Anthony and Marty Hirschler are part of an Old Order Mennonite community in Pine Hill, Indiana. The couple has grown apart since a doctor confirmed they would never have children. Marty longs to escape the tight-knit area where large families are valued, and the opportunity to do so arises when her childhood friend, Brooke Spalding, resurfaces with the wild idea of rebuilding a ghost town into a resort community. Brooke hires Anthony to help with the construction, drawing the Hirschlers away from Indiana and into her plan, and then finds herself diagnosed with cancer. Moral complications with Brooke’s vision for a casino as part of the resort and the discovery of a runaway teenager hiding on the property open up a world neither the Hirschlers nor Brooke had considered before. Will they be able to overcome their challenges and differences to help the ones among them hurting the most?
Sawyer writes a new kind of story with Ours for a Season! This isn’t your typical conservative Christian book; instead, it will stretch your ideas of what Christians can do and how – and with whom – we should interact.
I love the way that Sawyer created main characters who were ultra-conservative Mennonites and then placed an important supporting character right behind them who was anything but. I love the contrast between these characters, the relationship between them, and the growth that springs up from the conflicts in this story.
The conflict isn’t one you’ll find anywhere else, either – and aren’t you ready for a new plot line? I love the way that Sawyer wrote marital discord and spiritual discontent into a Mennonite family and then faced them with a slew of worldly problems. I love that – because problems aren’t only for Christians or not, but people everywhere of all belief systems face them, and we all want to be able to face them in better ways. The characters in Ours for a Season definitely do that.
While the characters and conflict were unpredictable, I can’t say the same for the eventual resolution. I did figure out what was going to happen partway through the story, but that didn’t make the ending any less sweet. I enjoying seeing Marty, Brooke, and the others transform and grow throughout the book, and the plot twists were enjoyable. After turning the last page, I regretted it; I found myself wanting more time with these characters.
If you like to read sweet stories of faith, or stories that will poke you a bit and challenge you to live your faith out well, or even stories that deal with real issues facing American society today, then pick up a copy of Ours for a Season. You’ll be glad you did.
I received a free copy of Ours for a Season from WaterBrook and Multnomah. All opinions are my own.
What are your thoughts?