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bethpeninger's review against another edition
4.0
This was a lovely book, if not fairly predictable. And I didn't notice that it is actually the third, and final, book in a series by Baart. However, I didn't feel lost at all so Baart did a great job at making this book, at least, feel like a stand alone. Since it is a book 3 I went ahead and searched out books 1 and 2 as well, they'll land on my 2014 bookshelf. :)
Julia is a 24 year old single Mom to Daniel and big sister turned into Mom to Simon, her 10 year old brother. They all live with Julia's Grandma who basically raised her. In the first couple of pages of the book, and our introduction to Julia's life there were a few paragraphs, or phrases, that resonated so loudly with me that I have been thinking about them ever since. Baart has a beautiful way of phrasing the reality of life. We also meet Julia's boyfriend, Michael, and as the reader I wondered when the turn would come from this idyllic life Julia seemed to have. I didn't have to wait too terribly long. Michael drops a bombshell and Daniel's birth Dad resurfaces. This is where the story gets predictable. Not that I didn't enjoy reading it still. As it always does a loose "love triangle" forms and causes Julia some heart angst along the way. Her son and her brother are struggling without a consistent male figure in their lives and her Grandma is aging more quickly than anyone would like or wants to admit. And she's only 24 in charge of so much more than she ever imagined she would be.
What I appreciate about Baart is she doesn't get all preachy and Christianese in this book. Yes, the book is a Christian one but it isn't sickening, if you know what I mean and some of you do know what I mean. *grin* She does have a lovely way of writing and all of her books are marked "to-read" on my list so it seems I'm a fan of her writing style, storylines, and characters. Each that I just mentioned are well developed and make reading her books easy and a pleasure.
Julia is a 24 year old single Mom to Daniel and big sister turned into Mom to Simon, her 10 year old brother. They all live with Julia's Grandma who basically raised her. In the first couple of pages of the book, and our introduction to Julia's life there were a few paragraphs, or phrases, that resonated so loudly with me that I have been thinking about them ever since. Baart has a beautiful way of phrasing the reality of life. We also meet Julia's boyfriend, Michael, and as the reader I wondered when the turn would come from this idyllic life Julia seemed to have. I didn't have to wait too terribly long. Michael drops a bombshell and Daniel's birth Dad resurfaces. This is where the story gets predictable. Not that I didn't enjoy reading it still. As it always does a loose "love triangle" forms and causes Julia some heart angst along the way. Her son and her brother are struggling without a consistent male figure in their lives and her Grandma is aging more quickly than anyone would like or wants to admit. And she's only 24 in charge of so much more than she ever imagined she would be.
What I appreciate about Baart is she doesn't get all preachy and Christianese in this book. Yes, the book is a Christian one but it isn't sickening, if you know what I mean and some of you do know what I mean. *grin* She does have a lovely way of writing and all of her books are marked "to-read" on my list so it seems I'm a fan of her writing style, storylines, and characters. Each that I just mentioned are well developed and make reading her books easy and a pleasure.
martyomenko's review against another edition
5.0
Great book! I loved the unique storyline and how she was willing to battle it out for her brother as her own, even though she treated him as her brother!
laurenmichellebrock's review against another edition
4.0
Julia DeSmit never expected to hear from the father of her son Daniel, but when she receives an email from him inquiring after their last meeting over five years before, she opens a door that will change her world completely. Julia hasn't seen Parker since the day he left her sitting in a parking lot in the ruins of the news of her pregnancy. Beneath the Night Tree is a stunning revelation of faith and growing, where one must look past the anger and pain of the past to do what's best for a family.
I really loved this book. Nicole Baart has such a poetic way with language; it's fascinating to read how she draws on two separate things to create a metaphor. Some authors don't make any sense, but she has mastered that art. I felt like some of Julia's narrative sounded a lot like Nicole talking, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Mostly it was when Julia was thinking of her son, I really felt like I was hearing more of Nicole's feelings towards parenting come through Julia, but, again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially if the author really identifies with their character. Since there was clearly a similarity between author and character in terms of parenting, then I'm okay with that. Some other readers may want there to be more of a separation of author and character, but it all depends on the reader. Other readers may not notice it as much, especially if they are not regular readers of Nicole's blog where a lot of the enchanting tales of her raising three boys is unveiled.
I was really happy that Parker came back into the story. I don't know if it was just my naivety or that I really didn't believe Parker was the turd he made himself out to be in After the Leaves Fall, but I was extremely glad he contacted Julia about their son Daniel. Michael, her boyfriend, was really starting to get on my nerves, and I don't know how Julia didn't find it insulting that she could pick up on his attitude that he saw himself as better and more acculturated than her small-town upbringing. She was a lot more sensitive to him than I felt while reading the book. I believe things would've ended between us the moment he asked me to move with him to Iowa City with no ring attached to the deal. That was just wrong.
Really the only issue I had with the book was with the references to pop culture - like the movie Up and the iPod. I don't know why that bothered me; I usually only have qualms with it in more literary works, such as this one. If it's a chick lit novel, I feel like it has more of a place there, but reading about current things such as movies in a book like this just didn't feel right.
What I appreciated most about this story was Nicole's stunning way of making me feel like I was reading something very real. The way she tied together Julia's ending revelation was beautiful, and the story unraveled perfectly from there. While I was reading, especially in the beginning, I got a sense of, "Yes, I whole-heartedly believe in the setting and what's going on here." Some authors just take scraps of things and throw them together to make a scene, but Nicole really knows how to weave setting, character, tone, and language into a perfect scene so that when you read it you believe in it fully. Go out and grab this book now, but not before you read After the Leaves Fall and Summer Snow, if you haven't already.
I really loved this book. Nicole Baart has such a poetic way with language; it's fascinating to read how she draws on two separate things to create a metaphor. Some authors don't make any sense, but she has mastered that art. I felt like some of Julia's narrative sounded a lot like Nicole talking, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Mostly it was when Julia was thinking of her son, I really felt like I was hearing more of Nicole's feelings towards parenting come through Julia, but, again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially if the author really identifies with their character. Since there was clearly a similarity between author and character in terms of parenting, then I'm okay with that. Some other readers may want there to be more of a separation of author and character, but it all depends on the reader. Other readers may not notice it as much, especially if they are not regular readers of Nicole's blog where a lot of the enchanting tales of her raising three boys is unveiled.
I was really happy that Parker came back into the story. I don't know if it was just my naivety or that I really didn't believe Parker was the turd he made himself out to be in After the Leaves Fall, but I was extremely glad he contacted Julia about their son Daniel. Michael, her boyfriend, was really starting to get on my nerves, and I don't know how Julia didn't find it insulting that she could pick up on his attitude that he saw himself as better and more acculturated than her small-town upbringing. She was a lot more sensitive to him than I felt while reading the book. I believe things would've ended between us the moment he asked me to move with him to Iowa City with no ring attached to the deal. That was just wrong.
Really the only issue I had with the book was with the references to pop culture - like the movie Up and the iPod. I don't know why that bothered me; I usually only have qualms with it in more literary works, such as this one. If it's a chick lit novel, I feel like it has more of a place there, but reading about current things such as movies in a book like this just didn't feel right.
What I appreciated most about this story was Nicole's stunning way of making me feel like I was reading something very real. The way she tied together Julia's ending revelation was beautiful, and the story unraveled perfectly from there. While I was reading, especially in the beginning, I got a sense of, "Yes, I whole-heartedly believe in the setting and what's going on here." Some authors just take scraps of things and throw them together to make a scene, but Nicole really knows how to weave setting, character, tone, and language into a perfect scene so that when you read it you believe in it fully. Go out and grab this book now, but not before you read After the Leaves Fall and Summer Snow, if you haven't already.
aimeebrand's review against another edition
4.0
I was very happy with this series by the time I finished it. I think it got better and better with each book. I enjoy the way this author writes. A nice feel good book.
gabs_myfullbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Beneath the Night Tree is the last book in the Threads of Change trilogy, and I was sad to see it end. I have grown to love these characters, and it's one of the best series I've read in the Christian genre. I have almost no complaints about this book. (Yes, I do have one complaint, but it's a teensy one.)
I liked that this novel took place five years after the end of Summer Snow, because it was fun to see how the characters had changed. Julia has become a pretty great single mom, Daniel went from cute baby to cute kindergartner, and Simon went from bubbly to more reserved and moody. Simon was my favorite character in here, because he went through a lot of changes in this story. I felt bad for him; he had went through a lot for someone so young.
I was a bit afraid that Parker's reappearance in this story would be harmful for Julia, but he had really changed since After the Leaves Fall. I had really liked him until he became a jerk about Julia's pregnancy, so it was nice to have him in here.
The teensy complaint mentioned above is that at the end of Summer Snow, Simon is following Michael around, and he looks up to Michael, but Julia states in this book that Michael and Simon never had the best relationship, or something along those lines. It really threw me off, and bothered me a bit.
Other than that, I thought this was a great ending to the series. I would definitely not mind there being another one after this, because it would be great to see what happens to the DeSmit family, but I felt that all the loose ends were tied up pretty nicely in this story. I'll have to find some new books by Nicole Baart now!
I liked that this novel took place five years after the end of Summer Snow, because it was fun to see how the characters had changed. Julia has become a pretty great single mom, Daniel went from cute baby to cute kindergartner, and Simon went from bubbly to more reserved and moody. Simon was my favorite character in here, because he went through a lot of changes in this story. I felt bad for him; he had went through a lot for someone so young.
I was a bit afraid that Parker's reappearance in this story would be harmful for Julia, but he had really changed since After the Leaves Fall. I had really liked him until he became a jerk about Julia's pregnancy, so it was nice to have him in here.
The teensy complaint mentioned above is that at the end of Summer Snow, Simon is following Michael around, and he looks up to Michael, but Julia states in this book that Michael and Simon never had the best relationship, or something along those lines. It really threw me off, and bothered me a bit.
Other than that, I thought this was a great ending to the series. I would definitely not mind there being another one after this, because it would be great to see what happens to the DeSmit family, but I felt that all the loose ends were tied up pretty nicely in this story. I'll have to find some new books by Nicole Baart now!
bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, but it was one of those books where you knew by page 60 how the book was going to end. It's a fast read with good characters but really predictable.
asealey925's review against another edition
4.0
A perfect ending to a beautiful series. Nicole Baart has a fantastic way with words. Can't wait to see what's next for her!
emrobreads's review against another edition
5.0
I've been getting into the habit of randomly grabbing books at the library - just picking a shelf and taking one of the books off, committing to read it no matter what - no reading the blurb, no judging the cover. This was one of those books and can I say how happy I am that this one ended up in my hands?
When I got home and added it to my Goodreads, I discovered it was actually book 3 of a trilogy. Fortunately I was able to find books 1 & 2 on my Overdrive, so I started with them first. I had no idea I would fall so in love with the story of Julia DeSmit. Book 1 takes her from being a little girl dealing with feelings of abandonment by her mother, and dealing with the pangs of first love on into college where she is experiencing new things and ultimately makes a choice that changes her life forever. Book 2 follows up immediately after as she returns home at the age of 19, dealing with the repercussions. Her life changes again when her mother returns after years of being gone, and she meets her half-brother for the first time. Book 3 is the final chapter in her story and finds her as a single Mom still living with her grandmother, raising both her son and half-brother.
I was fully immersed in Nicole Baart's beautiful writing and found myself thinking of Julia, Simon, Thomas, Parker, Grandma, and Daniel even when I wasn't reading. The story gripped me and I loved how raw Julia was. I loved her struggles with her life and her faith, with holding onto past hurts and ultimately releasing them. I loved Baart's message of forgiveness and showing how people can actually change. I feel like that goes against what current society tells us, but it does show how God can really work in someone's life.
All in all, I loved this series, love this author, and am so glad I picked it up! Random book picking - I tell you! You can find some real gems that way!
When I got home and added it to my Goodreads, I discovered it was actually book 3 of a trilogy. Fortunately I was able to find books 1 & 2 on my Overdrive, so I started with them first. I had no idea I would fall so in love with the story of Julia DeSmit. Book 1 takes her from being a little girl dealing with feelings of abandonment by her mother, and dealing with the pangs of first love on into college where she is experiencing new things and ultimately makes a choice that changes her life forever. Book 2 follows up immediately after as she returns home at the age of 19, dealing with the repercussions. Her life changes again when her mother returns after years of being gone, and she meets her half-brother for the first time. Book 3 is the final chapter in her story and finds her as a single Mom still living with her grandmother, raising both her son and half-brother.
I was fully immersed in Nicole Baart's beautiful writing and found myself thinking of Julia, Simon, Thomas, Parker, Grandma, and Daniel even when I wasn't reading. The story gripped me and I loved how raw Julia was. I loved her struggles with her life and her faith, with holding onto past hurts and ultimately releasing them. I loved Baart's message of forgiveness and showing how people can actually change. I feel like that goes against what current society tells us, but it does show how God can really work in someone's life.
All in all, I loved this series, love this author, and am so glad I picked it up! Random book picking - I tell you! You can find some real gems that way!
kargoforth's review against another edition
4.0
This is the last in the trilogy, After the Leaves Fall. Again, I rate it 4 stars for this genre, Christian fiction. It is well written, though predictable, not too sappy or "preachy". It is a nice book to unwind to, a quick read, better than a tv movie.
jayceeash's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! I came across Nicole Baart because her first book in this series was on Amazon.com as one of the free books. I am so glad that it was because I have found her to be a wonderful writer and this series is awesome. each book, made me smile, laugh, and cry. I could identify and feel with each of the characters and that made them much more real to me. I can't wait to read her other books!