About the Book
Book: A Promise of Home: A WW2 Family Saga
Author: Kathryn Spurgeon
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: November 21, 2022
What did WW11 look like for those who remained in the U.S? As the war heats up, hundreds of young men from Fremont’s hometown of Shawnee, Oklahoma, enlist, or get drafted. Word filters in about the wounded, the missing in action, and those who have died overseas.
Fremont Pope has not been drafted, but to do his part, he finds a job at an ammunition plant in Colorado Springs. His wife, Sibyl, hopes to teach women at a new church. They’re glad to get away from their cantankerous family, and then their family follows them to Colorado!
When the plant begins to close down, Fremont’s boss offers an amazing promotion back east. Their other choice is to move to New Mexico for mission work. Which will it be? Plunge ahead to a lucrative corporate job or help a small new church grow?
Ultimately, they yearn to go home, but where is home? Are they willing to give up their dreams and begin again?
As the couple stays in touch with people in their hometown, they learn of numerous war-time tragedies. Their return to Shawnee coincides with soldiers returning home. Based on a true story, footnotes and author’s notes are included. Click here to get your copy!
My Review:
I found this book quite interesting, especially since it was based on the true story of the author’s family. It was a look at the challenging times of a family in the United States during World War II. The author didn’t hold back on showing the financial and emotional struggles the family encountered because of the war.
The main character, Sybil, deeply desires to live a godly life and wants to find a way to minister to others as she and her husband take care of their growing family. However, things don’t always go the way Sybil had hoped, and she many times found herself struggling with disappointment and discontentment, especially when it came to her relationships with her mother and sisters. Even through all the struggles her family encountered, she never gave up on her faith and trusted in God’s guiding hand in their lives.
The most touching thing about this book for me was the true accounts of those who gave their lives in this war. Reading those accounts made this a much more personal story, and helped me gain a little bit of insight of what it was like for families with loved ones who served in the armed forces during those intense and sorrowful years. It was obvious that the author did quite a bit of historical and family research for this book, and those details helped bring this story to life.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
Kathryn Spurgeon, an inspirational biographical writer. She’s won many awards including an Illumination Book Award. Publishing over a hundred stories, articles, and poems, she’s also published four novels. She grew up on an Oklahoma farm before moving to South Korea, where she adopted two children. She and her husband, Bill, now live in Oklahoma and have six children and fourteen beautiful grandchildren.
More from Kathryn
Researching the 1930s and 40s was almost more fun than writing the book!
Some reviewers’ remarks about this series:
“I could have learned a lot more in history class if we would have had stories like these.”
“Wow, reading this was like being there as it was happening. Cannot wait for more books by Ms. Spurgeon.”
Blog Stops
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, August 11 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 11
Texas Book-aholic, August 12
Locks, Hooks and Books, August 13
She Lives to Read, August 14
Life on Chickadee Lane, August 14
Cover Lover Book Review, August 15
lakesidelivingsite, August 16
Connie’s History Classroom, August 17
Betti Mace, August 18
The Book Club Network, August 19
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 20
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 21
For Him and my Family, August 22
Pause for Tales, August 23
Lights in a Dark World, August 24
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kathryn is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon e-gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Thank you for sharing your review of A Promise of Home, this sounds like a wonderful story and I am looking forward to reading it myself
This seems like an interesting novel. Thanks for hosting.
I love the cover! The art adds to the appeal of the book.
“A Promise of Home” does sound like a wonderful book that shows the reality of what people and families endured and overcame during WWII.
Thank you for hosting this
I love your review, and it’s nice to know it’s a true story of their family history!!