Angel Sister: A Novel

Poignant historical fiction about family and forgivness

Angel Sister by Ann Gabhart is a poignant story of love and forgiveness in a Southern small town. Kate Merritt is the responsible one of three sisters. As her father, Victor, has slipped further and further into alcoholism, she has picked up more and more burdens around the house. At fourteen, she isn't lovestruck like older sister Evie nor does she want to go fishing all the time like little sister Tori. Kate tries to take care of her father as he stumbles in drunk night after night while her family refuses to discuss what is going on. Lorena Birdsong's parents have abandoned her on the church steps of Rosey Corner in the hopes of a family taking her in and caring for her. Her mother tells her that she will be found by an angel, so when Kate discovers Lorena, the girl is certain that Kate is her angel. Lorena is quickly adopted by the Merritt family, and her presence heals some of the wounds that have been festering, until the town decides that Victor can barely take care of his own daughters because of his drinking, so Lorena must be placed with a different couple. This course of action will put the town on a collision course where the Merritts will be forced to face the past and deal with the ghosts that have been haunting them for thirty years. Gabhart is best known for her historical fiction about the Shakers, but with this novel she has shown readers that she is one of the best writers in Christian fiction today. Kate is a heroine in the vein of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, and readers will fall in love with this young woman who will stop at nothing to save her family. When her faith is shattered by a terrible act, I couldn't help but cry the tears she refused to shed. It's her will that pulls her family back together piece by piece. Every character is fully fleshed and remarkably real. I will miss these characters now that the book is done; that is a testament to Gabhart's writing.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended - 5 star.

Touching, heart wrenching and delightful. Exactly what I needed to read. A story that reminds us all that yesterday's values still matter.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful Story!

Is Kate Merritt the glue that holds her family together? At first glance, one might think so, but fourteen year old Kate struggles with issues below the surface. Victor, her father, is tormented by drink, wrestling demons from his service in WW I. Her mother Nadine depends on her, for Kate's older sister, sixteen year old Evangeline, lacks Kate's ability to keep a level head. Younger sister Victoria is not old enough to grasp all that happens in the Merritt household. Grandfather Merritt and Grandfather Reece are forces to be reckoned with, and contribute much conflict to this heartwarming story. Journey with Kate, her family, and the unusual cast of characters in Rosey Corner, KY as they meet Lorena Birdsong. The young waif is convinced that Jesus sent Kate to rescue her. Forgiveness, truth, and trust in God play key roles as the Merritt family looks to find solutions to their challenges. Ann's gift for telling a fine story is evident; I was hooked early on. Angel Sister will stir your heart and imagination.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great read

A super summer by the beach read. enjoy!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent

I really loved the story and the characters......

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Angel Sister - Don't Pass This One Up!

Victor, Nadine, and Kate Merritt are the main characters in this book. The story revolves around their past and present lives. Victor has a drinking problem which started when he was serving in WWI. I strongly suspect that Preston Merritt, Victor's Father, played a big part in it too. Preston was a man that his son could never please. Victor could do nothing right in his Father's eyes; the reason goes back to when Victor was growing up. Nadine Merritt is the Daughter of Preacher Reece. She too could never live up to her Father's expectations. Her Father was always praying over her and quoting scriptures at her. She could do nothing right in his eyes. Victor and Nadine married against both their Father's wishes. They were so happy early on in their marriage. Soon after marriage, Victor went off to fight in the war. Their lives would never be the same. Kate Merritt is fourteen years old and the middle daughter in the family of three girls. Her mother depends on Kate to take over and help her father when he comes home drunk and to help her mother with household chores and other problems that might crop up. Kate never quibbles about it. She just does it. This story goes back and forth between the past and present telling both sides of Victor and Nadine's life. This is a necessary part of this book. It has to happen this way in order to get the full picture of what happened and why. A five year old girl named Lorena Birdsong is found by Kate sitting on the steps of Grandfather Reece's church. Her parents couldn't care for her and that is where they left her. Lorena sees Kate as her Angel. Has Lorena been sent from God to rescue the Merritt family from destruction? This book is about unconditional love, hanging on to faith, and the ability to forgive. The Author, Ann H. Gebhart takes you through a variety of emotions. I felt their joy, their happiness, their anger and their pain. I lived it with them.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Readers will appreciate this inspirational rural Americana Depression Era tale

In 1930s Kentucky Preston Merritt is the most powerful person in town. However, since his favorite son died in a drowning accident, he has become cold and nasty even towards his surviving offspring. His son Victor marries Nadine, daughter of Reverend Orrin Reece before he went off to fight. When he came back from the war he was not the same, but he still loves his wife though he loves alcohol as much or more.

They have three children. The oldest Evie falls in and out of love while the youngest Tori is a tomboy of sorts. The middle daughter Kate is the responsible one trying to take care of the family especially her dad when he comes home intoxicated.

Six years old Lorena Birdsong is abandoned by her parents on the steps of Rosey Corner Church. Her mom says an angel will soon come for her. So when Kate finds her, Lorena assumes this is her angel. The Merritt family takes the child in, but the townsfolk decide Victor cannot care for his family so Lorena will be taken from them and placed with a wealthy family.

Although Kate is the glue that holds the wonderful storyline focused, the ensemble cast is fully developed in this terrific historical Christian family drama. Each has flaws, which turn worse as their troubles mount while their faith in God wanes until it seems it will take real angeles dancing with the joy of a miracle to keep the extended family (to include the abandoned Lorena) together. Readers will appreciate this inspirational rural Americana Depression Era tale.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A HEARTWARMING STORY OF LOVE,FAITH AND PERSEVERANCE! ANGEL SISTER BY ANN H. GABHART

ANGEL SISTER by Ann H. Gabhart is a wonderful inspirational historical fiction set in 1936 Kentucky. It is well written with inspiration,depth,and details. It has alcoholism,family, forgiveness,perseverance, faith, community,secrets,family issues, strength,rural living, fear of the preacher,fear of the town leader,family rejection,and tumultuous decisions and time. The main characters are heartwarming,tender,caring,have strong feelings of faith even through difficult times.The secondary characters help to carry the story along.There are many characters in this story. The story entwines families together,their lives,their failures,their strengths and their weakness. This is an intense,powerful story of love,faith,forgiveness, changes and moving forward from dark secrets of the past to a bright hopeful future and the power of prayer. It is about true love,freedom after forgiveness and the strength of perseverance.The author has entwined some facts of her own family with the story and developed an intense,powerful,a times heartbreaking story. You will laugh and cry with the characters.If you enjoy a deep family and community story with intense emotions you will enjoy this story. I would recommend this story for it shows the power of prayer,love and forgiveness.This book was received for the purpose of review from the publisher and details can be found at Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group and My Book Addiction and More.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Intense Story

War is never over, it sometimes seems. Young men, young women go to war and come home with images and horror stories that those who haven't been there will never understand. This is what happened with Victor Merritt after the big war. Set in 1936 Victor's family is falling apart. His wife resents him because he has turned to the bottle, the dreams that plague him in his sleep cause him to turn to the bottle, and his family suffers through all of it. His middle daughter seems to be the one who feels things the deepest, at fourteen, she is at an age that is hard enough, but a father who is drinking and a mother who is worried about that is making life hard for Kate Merritt.

Then an 'angel sister' comes into their lives. A little girl was left on the church steps and Kate found her, and it was instant love. Kate felt like God purposely sent her to the church that day to find little Lenora. However that was not the way her grandfathers saw it. They were both, for different reasons, determined that Lenora would not stay with Kate and her family.

A tale that will have you in tears, ensues from this point. I cried and laughed with this story, through the pages, you feel the dispair of the family and the hurt of Kate. I did not put this book down until I finished it. It was a intense story. You will grieve for this broken family as they struggle through their hurts. A wonderful book, that you will want to read. 403 pages US $14.99 5 stars.

This book was provided for review purposes only, no payment was received for this review.

Angel Sister is available February 2011 from your favorite seller of Revell Books a division of Baker Publishing Group.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Angel Sister will go straight to your heart

Ann H. Gabhart has seamlessly woven three generations of a family into one heartwarming, cohesive story that will keep you reading late into the night. Taking place during the depression years of the late 1930s, this story tells about the many secrets each family tries to hide. The story starts with Kate Merritt, the middle daughter of Victor and Nadine Merritt, who feels the needs to protect her family and clean up all the messes and takes the burden of caring for her family, even though she is only 12 years old. Victor and Nadine were madly in love, but several months after their marriage, Victor volunteered for the war and although Nadine begged him not to go, Victor felt it was his duty to serve his country. Victor was never the same after the war, nor was Nadine after losing their first child, but they managed to hold onto their immense love, ever though life was hard. Victor Merritt was the son of Preston Merritt, the most powerful man in town. He ran the local store, extending miserly credit to his neighbors so they could survive during wartime. Mr. Merritt had never shown any love toward his youngest son, especially after the death of his favorite son in a drowning accident. Although we learn Mr. Merritt is actually the cause of the oldest son's death, he must find someone else to blame, and that blame fell on Victor. From that day forward, Victor could do nothing right in the eyes of his father, from buying his own blacksmith job to raising his family. And then when the war dreams started again, Victor began drinking more and more, affecting every aspect of his life. Nadine was the daughter of Rev. Orrin Reece, the preacher of the house on the hill. Although there have been some difficulties in the relationship between Nadine and her father, Nadine was always in church on Sunday, bearing up under the glare of her father and the sermons he seemed directed straight to her. While all this turmoil is swirling about like a whirlwind with Kate being the center magnet trying to hold the family together, an abandoned six-year-old girl named Lorena Birdsong is thrown into the mix and Kate immediately feels protective of this girl. Even though the Merritt family can hardly support three daughters, they embrace the child as if she was always a member of the family, and try to keep one of the richest families in town from claiming the child as their own. This book is layered with forgiveness, love and strength to keep marching through troubled waters and a growing and renewed faith in God. All the book characters face real problems as they try to hold onto what is left of their families. Even the supporting characters - Aunt Hattie, Graham and Fern - gave great consistency to this novel. I think rural Americans as well as big city readers will enjoy this book, based in a real rural area of Kentucky, although Gabhart has changed the name. This story was drawn into the imagination after Gabhart listened to the stories told by her family of years gone by. Many events are actual occurrences, but the author has taken liberties in embellishing this superb story.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A page turner

Loved It. We all should be so lucky to have an Angel Sister.

Soul-warmer.

Good read.

high recommended - a must read

The writer keeps you on the edge of what an angel sister is. I really enjoyed this book. Reminds me of what a true sister is like and how far they will go for a sister.

Awesome book highly recommend

I enjoyed this book so much I now have all the books from this author. Well worth reading so please see for yourself.

I cannot put this book down once I picked it up and started to r

I cannot put this book down once I picked it up and started to read it! EXCELLENT read!!!! It was offered as a free ebook and I am so enjoying the book. Don't want it to end!

Ann Gabhart is a writer of inspirational novels. She doesn&rsquo

Ann Gabhart is a writer of inspirational novels. She doesn’t sugar coat, nor is she “in your face,” with situations her characters experience. She was born and raised in the Outer Bluegrass region of Kentucky, so grew up on a farm. She has been writing since she was just 10 years old. She first published a historical romance in 1978 and continues to give us fodder for our eyes, spirits, and hearts.

Angel Sister is a touching novel set between World War I and World War II. The depression era brings Lorena Birdsong to a poor family where she adopts Kate as her Sister Angel. The family isn’t one that is stable, except in its love. They are poor, dad is an functioning alcoholic, Kate has two sisters (one older, one younger), and mom loves them all. They survive by growing their own vegetables, milking a cow, and running a tab at the general store which happens to be owned and run by Kate’s paternal grandfather.

Speaking of grandfathers, the family is blessed with two, yet neither are loving. Grandfather Merritt is stiff, stern, and unbending in his disappointment of Victor (Kate’s father). He has a heart bent on self-destruction and if it destroys Victor in the process, so much the better. Grandfather Reece is a strict Southern Baptist pastor. He is determined that Kate is belligerent and going to the devil. Together, although the two grandfathers can barely stand each other, they work to remove Lorena from Kate’s home.

Lorena is 5 years old and sees Kate as her angel. The one person that God sent to save her from being lonely and starving after her parents left her at the pastor’s front steps because they were unable to care for her during this horrible depression. Kate was swept away by the love and trust that Lorena gave and was determined to save and keep her until her natural parents could return.

In the meantime, grandfathers are trying to take Lorena away, there are emotional upheavals for the family with man-made problems. They re-find their faith and it grows stronger as this little family work so hard with the help of Aunt Hattie to find their way.

As a plus, Ms. Gabhart is working on a sequel to this novel so that her readers can find out what happens to Rosey Corner after Sister Angel ends.

I give this a 5 of 5 stars. The book is interesting, entertaining, and you fall in love with her very real characters, warts and all.

Wonderful story

This was a sweet endearing story. I loved it.

True Love and Perseverance in Troubling Times

Not ever hearing anyone personally share the difficult times of the 1930s, I found Ann H. Gabhart's book, Angel Sister, one extremely interesting and touching book.

I was so moved by the issues (what we now call PTSD) that Victor struggled with, and how he used alcohol to drown out the horrors from war and the rejection of his father, though he hated himself while doing it. I could empathize with the distress that Nadine, his wife, went through with his bouts of alcoholism. Though her love didn't seem to waver, the relationship was strained. Katie, the middle daughter, takes on the brunt of the issues, while her older and younger sisters seem more oblivious to the turmoil. How Victor and Nadine tenderly nurtured their children in midst of the difficult circumstances really touched my heart. That does not always happen in difficult times!

I, personally, had to question my own faith when the faith of each main character was severely challenged in ways that would make them either call out to God or walk away. The faithful prayers of friends and family, along with gentle confrontation, showed the changes only God could produce. Was it then all rose-colored glasses and happily-ever-after? No, but deep character, true love, the process of forgiveness, and the ability to persevere through difficult circumstances were honestly displayed.

The day Katie finds abandoned, five-year-old Lenora Birdsong on the steps of the church, life for the Victor Merritt family changes-some for the better and others in heartbreaking, tumultuous decisions. Ann had me rooting for our modern-day rules to override what actually takes place.

Although Angel Sister is an emotionally-charged book to read, Ann shares how to handle life's difficult challenges through love and prayer. Definitely a great book for anyone to read!

This book was provided by Donna Hausler, Publicity Assistant at Baker Publishing Group, in exchanged for my honest review.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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