I enjoyed the history that was presented in this novel. It was interesting to read about the time period which included the Korean War. That being said, I thought the novel was very preachy. I was almost amused by the fact that, although many of the characters professed to be Christians, they didn't feel it was necessary to attend church or worship in any way, except when their uncle came to town to preach. It seems like the author's entire take on being a Christian is that all you have to do is say you believe in Jesus and your life chamges instantly. This is very contrived. In scripture Jesus tells us to behave like a Christian as well as believe. This is the expample He set when He told the rich young man to sell everything and give the money to the poor. The biggest point of contention for me was the author's portrayal of the lone Catholic character. He insinuates that Catholics simply get baptized and don't go any deeper in their faith than that. Not true. While there are Catholics who don't practice, there are many people of many faiths who don't either. Good, faithful Catholics have a deep relationship with Jesus, read scripture and practice charity toward others. I have read quite a lot of Christian fiction and most of it is favorable toward the Catholic faith, but not this novel.
