An Absence So Great (+giveaway)

Title: An Absence So Great
Author: Jane Kirkpatrick
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Page Count: 367
Why I read it: blog tour for publisher
Grade: C

Synopsis:
While growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those owners who have fallen ill with mercury poisoning. 

Jessie gains footing in her dream to one day operate her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession. But even a job she loves can’t keep painful memories from seeping into her heart when the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life.

My review:
This is book two in a series, and since I didn't read the first one, I can't say how much it would have affected my enjoyment with this one.  I think reading the first one may have given the reader a fuller appreciation of the characters and what they are currently going through, and what they went through in the past.

This series is based on the life of the author's grandmother, and that definitely adds some interest to the story.  There are even photographs taken by her grandmother included in the book.

I found it a little hard to relate to the main character, and maybe the story in general, but I think that the writing was good.  The plot was fairly slow moving, and obviously in this kind of novel you're not going to get a whole lot of fast-paced action.

I would recommend this one to fans of Christian fiction, but I'm still on the lookout for something that will blow me away as much as Francine Rivers historical fiction did.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  To find out more about this book, click here.

I have a copy of this novel to giveaway to one lucky reader.  To enter, just leave a comment here.  You must be a follower of this blog to enter (that way I can easily find you if you win).  This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and will end on April 10th.