A Kingsbury Collection

Karen Kingsbury is America’s favorite inspirational novelist. There are more than 20 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen’s recent dozen titles have all debuted at or near the top of the New York Times Bestseller’s list. She is also a public speaker, reaching more than 100,000 women annually through various national events. Karen lives and works outside Nashville, Tenn., with her husband, Don, and their five sons, three of whom were adopted from Haiti. Also living nearby is their only daughter, Kelsey, an actress in inspirational films and married to Christian recording artist Kyle Kupecky. For more information visit www.karenkingsbury.com. Karen is also on Facebook and Twitter, where she regularly interacts with nearly half a million reader friends.  (Short bio taken from Kingsbury's website.)
*Picture by Dan Davis Photography

Most recently, courtesy of Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program, I was able to obtain a copy of A Kingsbury Collection for the purpose of review.

A Kingsbury Collection is a collection of three of Karen's stand alone novels.  The collection includes Where Yesterday Lives, When Joy Came to Stay, and On Every Side. 


Book Synopsis:
Where Yesterday Lives:  Ellen Barrett is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with an uncertain marriage, a forgotten faith, and haunting memories of her picturesque hometown and the love she left behind.  The eldest of five siblings, she longs for the time, long ago, when they were a happy family.  Now Ellen's beloved father is dead, and she returns to her childhood home to make peace - with the people who still live there, with the losses and changes that time has wrought and with the future God has set before her.
When Joy Came to Stay:  Maggie Stovall is one of the golden people.  She has it all together...at least on the surface.  Ben Stovall is a godly husband and successful attorney.  He has no idea of the darkness about to overtake his life.  Amanda Joy is a child of society - abused, broken, thrown away.  But her trust in God is still alive.  Here is the heart-wrenching story of one woman's descent into the shadows of depression, her husband's search for understanding, and a precious child's unwavering faith.
On Every Side:  Faith Evans is an up-and-coming newscaster, a woman of honor and integrity who must take a stand against the one man she never imagined would be her enemy.  A beloved, hundred-year-old statue of Jesus stands in a small-town park - but some say it's a clear violation of separation of church and state that must come down.  Jordan Riley is a powerful attorney fighting for human rights and against God, but still reckoning with bitter boyhood losses.  Amid political intrigue, social injustice, and personal conflicts, will love be enough when the battle rages on every side?

What's better than having one Kingsbury novel to read?  Well, having three in your hand all at once!  In typical Kingsbury fashion, these three books touch on every conceivable human emotion - deep sadness, inconceivable joy, angst of family conflict, forgiveness, letting go, injustice, redemption and restoration.  I dare you to sit down with a Kingsbury story without a box of Kleenex!  I just dare you!

You immediately are drawn into the characters and their stories.  Kingsbury is a master at writing stories that are believable.  My favorite out of this collection was When Joy Came to Stay.  While in some cases Kingsbury's plot lines are a bit predictable, she is still a master story teller and you can't help but finish on the edge of your seat and heart to the last page.  Her "letters to the reader" at the end of each of her books are as good as the stories told.  She feels like a long time friend.  You'll be blessed by reading her writing!

If you will take just a quick second and rank this review as to how helpful it is to you, I would greatly appreciate it!  For doing so, you will be entered to win a free copy of this book for yourself from the publisher!
 

Blessings and Happy Reading,
Jennifer