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Friday, June 15, 2018

A Breath of Hope by Lauraine Snelling

A Breath of Hope
by Lauraine Snelling



A Breath of Hope continues Lauraine Snelling's second book in her Under Northern Skies series.

A quick refresh, this series follows a family from Norway and their immigration to America!  Einar and Gerd Strand have a farm in Northern Minnesota, they have a farm to care for, a home, and acres of big tall pines to fell.  They can't do this on their own and they have no other family there with them.  So they write a letter to their cousin, Gunlaug Strand Carlson in Norway asking if her son and his family would like to come to Minnesota to help them!  Rune Carlson and his wife Signe agree to immigrate to America, with their three sons, as things in Norway are not very promising.  The dream of owning land, a home, and a farm drive their decision to go!

Read  the first book in this series, The Promise of Dawn, to learn more!

Rune, Signe, and their three sons Bjorn, Knute, and Leif are settled in their new home with Einar and Gerd and are getting closer to their dream - their own land and their own home.  So Einar realizes that he will need more help, and someone to stay with Gerd, who is still not strong enough to do all the things around the home and farm by herself.

Enter Rune's sister, Nilda.  She has the same offer from Einar and Gerd that Rune and his family received.  Passage to America in exchange for work!

Next, Rune and Nilda's brother, Ivar - he longs to go as well.  He doesn't want to be indebted to Einar as he has heard rumor of his meanness!  Nilda and Ivar and the rest of the family finally earn enough to cover Ivar's passage!

Nilda has dreamt of going to America for so long, and even more so since her brother and his family have gone.  Nilda and Signe were best friends back in Norway as well.  And a new baby has been born, Kirstin, that she hasn't even met!

It's all she can do to be patient to go, working odd jobs like Ivar to earn his passage.  Additionally, their father does not think it wise for Nilda to travel alone.

In one of the jobs Nilda accepts is working for a wealthy family cleaning their home.  She has a run in with their son, his unwanted advances horrifying her.  Of course, she is fired as his mother blames her for the situation.  Nilda learns she isn't the only girl to have this happen.
She learns that he has been banished by his father - to America.


Finally, Spring is here, there is enough money for Ivar's ticket and Einar has sent Nilda hers! Her dream is going to come true!

But what awaits them in Minnesota?  They are about to find out!  Ivar and Nilda have set sail!
They have an interesting passage, even meet a young man headed to Blackduck, which is one stop before Benson's Corner!

Once they arrive at Uncle Einer's, they begin to understand and see what Rune and Signe have been doing the past year - working!  It is so good to reunite with Rune and his family, and neither Ivar nor Nilda is afraid of hard work.  Soon things are running smoothly, everyone is hard at work, garden is in, crops are in, and Rune is busy getting their home built.  Everyone is happy and content except Uncle Einar - why can't anyone make him see what is really important, family!

See what happens next, grab your copy of A Breath of Hope!  See what God has in store for this family, how he hears and answers their prayers - what is that one the breeze...A Breath of Hope!?


Thank you to Bethany House, I received a free copy of this book to read and review through the Bethany House Blogger program.  All opinions and this review are my own!




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