An Absence So Great by Jane Kirkpatrick Book Review

[Giveaway Closed]

When I started reading this book, I was a little reluctant.

First of all, I discovered that it was #2 in a book series.  I hadn’t read the first book.  I worried that I wouldn’t know enough ‘history’ to enjoy the second book.

Second, I didn’t like the subject matter – a young woman attracted to a married man, even if she was resisting the feelings she had.

However, I continued reading.  The book gave enough detail from the first book to not leave me clueless as to what I needed to know to enjoy reading this season of Jessie’s life.  My opinion of the book changed.  No, I do not condone the thought or act of extra-marital affairs.   Yet, this book deals with real life; it’s a re-telling of a story based on the author’s grandmother.

I’m glad that I finished the book.  It turns out to be a book I would share with a friend.

Now, on to more about the book.

Summary:

Inspired by the engaging stories told through her grandmother’s photographs taken at the turn of the century, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick provides a portrait of the tension between darkness and light in the soul of a young woman pursuing her  professional dreams.

Despite growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is still at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those ill with mercury poisoning.

Jessie gains footing on her dream to one day own her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession. But even a job she loves can’t keep those painful memories from seeping into her heart, and the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life.

Author Bio:

Jane Kirkpatrick is an award-winning author of sixteen historical novels, including A Flickering Light, the first part of Jessie Gaebale’s story, and three nonfiction titles. Known for her unique insights into the exploration of community, family and faith of actual historical women, the Wisconsin native and her husband have called their ranch in Oregon home for the past 25 years.

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This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  As always, I give my honest opinion of th e book.