Room for Hope by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Room for Hope by Kim Vogel Sawyer is an endearing novel of hope when everything around you is falling apart.  This novel is set just after the stock market plummet of  the 1930s.  Neva's husband, Warren, travels a lot for the business that they run in the little community that they live.  When he returns he always brings new merchandise to refill the shelves in their little store.  Neva runs the store while he is away but she is happy to turn over the responsibility when he returns to home.  Neva had always wanted a large family but after the twin's birth she will never be able to have more children, Bud and Belle will have to be enough.  When the wagon finally rolls up to the house Neva is shocked to learn from the driver that Warren and his wife have died leaving their 3  children for Aunt Neva to finish raising.  HIS WIFE?  When Neva gets over the shock she agrees to raise the children, well physically not emotionally.  She finds she can't even look into the eyes of little Charlie since he looks so much like Warren.  Then Charlie runs away.  Not only because Bud hates him and teases him but because he believes that Aunt Neva hates him.  When Sheriff Jesse finds him stowed away along with his oldest little sister behind the seat of his truck Charlie opens up about his troubles living with his new family.  Jesse has a talk with Neva.  Will Neva be able to open up her heart to her dead husband's other children and love them as her own?  What other secrets did Warren hide from his wives?  Will the town love and accept the new family with all their hidden faults and secrets?

I loved this book.  I usually like this author but this is my favorite so far.  This book really looks at the characters both the good Christians and those who have fallen away and sees their faults and either helps them to live with life as it is or change in a way that Jesus would have done.  Neva needs to live with her dead husband's faults as well as deal with the grief of losing the love of her life.  She learns to be strong enough to handle all her new responsibilities as well as learn to accept help as it comes along.  Neva needs to learn to trust people again as well as deal with the citizens who look down their nose at her for something for which she has no control. Can she?   Great book.  Good read.  Anyone who loves reading historical Christian love stories will love reading one with some meat in it.
I received this book from WaterBrook Press for this review.