Book Review: "A Kingsbury Collection" by Karen Kingsbury

I was accepted into the Blogging for Books network and received my first book to review for them.  The book that I received was "A Kingsbury Collection:  Three Novels in One - Where Yesterday Lives; When Joy Came to Stay; On Every Side," by Karen Kingsbury.

I have loved every Karen Kingsbury book I have read since I started reading them in 2011, so I was excited to read this collection.  However, when I actually read the book -- even being the huge book lover that I am -- I was a little overwhelmed with the size of the book.  I really don't know why I was overwhelmed with the size knowing that it was a compilation of the three books in one!  But just in case the size of the book deters you from picking it up -- it is 748 pages -- don't (or maybe you can get it in an e-reader format so the "thickness" of the book doesn't deter you!  This book contains three wonderful books.

"Where Yesterday Lives," is a story about a large family of adult siblings who must come together for their father's unexpected funeral.  Ms. Kingsbury takes us on a journey as the characters remember the past and then ultimately bring issues that had been hidden from the others out into the open so that ultimate healing can happen like no other author that I have found can do.  As in previous Karen Kingsbury novels I have read, you feel like you are a part of this family and going through the heartache and struggles and joys right along with them.

In "When Joy Came to Stay," Ms. Kingsbury tactfully handles a very important topic of depression of a Christian woman.  Being a Christian woman who is medicated for depression and who has a daughter diagnosed with a mental illness, I was thrilled to read this story and how the story evolved and how she was brought the main character through the rough times to an acceptance of her depression.

In "On Every Side," is a story that is another one of Ms. Kingsbury's books of characters having a strong faith and belief, even in very unsettling and unsure times.  It also shows of God's goodness and how He continually puts people and things and circumstances in our lives to bring us to Him.  I do not want to write much about this story because I do not want to give the story away.  But I will say that this is a story that is a must read, especially in light of the way that our country seems to keep moving further and further away from God!

You can read the first chapter of "Where Yesterday Lives" by clicking here. 


I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.