Review: The Promise of Jesse Woods

The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Preacher's kid meets beautiful impoverished tough girl.

This novel won a Christy award for general fiction in 2017. It is written by a man and the main character is a boy. It is a dual timeline novel (1972 and 1984). Usually I'm not avid to read Christian fiction written by men, but this one is excellent. At the end of this review I'll explain why I decided to read it.

It is a coming of age story with plenty of flawed characters. Matt is forced to move to a small town, Dogwood, in West Virginia. He's a young teenager with a big problem -- he's overweight. He doesn't expect to make new friends but by great good fortune he happens to meet Jesse and she introduces him to her friend Dickie. They are both misfits in their own way dealing with hatred and scorn coming from most of the people in their town. The three kids fit together well when they aren't arguing.

The novel switches back and forth from chapters set in Matt's 1972 childhood, and his 1984 young adult live in which he lives far away in a big city. He finds out his old friend Jesse is about to marry and he drops everything to go back to Dogwood to see her before the big day.

Why I decided to read this: I'm doing a "Read and Roam" challenge through the 2026 Reading Challenge group here on Goodreads. I decided I'll be reading only Christy award winning novels as I love reading Christian fiction. So far I've roamed from Maine to New York to West Virginia by reading Christian novels set in those states.

This novel is clean and recommended by me. I very much enjoyed listening to the audio version.

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Review: The Promise of Jesse Woods

The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: All My Secrets: A Historical Romance Set in Gilded Age New York

All My Secrets: A Historical Romance Set in Gilded Age New York by Lynn Austin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: While We're Far Apart:

While We're Far Apart: by Lynn Austin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An inspiring story about lost love during World War II.

There are a lot of World War II novels -- more than I'll ever be able to read. This is one that was worth writing. The story focuses on Penny, who has a crush on her neighbor's son, Eddie. Eddie has two children and recently lost his wife in a terrible unexpected accident.

Eddie needs to get away from it all and enlists in the military to help in the war. Penny sees he needs help so she offers to take care of his children while he's gone, thinking this will make him want to marry her when he returns. What could go wrong?

She moves into Eddie's apartment. The landlord, who lives downstairs, also just lost his wife in the same accident that took Eddie's wife. He's Jewish and mourning for his missing relatives in Europe. Bringing the Jewish lore and viewpoint into the story makes this a very unique Lynn Austin novel.

I enjoyed the characters, the plot and the emotions. I recommend this book for those of us who like Christian fiction.


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Review: The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Of all the David McCullough books I've read, I have enjoyed this one the most thus far. It is about Americans who went to Paris for educational purposes, mainly, during the years 1820-1900. Many of them were artists so this book is full of information about the arts scene in Paris, including educational opportunities and visits to the Louvre where art copying went on daily. It was an accepted part of life supported by the Louvre staff. Since I also aspire to improving my artistic skills I found this information to be fascinating. A few of the artists featured in this book are Samuel Morse (inventor of the telegraph), John Singer Sargent, and Mary Cassatt. (There are many others written about in this book.)

However art is not the only reason Americans went to Paris to study during the 1800's. Many were there to learn medical skills. In Paris they were able to see dozens or even hundreds of cases of every ailment whereas in the USA it was not possible to get that level of expertise in any one disease or condition. To be honest, a few of their French professors sound like true horrid cads who just happened to be respected physicians, but I still found the chapter on medical education to be fascinating.

Most other David McCullough books contain fascinating American history but are (for me) slogs at time. But this is one I never lost interest in. There was a new adventure in every chapter. I'm grateful to have read this book.

During 2024-2026 I've been reading all the David McCullough books in the order they were written. I have only two more books to read at this point. It has been an educational experience along the journey through my life of literary appreciation.




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Review: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: Whose Waves These Are

Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Christian novel with a boat.

Annie, in Chicago, receives a message to return to Maine because something happened to her great-uncle Bob. She is so attached to him she immediately leaves her job and travels to Maine. I can't tell you what happened to him because that would be a spoiler!

The book is mainly set in the Maine fishing town of Ansel-by-the-Sea. As it turns out, though Annie does keep up with her Chicago job online, she isn't in any hurry to go back.

Overall, I thought it was a unique book that was unlike any other Christian novel I've read, mainly because of the boats and islands they visited. It was slightly romantic and slightly Christian... meaning there was only a very subtle amount of Christianity on the surface of the waves. You would have to dive deep to find more.

100% clean.

I read this for a 2026 "Read and Roam" challenge at the 2026 Reading Challenge group here on Goodreads. I've decided to read all Christian fiction for this challenge... and all Christy Award winners.

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