Miracle in a Dry Season

My mom grew up during this time in the same general area, so it was interesting to see how this was like her growing up time. Many of the small town, mountain ways she could relate to.

Perla brings her daughter to a small town in West Virginia and hopes to just be able to settle in, but she becomes

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involved with a crisis in the town that bring attention to her. She is able to help them with this crisis with her gift, but everyone doesn't understand her and causes her to be judged. Casewell Phillips senses that she is someone he wants to get to know, but realizes that there is more to her than she is letting on.

It will be interesting to see how this series continues.

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MIRACLE IN A DRY SEASON by Sarah Loudin Thomas
This debut novel is a quick read with a Christian wholesomeness. You will figure out the love story by the second page, but the story is really about people a small town in West Virginia, their prejudices, secrets and the ability to forgive.
Coincidence

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and misunderstandings abound as the story progresses to its foreordained conclusion. You won’t be surprised but you will enjoy getting there. The characters are likeable. The villain is driven out of town. The good folks find salvation and redemption. The writing is solid.
If you like Christian, family centered novels, you will love this book. If you find them boring and cliché ridden, you should read something else.
4 of 5 stars

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Wonderful message!!! I loved everything about this book and began singing it's praises before reading the last page. It's a story of sin, judgement and forgiveness of self and others. I can honestly say I felt as if I had been to church and "my toes had been stepped on". I highly recommend this

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book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I won this ARC on LibraryThing to read and review.

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Perla has moved to Wise, West Virginia with her 5-year-old daughter in an attempt to escape the gossip and rumors in her hometown. The talk and controversy continues, however, as she uses her gift of cooking to feed the hungry residents in the midst of a severe drought.

Casewell, in the meantime,

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must face his father's illness and forgive him for his lack of affection before it is too late. Perla and Casewell learn to face their fears and forgive as love also begins to grow. They can forgive others, but can they forgive themselves and form a new family?

This is a fun, but somewhat unrealistic story. The town recovers from the drought very quickly and easily. Conflicts are also resolved a little too neatly and predictably in the end. Yet there are also passages full of emotion and the main characters are well developed. Hopefully the few mistakes in time, and the attribution to Moses rather than Abraham of the discussion with God about Sodom and Gomorrah will be corrected in the final copy. Thomas is an author to watch if her storytelling improves slightly.

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Title: Miracle in a Dry Season
Author: Sarah Loudin Thomas
Publisher: Bethany House Publisher
Series: Appalachian Blessing Book #1
Review By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 5
Review:

"Miracle in a Dry Season" by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Book Description....

"It's 1954 and Perla Long's arrival in the small town of Wise,

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West Virginia, was supposed to go unnoticed. She just wants a quiet, safe place for her and her daughter, Sadie, where the mistakes of her past can stay hidden. But then drought comes to Wise, and Perla is pulled into the turmoil of a town desperately in need of a miracle.
Casewell Phillips has resigned himself to life as a bachelor...until he meets Perla. She's everything he's sought in a woman, but he can't get past the sense that she's hiding something. As the drought worsens, Perla's unique way with food brings both gratitude and condemnation, placing the pair in the middle of a maelstrom of anger and forgiveness, fear and faith."

What I liked from this novel...

I was very surprised that this was this authors debut novel because I will say this was one excellent read from start to finish. You will be presented a novel that has miracles, romance, humor and lots of drama and forgiveness . You will be quickly taken in with Perla Long's story and the way she was treated by the town folks for being a unwed mother. However, Perla had something that many of the town people did not have. What was that? The author did a wonderful job at bringing out the description of the Appalachia area and drawing the reader into the mix of what all was going on. I liked how the author was able to bring Casewell Phillips and Perla together which was no easy task. Now I don't want to give too much away other than say you must pick up the good read to see how the wonderful story will be presented. After going through emotions, judgmental characters will there finally be forgiveness and miracles for this small town of Wise, West Virginia for Perla and her daughter?

What I especially liked from the read...

By the end of this novel you are made to feel like this was a good story of love and faith.
So, if you are looking for a wonderful read of a Christian Fiction setting in 1950's with a light romance then I would recommend "Miracle in a Dry Season" to you.

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I loved this book. I won't go into a summary, as so many others have done so already, but it is a wonderfully heartwarming story about learning the meaning of forgiveness and finding true love. The characters are well developed and the story is engaging. It grabbed me right from the start and I

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didn't want to put it down until I was finished.

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ARC; Christian Fiction. Good story set in the 1950s about a rigid town (but the morals were typical of the time). Sarah had a child out of wedlock, and when she moved in with her aunt after being shunned in her hometown for 5 years, she hoped for a better reception. Casewell falls in love with her

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- after first judging her for having the child. The story then turns heavily to forgiveness and no one being without sin, no matter how large or small. Since it's an ARC, there are a couple of editing issues. First the author can't make up her mind whether the story is in Wisconsin or West Virginia (I think it's supposed to be West Virginia). Then, at the end, she slips into abbreviated names, such as Case for Casewell. Calling him Case throughout the book may have made him more approachable in the book overall.

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A gently charming story of faith and forgiveness, "Miracle in a Dry Season" is a promising debut from author Sarah Loudin Thomas. In the mid-1950's of rural Appalachia, in the little town of Wise, West Virginia, a miracle is beginning to take shape. Folks don't know what to expect from single

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mother Perla Long and her young daughter Sadie. Trying to put the mistakes and misconceptions of her past behind her, Perla hopes to quietly settle into the community, finding shelter with her aunt and uncle. At the age of thirty-five, Casewell Phillips sees lifelong bachelorhood looming before him--until he meets pretty Perla and sweet Sadie. While speculation runs wild about Perla's status as an unwed mother, Casewell is wrestling with feelings of attraction and guilt over his own doubts about Perla. However, the more time he spends with mother and child, the more he longs to have them for his own family. Perla, who needs no one else to remind her of her indiscretion, feels unworthy of a man such as Casewell. Trying to repay the kindness of her aunt and uncle, Perla does what she does best--she cooks. Preparing food is a transcendent experience for her, and the food she prepares never seems to run out until all are fed. When a devastating drought causes much hardship for the community, Perla's almost magical way with food comes under superstitious scrutiny. Is she a witch with evil intent, or is she heaven-sent? Will the townspeople look into their own hearts and seek forgiveness for their own missteps and lack of faith? Can Perla take a leap of faith and accept the love of the good man who wants both her and Sadie in his life forever? A touching and endearing well-told tale from debut author Sarah Loudin Thomas.


Review Copy Gratis Library Thing

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A beautiful story of love and forgiveness. The characters were believable and well-developed. The main plot flowed well and the minor characters' stories complimented the book.

This book was a little hard to get through and is one I'll probably not pick up to read again. The story was pretty depressing and had me wondering where it was really going. The prevailing theme of forgiveness was seen loud and clear. And I thought that the author did do a good job of bring about

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the message of forgiveness from Scripture. But I really didn't end up liking this book and just wanted to finish it.

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Casewell Phillips has lived in Wise, West Virginia all of his 35 years. Still a bachelor at that age he knows he should be looking for a wife, but no one really stands out. There are several women that would probably make good wives but there is always something that holds him back. He wonders if

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he will ever find "the one" or if he will remain a bachelor.

Perla Long has come to stay with her Aunt and Uncle. She has a secret and a history. Her daughter, born out of wedlock makes her a marked woman. When people find out, she is looked down upon. She just wanted somewhere safe and quiet to raise her daughter.

Casewell see's Perla as everything he has ever wanted in a wife, except her past, her secret and her daughter make this almost impossible. His faith, his values, his morals, his parents and the town's people would all get in the way. He can't just overlook her indiscretion but he has also gotten to know Perla and her daughter a little bit and he can not see the child as a mistake or hold the child accountable for Perla's sin.

Now the town is reeling from a drought, food is running low as gardens wither and die. The only way to survive is to come together and work as a team to feed everyone but at the center of that plan is Perla and her secret. Not everyone is willing to accept that an unclean woman would be taking care of them. The people of Wise must come to terms with their own shortcomings and sins. Secrets are revealed, sins forgiven, eyes opened, grace given and lives forever changed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was drawn to many of the characters and the lessons of faith & forgiveness.

Book received in exchange for review.

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Perla has returned to Wise, West Virginia to stay with her aunt and uncle. But this time she returns with a young girl and no husband. She just wanted a place to stay where she wouldn't be ostracized for her bad choices and where hopefully the rumors wouldn't run her out of town. Casewell is an

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elder in the church and a very eligible bachelor. Perla knows there is no way that he would ever consider a fallen woman, but for some reason she can't help sharing her secrets with this quiet, steady man.

I'd reviewed the novella that was a sort of prequel to this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. (See review here.) I once again loved the characters and the sweet simplicity of the little town. The side characters added depth and heart to the story. I was drawn into the story from the very beginning and saw a beautiful little town with flaws and spirit as I read. While I enjoyed the romance and plot in the story, I also really loved the way the author wove the plan of salvation and the difficult act of forgiveness in so seamlessly. The miracle is not so much about something tangible as it is a miracle of the heart.
It isn't often that I find an author that I can truly add to my favorites list. It's even rarer that this is a new author, just getting started. But this author has definitely made the cut. I look forward to her next books.

I received this book free of charge from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

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Uplifting and encouraging read with likeable albeit not fully developed characters. The plot was engaging although a little more conflict and drama would have been welcome. I liked that the author brought in elements of the supernatural to give the story a little more power. The themes of judgement

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and forgiveness were well explored and handled deftly. The editors missed a few errors, but only one (where one name was used instead of the correct one) was glaring. It was a bit of a slow read at times, but at the end, I felt good. I recommend it for fans of light Christian fiction.

Quotes:

“…a general feeling of doom hung around like dust over a dirt road on a still day” (p.82).

“He had emerged from his work into a wasteland. Fear rose in him, a foreboding tide that somehow seemed greater than the drought they were facing” (p. 116).

“The rain came like a petulant child given permission to play” (p. 195).

In accordance with FTC guidelines, please note that I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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The debut novel by Sarah Loudin Thomas takes us to Wise, West Virginia. Perla and her young daughter, Sadie, have come to live with Perla's aunt and uncle. Soon the town is gossiping about the new residents and the gossip is not good. Having a child out of wedlock is not an every day occurrence in

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1954 West Virginia and the town has latched onto the fact that there is no husband in Perla's past. Casewell is a confirmed bachelor who thinks there is more to Perla's life then she has presented. Wise, WV is suffering through a drought and the town is looking for a miracle. However when Perla's aunt claims that Perla's prayers cured Casewell's father of cancer, Pastor Longbourne accuses her of witchery.

This is a quick read. The story starts out slow but gets better. It is a touching story filled with miracles and lessons of forgiveness that we all need to learn.

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Perla Long and her daughter arrive at her Aunt's house trying to avoid gossip. But gossip is everywhere and church people and town's people are quick to judge her without knowing circumstances.
Caswell struggle with fact Perla has a daughter and no husband. Sadie, the daughter, is blessed with a

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loving nature.
Living in a small town, I know what it is to not be accepted. I have felt the judgment of others first hand.
The drought in the book is because of no rain. But one can walk through a dry period in their soul. Caswell's Dad walked through one.
The wedding and Casswell's having to chase his beloved down is so beautiful.
God has a way to work to bring good in the midst of dry spells.
I highly recommend this book.

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Miracle in a Dry Season is packed with drama, romance, and lightly comical. The year is 1954 and the setting is Wise, West Virginia. They have moved in with Perla's aunt and uncle. Perla has never been married and has fled her hometown. To be an unwed mother in 1954 was to be a fallen woman with no

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chance of being accepted. They judge her harshly and they do not want her among them. However, Perla has been blessed with the ability to cook , just what the town needs. She is able to provide food in abundance. When severe drought comes to Wise, some people believe they suffer because of Perla's sins. Others begin to turn to her to be fed during the worst of the drought. When the local preacher accuses them all of being the worst of sinners because they associate with Perla, her hopes of a new life and forgiveness are dashed. This is a great Amish novel and I think you would enjoy this if you enjoy that genre. Great for beginner's.

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Perla comes to town to stay with her aunt and uncle, accompanied by her young daughter and carrying a guilty secret. Casewell is a local man who works building furniture. They just might have a future together, if they can both grow a little.

Admittedly that's a skimpy summary. The book has some

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inaccurate facts and the writing is uneven. But. . . but. . . I really liked it. One of the topics that's explored is: can we accept someone when we consider their behavior unacceptable? Can we love the sinner and hate the sin? I find this a fascinating topic, since I've seen this played out (usually badly) many times in my little corner of the Christian world. The book left me considering this situation.

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I enjoyed this book to a degree. Some of the characters I could relate to and the setting was phenomenal. I've never read a book in back country Appalachia before; so that was an eye opener. The author is able to bring to life the slow and sedate life of a rural community dependent on nature for

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its livelihood extremely well. It was fascinating to see how a "modern" community like this was able to slide back into superstition when nature turned against them.

But overall, this book was a major disappointment to me.

That disappointment can be summed up in how heavy handed the author was with the Christian elements. Every... single.... scene... was a sermon, a morality lesson, or was calling on God to solve the character's problems. I've read Christian fiction before where those elements were incorporated into the overall story very well (Tamera Alexander comes to mind), without completely taking it over. Not so much with this novel. Being as this is the author's first novel, maybe subsequent works will be able to balance the religious with the story-telling better. But this novel is not a great introduction to her...

I finished the book, so that's gotta say something there (being as I tend to drop what I don't enjoy). It might have been because it was a free book received for review; I don't know. I enjoyed the setting and a couple characters, but unfortunately, that was it. The heavy-handed religiosity was too much for my palate. I'd try other examples of the Christian fiction genre, if you're in the market for it.

Note: Book received for free from Good Reads First Reads program in exchange for honest review.

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This book is is really a good book. I would never of thought it was a book about lies and secrets. There are several different kinds of secrets. It also has some surpising twists and it reminds of Jesus last Feast.

Casewell father says some things that come true. Though something is going that odd.

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Their need to be a miracle for the people in Wise. Perla and Casewell decide to help the community though the summer. Will they do it? Will the community come together or fall apart. You never know you may even find love in as well. There a several thing that need to be forgiving.

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This book is is really a good book. I would never of thought it was a book about lies and secrets. There are several different kinds of secrets. It also has some surprising twists and it reminds of Jesus last Feast.

Casewell father says some things that come true. Though something is going that odd.

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Their need to be a miracle for the people in Wise. Perla and Casewell decide to help the community though the summer. Will they do it? Will the community come together or fall apart. You never know you may even find love in as well. There a several thing that need to be forgiving.

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How many of us haven’t found ourselves walking through a dry season at some point in our lives? It is during those dry dusty days that we often find ourselves straining to see God’s goodness and praying for the rain of his provision in our lives.

Sarah Loudin Thomas’ Miracles in Dry Season

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takes us back to 1954 in Wise, West Virginia. A place I have never had the opportunity to visit but through her vivid imagery, I could easily imagine the setting of the book.

When faced with drought, readers find that it’s not only the people of Wise physical lives that are parched but their spiritual lives as well. While speaking confessions of faith, the townspeople struggle with division, prejudice, judgment

With this being the first book, I have read from Ms Sarah Loudin Thomas, I found her characters well developed and really easy to relate. The one issue I had with the book is Perla’s special “gift from God”. The way she operated in the gift almost feel like magic rather than operating by the spirit of God.

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When Perla Long returns to Wise, West Virginia in 1954, the single 24-year-old has a five-year-old daughter Sadie in tow. Tongues are soon wagging and Perla wonders, will she ever find a place where questions about her past don’t run her out of town?

Casewell Phillips is charmed by Sadie and

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fascinated with Perla’s blue-eyed beauty. But at 35, he is not about to trade in his bachelor status for a relationship with a woman of questionable repute.

Sarah Loudin Thomas has combined the characters above with a church full of judgmental parishioners, egged on by hellfire and brimstone Pastor Longbourne, a rainless summer, and Perla’s wondrous way with food to craft Miracle in a Dry Season. It’s a story about passing judgment and extending forgiveness, recognizing and accepting grace, and how “a child shall lead them.”

I enjoyed Loudin’s often lyrical way with words in passages like:
“Casewell ... lifted his hand and held it over the child’s head for a moment, hovering there like a hummingbird taking the measure of a flower” – Kindle Location 512.

and
“She bowed her head, and he felt peace radiating out from her. But like a kerosene lamp on an icy morning, it could not reach his core” – K.L. 626.

However, I did find Thomas’s style tentative with an abundance of adverb modifiers that sucked the life out of her prose:

“’We’re going home,’ she said, looking at her husband with a depth and rawness that somehow embarrassed Casewell...” K.L. 638.

“He could taste the air. It seemed cleaner, richer somehow” – K. L. 2091.

“The landscape was still desolate but it looked somehow hopeful this morning” – K.L. 2097.

“... in spite of the tears she somehow looked happy” – K.L. 2126.

All in all, though, I enjoyed this romantic and folksy tale with its elements of the miraculous and its message that all of us have secrets and sins in our pasts and none of us make fit judges.

A set of discussion questions at the end of the book completes the volume.

I received Miracle in a Dry Season from the publisher, Bethany House, as a gift for the purpose of writing a review (via NetGalley which, as usual, delivered a problematic Kindle file with illegible first lines of chapters and all “Th” units missing from the book).

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Impressive Debut Novel!

Based on my impression of this book, Sarah Loudin Thomas is now included on my list of favorite authors. Miracle in a Dry Season is simply wonderful!

The year is 1954 and the setting is Wise, West Virginia. The story is one of harsh judgement, the need for miracles, and in the

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end, forgiveness and love.

The main characters are Perla Long and Casewell Phillips, but the supporting characters each have stories of their own and are very well developed by the author. I found myself caring about all of the people I met while reading this book. It's a rare talent for a writer to be able to weave so many lives together in such an interesting way. Sarah Loudin Thomas is gifted with that ability!

As the story begins, Perla Long has arrived in Wise with her young daughter Sadie. They have moved in with Perla's aunt and uncle. Perla has never been married and has fled her hometown in order to escape condemnation and gossip. To be an unwed mother in 1954 was to be a fallen woman with no chance of being accepted anywhere. The people of Wise are no different than those Perla wished to run from. They judge her harshly and they do not want her among them. However, Perla has been blessed with the ability to cook better than anyone in town. She is able to provide food in abundance. When severe drought comes to Wise, some people believe they suffer because of Perla's sins. Others begin to turn to her to be fed during the worst of the drought. When the local preacher accuses them all of being the worst of sinners because they associate with Perla, her hopes of a new life and forgiveness are dashed.

Casewell Phillips is a well respected member of the community. He has never married, but would like to find a decent, moral woman to share his life. He loves music and working with wood. A simple man with simple dreams, Casewell meets Perla and Sadie at church, and his life begins to change. He is attracted to Perla and adores Sadie. He hopes that the gossip he's been hearing about Perla is unfounded. The truth is, the rumors are correct.

When Perla admits her sins to Casewell, he judges her just the same as everyone has and tries to distance himself from her. Perla does not believe she deserves love, so also pulls away from Casewell. Yet, they can't forget each other. They continue to be drawn to each other.

Is forgiveness so unattainable that Perla and Sadie will never find peace? Will they continue to run away from the past and find themselves to be outcasts wherever they go? "Miracle in a Dry Season" carries a strong message about the need to forgive each other and ourselves. It is a deeply moving story which pulls the reader in and holds their interest through the final chapter. I highly recommend this book!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher, through Library Thing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for my honest review.

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I received an Advance Reading Copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to Bethany House for the opportunity.

This is a nice story about miracles, judging, forgiveness. If you're really into books with a very strong Christian theme, you should love this. As I like my

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fiction to have a much more subtle Christian message, I found this much too preachy in some places. However, I did appreciate the many examples of forgiveness in very different situations. This book tugs at the emotions. I laughed in places, cried in some, smiled, cheered and sometimes got mad at characters. I enjoyed the story and wanted to keep reading, but would have been very happy to do so with gentler Christian themes.

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