Thursday, April 27, 2023

Gentle Story of Grace -- The Tapestry of Grace

The Tapestry of Grace, as its title suggests, is another gentle story of hope from the pen of one of my very favorite authors, Kim Vogel Sawyer. Some of the characters are inspired by the lives and experiences of her own Mennonite grandparents who immigrated to the United States.

It is very easy to step into the lives of these 1890s residents of Alexandertol, Kansas, because they are crafed to be so real from the very first pages of the book. Several individuals are suffering the effects of deep personal losses and are dealing with them in a variety of ways -- some very directly and others hardly at all.  The author gently and carefully crafts their stories into a beautiful weaving of God's tapestry of grace that is much better than their own plans. 

I highly recommend The Tapestry of Grace to fans of great Christian historical fiction. Thanks to the author and her publisher for providing a copy of the book. I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

About the Book

When a group of Kansas women start a Frauenverein, a benevolent society devoted to aiding widows and orphans, life changes for more than just the hurting people they seek to help in this heartwarming romance inspired by historical events—from the bestselling author of Freedom’s Song.

With classes paused for the planting season, Alexandertol’s schoolteacher Augusta Dyck is glad for some meaningful work to occupy her time. She even knows exactly who their town’s benevolence society should help first: quiet, reserved widower Konrad Rempel and his young twin sons.

Konrad Rempel, however, is adamant that he doesn’t want help. His boys are mischievous but good-hearted. And though Konrad may be struggling, he doesn’t want anyone else sticking their nose in and telling him what his sons need. Or what he needs.

For her part, the charity’s founder Martina Krahn is relieved to have a reason to spend time outside her unhappy home. It even occurs to her that she may, through her work, encounter a boy in need of a family and so find a son for her husband since they have no children of their own.

Augusta, Konrad, and Martina each have deep needs and desires, and each imagines how they should be met: by reaching out or by being left alone. But God, indeed, knows best. Will the competing agendas of Alexandertol’s residents prevent them from receiving God’s help? Or will the members of this small Mennonite community find the answers to their prayers in the very last place they expect—in one another?

About the Author

Kim Vogel Sawyer 
is a highly acclaimed, bestselling author with more than 1.5 million books in print in seven different languages. Her titles have earned numerous accolades including the ACFW Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers' Choice Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Kim lives in central Kansas with her retired military husband, Don, where she continues to write gentle stories of hope. She enjoys spending time with her three daughters and grandchildren.

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