In an unassuming apartment building in Brooklyn, New York, three lives intersect as the reality of war invades each aspect of their lives. Young Esther is heartbroken when her father decides to enlist in the army shortly after the death of her mother. Penny Goodrich has been in love with Eddie Shaffer for as long as she can remember; now that Eddie's wife is dead, Penny feels she has been given a second chance and offers to care for his children in the hope that he will finally notice her and marry her after the war. And elderly Mr. Mendel, the landlord, waits for the war to end to hear what has happened to his son trapped in war-torn Hungary.
But during the long, endless wait for victory overseas, life on the home front will go from bad to worse. Yet these characters will find themselves growing and changing in ways they never expected--and ultimately discovering truths about God's love...even when He is silent.
I don't normally read Christian literature for personal reasons but I liked the premise of the story so I picked it up. I liked it but I also struggled with it a bit.
The story bounces between 3 main characters. Penny, a 24 year old who works at the bus station and lives with her older, overbearing and protective parents. Esther is 12, has lost her mother, and lives with her father and little brother Peter. Jacob Mendel is their landlord who lost his wife and is awaiting word from his son who is in Hungary during the war. When Esther and Peters father decides to enlist in the Army Penny steps forward and offers to take care of the children in his absence. Then all their lives intertwine and change more than they could have ever imagined.
In the beginning I really disliked Penny. She was mousy, naive and slightly annoying. Throughout the story, though, you get to watch her grow into a confident, beautiful woman. I loved her transformation. I really loved the other characters right from the start. You can feel all the pain Esther, Peter and Mr. Mendel are feeling.
The book is well written and the characters are well developed. The history part of the book is fascinating. I have always been drawn to all things WWII and Austin portrayed life on the home front beautifully. She weaves the stories together seamlessly and it is great to see the growth in all the characters. The ending was nice and happy too.
'Far Apart' has a very religious base to it. In the case of this book it is handled with the Jewish religion rather than Christian. It isn't an 'in your face' religious book but it is there a lot. I didn't mind it though and normally I would.
There, of course, were flaws. The story was slow and dragged at times. There was a lot of repetition too. Plus, with as slow as the story was at times the ending seemed rushed and a bit predictable.
It was a good story and well written. Not fantastic but I would recommend picking it up if it piques your interest.
3.5 out of 5 stars
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