Blog Tour - All That Makes Life Bright


About the book: When Harriet Beecher marries Calvin Stowe on January 6, 1836, she is sure her future will be filled romance, eventually a family, and continued opportunities to develop as a writer. Her husband Calvin is completely supportive and said she must be a literary woman. Harriet's sister, Catharine, worries she will lose her identity in marriage, but she is determined to preserve her independent spirit. Deeply religious, she strongly believes God has called her to fulfill the roles of wife and writer and will help her accomplish everything she was born to do.

Two months after her wedding Harriet discovers she is pregnant just as Calvin prepares to leave for a European business trip. Alone, Harriet is overwhelmed—being a wife has been harder than she thought and being an expectant mother feels like living another woman's life. Knowing that part of Calvin still cherishes the memory of his first wife, Harriet begins to question her place in her husband's heart and yearns for his return; his letters are no substitute for having him home. When Calvin returns, however, nothing seems to have turned out as planned.

Struggling to balance the demands of motherhood with her passion for writing and her desire to be a part of the social change in Ohio, Harriet works to build a life with her beloved Calvin despite differing temperaments and expectations.

Can their love endure, especially after "I do"? Can she recapture the first blush of new love and find the true beauty in her marriage?

My review: I have the hardest time picking favorites, but that being said, this is one of my very favorite books that I've read this year! I loved everything about this book. I loved the way the author put the story of Harriet Beecher Stowe's life on paper. I loved her sweet love story and I loved the way these true to life characters jumped off the page for me as I read.

The characters in this one are amazing! You see the point of view of both Harriet and her husband Calvin. That gave this one so much more depth than it would have had if the only view we saw was Harriet. I loved that I learned a lot about this great woman. Quite honestly, if you had asked me before I read this book the other day what I knew about Harriet Beecher Stowe, the only thing would have been that she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. I loved that I was able to learn a bit more about her and about what an amazing woman she truly was.

I loved that the love story showed Harriet and Calvin's up and downs. Because marriage is work for all of us and they were no different. I liked the way the book showed her struggle to find a way to be herself, even with the demands of marriage and motherhood, because that's a real struggle for all of us as well. 

Maybe that's what really made me like the book the most. She was a real person, with the same kind of real problems that we all deal with. And she lived during a difficult time in history. There were tons of things going on both for and against slavery during this time period and she wanted to know where she stood on the issue and once she knew that, she wanted to know how she could help others form their own opinions. 

This is one of those you need to just go buy! You won't regret it!

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase links: Amazon - Deseret Book - Listen to the audiobook for FREE with Plus subscription on Deseret Bookshelf


About the author: Josi S. Kilpack is the author of twenty-five novels—including the twelve-book Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series—one cookbook, and has been part of several coauthored projects and anthologies. She and her husband, Lee, are the parents of four children.

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