Hidden Places: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Family Story of Reconciliation
Review: I absolutely loved this book! This is the second book by Lynn Austin that I have read and she definitely is an author I will buy in the future. Austin adds many twists and turns to her stories (to keep you guessing) and also spreads a message of hope and reconciliation. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a family story and loves the historical slant. Definitely check out Eve's Daughters as well by the same author.

Rating:
Summary: Hidden Places
Review: I have justed finished reading this book today. I was happy top find it because I loved all the other Lynn Austins books I have read so far. Especially Eve's Daughter. But back to this one.Tho she didn't have as much bible verse interatactin the verses she did use she used really well with great life application with her characters. Aunt Batty reminded me a whole lot of Birdie in Some Wildflowers in my Heart by Jamie Langston Turner another must read. It is well worth the read to get the inspiration and biblical truths from Aunt Batty.

Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: This book focuses on a widow and her family, while they are struggling through the Great Depression and trying to hold onto
the family orchard. After Eliza is widowed, 2 very important people come into her life. First, there is Aunt Batty, a
seemingly eccentric old woman, who is also very wise and Godly. Then there is Gabe, a "hobo" who she nurses back to health.

I thought this was a very interesting book to read. I loved the characters and how well developed they were. I loved Aunt
Batty and her love story with Walter. She initially came across as eccentric, but ended up to be a very wise, loving woman.

She helped Eliza to realize that her family, although flawed, loved her very much and urged her to forgive them and become
close to God. Gabe was such a wonderful, loving character, as well. It was very easy to hate Frank Wyatt for the way he
abused his family. And I pitied Lydia, who seemed to be such a weak person, for not standing up to Frank when he was abusing
the kids and for other things that happened in the book, which I won't reveal for fear of spoiling the ending. Lynn Austin
also did a good job of not sugar coating the Great Depression.

This was a great story of love, family, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Lynn Austin is a gifted writer.

Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: This book focuses on a widow and her family, while they are struggling through the Great Depression and trying to hold onto
the family orchard. After Eliza is widowed, 2 very important people come into her life. First, there is Aunt Batty, a
seemingly eccentric old woman, who is also very wise and Godly. Then there is Gabe, a "hobo" who she nurses back to health.

I thought this was a very interesting book to read. I loved the characters and how well developed they were. I loved Aunt
Batty and her love story with Walter. She initially came across as eccentric, but ended up to be a very wise, loving woman.

She helped Eliza to realize that her family, although flawed, loved her very much and urged her to forgive them and become
close to God. Gabe was such a wonderful, loving character, as well. It was very easy to hate Frank Wyatt for the way he
abused his family. And I pitied Lydia, who seemed to be such a weak person, for not standing up to Frank when he was abusing
the kids and for other things that happened in the book, which I won't reveal for fear of spoiling the ending. Lynn Austin
also did a good job of not sugar coating the Great Depression.

This was a great story of love, family, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Lynn Austin is a gifted writer.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Delightful! Page Turner! Loved it!!!!
Review: This book was such a joy to read. It is now one of my favorite books. The characters were very well-developed and loveable. I loved Aunt Batty and Gabe. The plot line was interesting and kept my attention continually until the end. I hope all people who love a good book will read this.

Rating:
Summary: well-written story
Review: This book won the North American Historical Fiction prize recently, and it deals with a Depression-era romance which finds its heroine, widow Eliza Wyatt, afraid to trust.

Eliza never loved her husband, it seemed, but he seemed to offer her security and she was faithful in return for this. Her father-in-law never liked her and terrorized the family to no end. Now that he's dead, she is in danger of losing the farm that symbolizes the security she always craved. The story goes on and we discover that through the help of a hobo and her husband's aunt, Eliza learns to trust God and others.

A Truly charming and wonderful book. Highly recommended!!

Rating:
Summary: Overcoming the pain of the past
Review: This is a book with a recurring theme running through it--how can you overcome the pain your father/parents caused you in your childhood? Eliza has just buried her father-in-law and must now contend with operating an orchard on her own. Gabe Harper is a hobo, who shows up to help in exchange for room & board. But, as in every good book, nothing is as it seems. Everyone in the book is hiding something, either intentionally, or not.

I thought this book was very well written. The author did a good job of describing the beginning of the Depression and how being a single woman with 3 kids to raise got along. I loved the fact that after a secret was revealed, I could almost say "ah ha--NOW it makes sense." The clues are there, and the astute reader just has to connect the dots.

Rating:
Summary: well-written story
Review: This is the first book I've read by Lynn Austin, and I was very pleased with the quality of the writing. From the first page where the narrator explains her childish misconceptions of what it means to "entertain angels" to the conclusion of the novel, each of her characters is drawn with clear, interesting personalities. The religious insights offered by the novel naturally grow from the characters' experiences and never seem contrived or preachy. This was a delightful and uplifting read.

Rating:
Summary: 'Hidden Places' Is Fabulous!!!
Review: With her masterful tale of buried family secrets and a search for love, Lynn Austin has delivered another intricately crafted story that will keep you reading until the early hours of the morning. Be prepared to ride in a roller coaster of emotions; you will laugh, cry, and learn along with Eliza about the love that heals all hurts.'Hidden Places' is absolutely wonderful!