Title: All She Left Behind by Jane Kirkpatrick

Pages: 368

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian

Publisher Revell (Sept. 5th, 2017)

Summary

Already well-versed in the natural healing properties of herbs and oils, Jennie Pickett longs to become a doctor. But the Oregon frontier of the 1870s doesn’t approve of such innovations as women attending medical school. To leave grief and guilt behind, as well as support herself and her challenging young son, Jennie cares for an elderly woman using skills she’s developed on her own. When her patient dies, Jennie discovers that her heart has become entangled with the woman’s widowed husband, a man many years her senior. Their unlikely romance may lead her to her ultimate goal–but the road will be winding and the way forward will not always be clear. Will Jennie find shelter in life’s storms? Will she discover where healing truly lives?

Through her award-winning, layered storytelling, New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick invites readers to leave behind their preconceived notions about love and life as they, along with Jennie, discover that dreams may be deferred–but they never really die. Based on a true story.

*I received a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. A huge thank you to the publisher!*

Going into this book, I didn’t really know what to expect. I hadn’t read any of Jane Kirkpatrick’s books before, and I didn’t know much about what the actual story for All She Left Behind was even about. That being said, once I got started, I found this book to be such a unique and interesting read.

All She Left Behind is a fictional story, however, the main character, Jennie Pickett, is not. I didn’t realize it at first, but I found it really fascinating to read about Jennie’s life and the struggles she had to overcome. And, oh boy, does she face struggles! Yet, throughout it all, she remains faithful to God and never gives up. I really admired Jennie’s determination despite her disability and the abuse she faced.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this novel, as well. This book was written in a way that made you want to keep reading. Jane Kirkpatrick does an excellent job of blending factual information with fiction. While the book did feel slow in parts, ultimately, it was a very well written, absorbing novel.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book! I found Jennie to be highly compelling character and enjoyed reading about her life – even though it was painful at times. I look forward to reading more of Jane Kirkpatrick’s books in the future. I would definitely recommend All She Left Behind to anyone who is a fan of Christian, historical fiction!