Book Review of When the Morning Glory Blooms by Cynthia Ruchti

Let me tell you all about a book I just finished a couple weeks ago that is already on my "Best Books I've Read in 2014" list!

I love Cynthia Ruchti's fiction and non-fiction alike, but this book and its characters grabbed me and won't let go. And that is the way to tell a great book--one that the characters stay with you, and you keep thinking about them and wondering about them after you close the covers!

I don't know how she did it, but in When the Morning Glory Blooms, the author managed to blend the many stories of characters from the 1890s with some from 1951 and the present, then tie them all together so beautifully at the end. Each character is not only from a different decade, but at different places in their lives and faith journeys.

Although fiction, this is a true-to-life story with sin and its consequences mixed with God's mercy and grace. It shows how our lives are affected by those around us, and more importantly, how our lives can affect so many others whether we are aware of it or not.

So, run out and buy, beg, or borrow a copy of this book so you can meet the woman who runs a home for unwed mothers, a grandmother taking care of her teen-age daughter's baby, and a nurse's aid who is carrying the child of a man fighting overseas. Since this book is about mothers and daughters and all the women who love and nurture us, it would make a great gift for Mother's Day in a few weeks, so buy one for yourself and for some women who are special to you!