When the Meadow Blooms by Ann H. Gabhart

When the Meadow Blooms
by Ann H. Gabhart

ISBN-13: 9780800737221
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: May 1st 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from NetGalley:
If any place on God's earth was designed to help one heal, it is Meadowland. Surely here, at her brother-in-law's Kentucky farm, Rose and her daughters can recover from the events of the recent past--the loss of her husband during the 1918 influenza epidemic, her struggle with tuberculosis that required a stay at a sanatorium, and her girls' experience in an orphanage during her illness. At Meadowland, hope blooms as their past troubles become rich soil in which their faith can grow.

Dirk Meadows may have opened his home to his late brother's widow and her girls, but he keeps his heart tightly closed. The roots of his pain run deep, and the evidence of it is written across his face. Badly scarred by a fire and abandoned by the woman he loved, Dirk fiercely guards his heart from being hurt again. But it may be that his visitors will bring light back into his world and unlock the secret to true healing.


My Review:
When the Meadow Blooms is a Christian historical set in 1925 in Kentucky. Rose was told by her husband that his brother wanted to be left alone, so she's tried to manage being widowed and having tuberculosis by putting her daughters in an orphanage. It was only meant to be for a month or two while she recovered at a sanatorium, but years have past. She's started to suspect that her daughters are being abused, but her doctor doesn't want to release her unless she has someplace to continue to heal. In desperation, she asks her brother-in-law to help. To her surprise, he's willing to bring her family to Meadowland.

The first half of the story was suspenseful as the adults tried to work out how to retrieve the children from the abusive orphanage. We see events from the point of view of Rose, Dirk, and the children. Historical details were woven into the story which helped bring the story alive in my imagination. The characters were complex and grew as people as they faced the present difficulties and past events. There was some romance between Rose and Dirk as they spent time together. But Dirk had to heal from the past first, so much of the second half focused on what had happened to the girl he had intended to marry.

The children prayed to God for help and saw those prayers answered. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable historical.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.