of the book and there is a very big twist that I did not see coming that was a delightful way to end this thought provoking novel on love, marriage and family. Ms. Petersheim takes her time in telling her story moving back and forth in time to show how Ruth and Chandler met, fell in love and married.
The relationship between Ruth and Elam also develops as might in real life. I fully understand the lightning that can hit when you find love. I agreed to marry my husband after 6 weeks of dating. The dual love stories are very different and both are treated as the unique tales that they are. Ruth is the center around which every other character spins and she is at once complex and very simple – she is a woman who wants to be loved for who she is.
This was a very enjoyable book to read despite the sad themes. It is, overall a love story and sometimes there is nothing quite so satisfying as a love story. All good ones have conflict for despite the desire for all things to go smoothly and easily. We know that life is not a fairy tale. I generally enjoy Amish/Mennonite fiction as it takes me back to the visits to Lancaster, Pa. I would make with my family and then my husband.
Overall a good read with real characters. A twist at the end that I did not see coming that turned the whole book upside down. It makes you rethink the whole story.
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LibraryThing member alekee
What a roller coaster of emotions throughout this read, rooting for one and then the other, and most you don’t see coming.
This is a book that once you have consumed it, you now want to reread and savor more slowly.
From the beginning the author has the character showing love and compassion to
The love of a mother for her children abounds here, and thus the center for the story. Sacrifice, but keep on reading, surprises abound.
Make sure to read the Author’s Notes at the end, you can see how she writes with such compassion and love.
I received this book through the Publisher Tyndale, and was not required to give a positive review.
This is a book that once you have consumed it, you now want to reread and savor more slowly.
From the beginning the author has the character showing love and compassion to
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those less fortunate, and thus for this couple they have their first child within days of their marriage.The love of a mother for her children abounds here, and thus the center for the story. Sacrifice, but keep on reading, surprises abound.
Make sure to read the Author’s Notes at the end, you can see how she writes with such compassion and love.
I received this book through the Publisher Tyndale, and was not required to give a positive review.
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LibraryThing member fcplcataloger
I have such mixed feelings about How the Light Gets In. It is filled with twists and turns but it is a beautifully written story that covers so many emotions. Grief and loss. First love, lost love, second chance love and love reclaimed. There is hurt and a sense of betrayal but there is also
What follows is a story full of unforseen events and the development of some meaningful relationships. I think that Elam is probably my favorite character. He had never experienced a family of his own and he was immediately taken with Ruth, Sofie and Vivienne. Just as Boaz offered the biblical Ruth a chance to glean the barley fields, Elam encouraged this Ruth to work in his cranberry fields during harvest. It is during these work days that she comes to terms with the fact that she had lost her husband Chandler long before his death; she had become accustomed to living without a husband long before she became a widow. She also begins to see Elam in a different light and to even contemplate a future with him. As their relationship appears to reach another level they share a conversation that sealed my admiration for Elam Albrecht. "Oh, Ruth. I could never not want you. I could never not love you. The problem is I love God even more, and that love makes it impossible for me to compromise you like that." (p. 251)
There are so many other beautiful passages that I highlighted while reading this book. In one passage Ruth assures Elam's sister Laurie that she would never hurt him and this is Laurie's reply. "You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep. We're only human. We can't love someone without also bringing them pain." (p. 178)
And finally, Mabel tells Ruth about a time when she also felt alienated from her own husband and how she was able to regain the love that she thought she had lost by changing her perspective. "I focused on God's love for me, and this awareness caused my heart to expand and my tongue to lose its edge. I became a kinder, gentler person who put my spouse's needs above my own. We went from being partners to being friends again, and by becoming friends again, we became lovers." (p. 305)
How the Light Gets In is filled with passages that enlighten and encourage but this isn't a story that assures a happy ending. In her 'Note from the Author' Jolina Petersheim shares the inspiration for this book and her personal experiences that made it even more special. For some readers How the Light Gets In will have the perfect ending and others may find it disappointing but I can assure you that it will make you think and it will leave you needing to talk about it with others. I can only imagine the discussions that book clubs will be having in the months ahead!
I received a complimentary copy of this book but I voluntarily chose to share my opinions in this review.
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forgiveness. Forgiving yourself, forgiving others and the forgiveness that is always available from God. How the Light Gets In is a modern retelling of the Book of Ruth from the Old Testament. Ruth and Mabel are the contemporary counterparts of Ruth and Naomi and both stories relate to the bond of a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law as they grieve for their lost husbands and work together to rebuild their lives. Ruth Neufeld, her two young daughters and her mother-in-law Mabel travel to Wisconsin to bury their dead husbands in the Mennonite community that was once Mabel's home. Ruth's life has been completely torn apart by not only these two deaths but also the death of her beloved father just a few months earlier. Now, she must find a way to comfort her daughters, help her mother-in-law and adapt to a lifestyle that she has never known. Her late husband's cousin soon steps in to help and it becomes very obvious that Elam Albrecht might easily become so much more than a family member wanting to help his aunt and his cousin's wife. What follows is a story full of unforseen events and the development of some meaningful relationships. I think that Elam is probably my favorite character. He had never experienced a family of his own and he was immediately taken with Ruth, Sofie and Vivienne. Just as Boaz offered the biblical Ruth a chance to glean the barley fields, Elam encouraged this Ruth to work in his cranberry fields during harvest. It is during these work days that she comes to terms with the fact that she had lost her husband Chandler long before his death; she had become accustomed to living without a husband long before she became a widow. She also begins to see Elam in a different light and to even contemplate a future with him. As their relationship appears to reach another level they share a conversation that sealed my admiration for Elam Albrecht. "Oh, Ruth. I could never not want you. I could never not love you. The problem is I love God even more, and that love makes it impossible for me to compromise you like that." (p. 251)
There are so many other beautiful passages that I highlighted while reading this book. In one passage Ruth assures Elam's sister Laurie that she would never hurt him and this is Laurie's reply. "You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep. We're only human. We can't love someone without also bringing them pain." (p. 178)
And finally, Mabel tells Ruth about a time when she also felt alienated from her own husband and how she was able to regain the love that she thought she had lost by changing her perspective. "I focused on God's love for me, and this awareness caused my heart to expand and my tongue to lose its edge. I became a kinder, gentler person who put my spouse's needs above my own. We went from being partners to being friends again, and by becoming friends again, we became lovers." (p. 305)
How the Light Gets In is filled with passages that enlighten and encourage but this isn't a story that assures a happy ending. In her 'Note from the Author' Jolina Petersheim shares the inspiration for this book and her personal experiences that made it even more special. For some readers How the Light Gets In will have the perfect ending and others may find it disappointing but I can assure you that it will make you think and it will leave you needing to talk about it with others. I can only imagine the discussions that book clubs will be having in the months ahead!
I received a complimentary copy of this book but I voluntarily chose to share my opinions in this review.
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LibraryThing member susan0316
This beautifully written new book is a modern telling of the story of Ruth. It's full of sadness and despair over the loss of loved ones and the journey towards finding love and fulfillment in life again.
Ruth's husband and father in law have been killed while working overseas for a relief
This is a beautifully written book about loss and grief; hope and learning to love again; family and faith. It's my first book by this author but won't be my last.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Ruth's husband and father in law have been killed while working overseas for a relief
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organization and she travels to Wisconsin with her young daughters and mother-in-law Mabel to bury her husband. She hopes that living in Mabel's Mennonite community will help her get over the loss and decide what to do with her life. She is the only person who realizes that her marriage hadn't been perfect because her husband put the needs of the relief agency over the needs of his wife and small daughters which makes her experience anger with her feelings of loss. Ruth and her daughters stay at her husband's cousins house. Elam is a quiet man who lives alone and having Ruth and her daughters move in is a very major change for him. As the friendship between Ruth and Elam grows into possible romance, she finds out that she has some very difficult decisions to make about how she is going to live the rest of her life.This is a beautifully written book about loss and grief; hope and learning to love again; family and faith. It's my first book by this author but won't be my last.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
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LibraryThing member hes7
Retelling the biblical story of Ruth, How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim deals with loss, grief, and forgiveness, as well as love, moving on, and the changing of dreams, and it’s a story I will not soon forget.
When her husband dies, Ruth Neufeld and her two daughters lives uproot as they
How the Light Gets In is one of those stories that kept me thinking long after the last page. The story captured all my emotions from joy to sorrow, and the ending challenged how I felt about it. All in all, I enjoyed, loved, and now recommend this book.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours, I received a complimentary copy of How the Light Gets In and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.
When her husband dies, Ruth Neufeld and her two daughters lives uproot as they
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stay in a Mennonite community, piecing together their future. Heartbreak after heartbreak fills Ruth’s story, sorting through the ramifications of her loss, yet it is not without hope—and plenty of thought-provoking surprises.How the Light Gets In is one of those stories that kept me thinking long after the last page. The story captured all my emotions from joy to sorrow, and the ending challenged how I felt about it. All in all, I enjoyed, loved, and now recommend this book.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours, I received a complimentary copy of How the Light Gets In and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.
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LibraryThing member lamb521
Title: How the Light Gets In
Author: Jolina Petersheim
Pages: 400
Year: 2019
Publisher: Tyndale
My rating: 5+ out of 5 stars
I have read this author’s other novels: The Midwife, The Outcast, The Alliance, and The Divide. I enjoyed each story she shared with readers, but this one for me is really the
The book is raw emotion, heart-engaging and gripping to the max! Best of all it brings out the hope that lies dormant in the heart if not stirred occasionally by stories like this book. Jolina also shares her own life and heart at the end of the book to show us that all of us struggle and can battle by praying for our spouses to come out the other side changed and filled with hope.
As I read the book, at times, I was wondering why the author went the way she did with the characters’ actions or words, but the brilliance in the tale is quite bright when readers are done. I enjoyed the tough issues Jolina’s characters had to face, then cry out to God and wait for Him to act on their behalf. I didn’t want to stop reading the book because my heart wanted to know the answers to the questions asked, or the next pregnant pause that made me catch my breath as I awaited the revelation.
Jolina’s other novels are very enjoyable and I highly recommend them. How the Light Gets In though really sets this work apart from her others, and readers will be talking about it long after they are through. Get ready for a heart-pulling ride as you turn pages and then the hope that floods your soul when you understand at the end all that occurred earlier in the story. What an awesome book I am sharing with a friend and hoping you will too after you read it!
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
Author: Jolina Petersheim
Pages: 400
Year: 2019
Publisher: Tyndale
My rating: 5+ out of 5 stars
I have read this author’s other novels: The Midwife, The Outcast, The Alliance, and The Divide. I enjoyed each story she shared with readers, but this one for me is really the
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best of her work thus far. The brilliance in the story is revealed at the end which is surprising and heart-grabbing to say the least! Here is a book I would recommend to married couples which will be understood after it has been read cover to cover.The book is raw emotion, heart-engaging and gripping to the max! Best of all it brings out the hope that lies dormant in the heart if not stirred occasionally by stories like this book. Jolina also shares her own life and heart at the end of the book to show us that all of us struggle and can battle by praying for our spouses to come out the other side changed and filled with hope.
As I read the book, at times, I was wondering why the author went the way she did with the characters’ actions or words, but the brilliance in the tale is quite bright when readers are done. I enjoyed the tough issues Jolina’s characters had to face, then cry out to God and wait for Him to act on their behalf. I didn’t want to stop reading the book because my heart wanted to know the answers to the questions asked, or the next pregnant pause that made me catch my breath as I awaited the revelation.
Jolina’s other novels are very enjoyable and I highly recommend them. How the Light Gets In though really sets this work apart from her others, and readers will be talking about it long after they are through. Get ready for a heart-pulling ride as you turn pages and then the hope that floods your soul when you understand at the end all that occurred earlier in the story. What an awesome book I am sharing with a friend and hoping you will too after you read it!
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
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LibraryThing member haymaai
In ‘How the Light Gets In’ by Jolina Petersheim, Ruth is a thirty-year-old Irish widow whose husband, Chandler, and her father-in-law volunteered to do humanitarian work in Afghanistan and were killed when a bomb exploded and decimated the hospital in which they were working. Left penniless and
I appreciate the opportunity to learn about the Mennonite community, and I think that some of the outcomes of this story result in the value system of this conservative and religious community, as well as the story’s author. The heart-breaking issues of marriage and love are presented from a more conservative viewpoint than what I would apply to my own life, but I could understand how these characters in the story are framed by their ethical values related to God and the expectations of their Mennonite society.
Without giving too much away, I would like to say that I felt rather annoyed by the end of the novel at how I had been strung along through a blustery tale, only to find that this novel was a fantasy of sorts. I failed to understand the motivation of the author, as well as the main character in the story. For that reason, I decided to award the story 3 stars.
As a final word, I had difficulty imagining that Ruth was Irish because she failed to speak with any kind of Irish brogue, and her letters held none of the nuances of Irish phrasing or the Irish language. Other than her red hair, Ruth seemed to be devoid of any Irish physical or cultural influences.
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without resources for support, Ruth goes to Wisconsin to visit her mother-in-law and cousins who oversee a cranberry farm. While there, Ruth assists with the cranberry harvest, and she falls in love with Elam, her deceased husband’s cousin, while adjusting to life without Chandler. The story unfolds through a series of letters, which Ruth writes in a journal regarding her frustrations and anger at a husband who deserts his family in order to pursue his own ambitions. Although the letters are a means to convey Ruth’s feelings and thoughts, I felt that this method of conveying plot events left me feeling detached through much of the novel. I appreciate the opportunity to learn about the Mennonite community, and I think that some of the outcomes of this story result in the value system of this conservative and religious community, as well as the story’s author. The heart-breaking issues of marriage and love are presented from a more conservative viewpoint than what I would apply to my own life, but I could understand how these characters in the story are framed by their ethical values related to God and the expectations of their Mennonite society.
Without giving too much away, I would like to say that I felt rather annoyed by the end of the novel at how I had been strung along through a blustery tale, only to find that this novel was a fantasy of sorts. I failed to understand the motivation of the author, as well as the main character in the story. For that reason, I decided to award the story 3 stars.
As a final word, I had difficulty imagining that Ruth was Irish because she failed to speak with any kind of Irish brogue, and her letters held none of the nuances of Irish phrasing or the Irish language. Other than her red hair, Ruth seemed to be devoid of any Irish physical or cultural influences.
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LibraryThing member khoyt
I have just finished reading "How the Light Gets In" by Jolina Petersheim. Oh my!!! So much deeply felt emotion, so much breath-stopping grief, so much anger, so much joy, and so much unconditional love. I have added it to my re-readable shelf. I would love to buy my own book so I can go back and
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underline all the parts that touched my heart with wisdom, warmth, and passion. It is a very inspirational story. I recommend it to everyone, no matter what age you are, or what circumstances you find yourself in at this moment. I cannot wait for the next one! Show Less
Awards
INSPY (Winner — General Fiction — 2020)
ISBN
9781496402233