Travelers Rest
Ann Tatlock
Bethany House, 2012, 342 pages
This was the first book I have read by this author. When I could see that I was coming to the end of the book, I had already decided that it wouldn’t be my last! I
My first reaction was that the book seemed to start slowly, but as I continued reading the pace completely drew me in. I was no longer rushing around my world, I was moving with a different rhythm: a Southern mosey, and the slower movement of the wounded in the VA hospital. Ms. Tatlock’s descriptions were so enticing that I felt the sun, heard the music, felt Seth’s heaviness. She deftly wove together the stories, layer upon layer, but it never felt heavy or stilted.
This is the story of intersecting lives, dealing with immeasurable losses, learning to walk together, and to find hope. Toward the end of the book the point is made that “all the small steps finally fit together” (p. 309) I’ve read books where this felt unnatural—that was definitely not the case here.
The faith struggle of the characters is obvious, but not obnoxious, or forced. No easy answers are offered, and that is refreshing. There is room for the reader to ask their own questions and find their own answers.
I think the thing that I liked best about this book were some of the phrases that the author dropped into the dialog. Things like the reference to life being a gearshift with no reverse, or making peace with a place, and entering a chapter you didn’t expect. It was just real and relatable.
As I read this book I found myself thinking of the people in my life facing difficulties and how I would love to get this book into their hands. That said, yes, I would definitely recommend it!
(I received a free copy of this book to review from Bethany House Publishers.)
Pot of Manna 