| Title | : | Beyond the Gathering Storm (Canadian West, #5) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0764200631 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780764200632 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 251 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2000 |
Henry's sister, Christine, also leaves home to explore life's possibilities. Moving to the city, she finds employment and loses her heart to the worldly son of her wealthy boss. Boyd is a lonely young man with an aching heart and does not share Christine's strong faith. Is her heart leading her down the wrong path?
Beyond the Gathering Storm (Canadian West, #5) Reviews
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I will admit that at first I was a bit disappointed in this book. It is book five of Janette Oke’s Canadian West series. I was looking forward to reading more about Elizabeth and Wynn Delaneys life in Northern Alberta. Instead the book started out with Henry And Christine Delaney and I didn’t recognize them from book four. Then I realized that a number of years had passed and Christine and Henry were the children that Wynn and Elizabeth had adopted and they had grown up. Christine had started her first job in the city of Edmonton as a secretary and Henry was already a RCMP about ready to start a new post. After that I got drawn into the story and I loved it. Christine met her boss’s son and began dating and Henry got reacquainted with a woman he had met before while he served at another post. It was a quick read and an easy read. I enjoyed the book once the confusion cleared up.
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I was much surprised at this book. I had expected, at the end of the last book in the Canadian West series, that this book would pick up where it left off. Instead it seems to be about 20 or so years in the future and primarily about the Delaney's two adopted children, Henry and Christine.
We find them while Henry is reliving a painful memory. Like his dad, he has joined the Mounties and has been one for about 5 years. He however finds trouble at time, especially when he had to inform a young widow with a baby about the death of her husband. This memory has stuck with him and made him feel guilty about how he had handled it.
Now he is reassigned to a town in the South. Here he is surprised to discover that same widow, working as the barber in the town. Her young boy, five now, wants so much to be a part of everything but as she's afraid of losing him too he's kept somewhat secluded. When he decides to head out on an adventure of his own, the widow and Henry must work together to bring him home safely.
Christine has left her parents for a job as a secretary in the South. While her boss is a bit brash at times she grows to like her job and kindles a relationship with the boss' son Boyd.
Boyd, while charming, has no direction in his life and certainly no room in his belief system for Christine's religion. He parties with his friend and goes from pleased to angry in an instant. As I was reading I'd had an inkling that he'd be abusive. Would Christine be able to turn his love around?
The Christianity in this novel is pretty low key. The most seems to happen around Christine as she is struggling between her faith and Boyd and his rejection of God. Henry goes to church in the novel but his story isn't as faith based.
I have a few criticisms for Oke in this novel. I would have liked to see one come before it or more background given. We are suddenly introduced to these adult children of Elizabeth and Wynn without any history. What happened that they adopted Christine? Where did Kip go and how did the new dog replace him? Another book is almost needed. In addition, these characters seemed a little too perfect for me. They hardly had any faults and just seemed less real than the stories of Elizabeth and Wynn did.
I do applaud Oke's incorporating of abuse in this novel. Its a hard task to write about and I think she did it well. Aside from those notions, there was nothing in this book that would offend anyone.
It was a nice story as usual just a little bit of a let down for me as I had become attached to the characters of Wynn and Elizabeth.
Beyond the Gathering Storm
Copyright 2000
253 pages -
Not as big of a fan of this book as I am of the first 4 books in this series... I wish that it would've been written as a different series instead of adding the last 2 books on to the When Calls the Heart series. Nevertheless, this book taught many important lessons about the importance of being in a good, Godly relationship.
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Well...
Based on all my crying about Christine's poor choices concerning Boyd, you might think I didn't like this story. But that's not true. I did enjoy it, once I got used to the new-narrator-that-was-not-Nancy-Petersen. I could even *almost* like Boyd. Almost. Not quite. Mild Spoilers:
I didn't comment much on Henry's side of things, but it was wonderful to see the young man that he became after he was adopted by Wyn and Elizabeth. Mild spoilers: His romance took a different turn from his sister's, and I enjoyed it.
Overall, it was definitely different than the other books in this series, but I have to admit, it was nice to see the legacy of Wyn and Elizabeth's marriage. -
About this book:
“The love of Wynn and Elizabeth Delaney has healed their adopted son Henry's painful memories and helped him grow into a man of character. But when his job as a Royal Canadian Mountie brings tragedy into his life once again, Henry is left frightened and vulnerable. Assigned to a new post some five years later, he rediscovers someone who, once and for all, may be able to help him put his past behind him.
Henry's sister, Christine, also leaves home to explore life's possibilities. Moving to the city, she finds employment and loses her heart to the worldly son of her wealthy boss. Boyd is a lonely young man with an aching heart and does not share Christine's strong faith. Is her heart leading her down the wrong path?”
Series: Book #5 of the “Canadian West” series. (Book #1 review Here! Book #2 review Here! Book #3 review Here! Book #4 review Here!) {There is a movie based on the first book of this series with the same name, plus a TV series on Hallmark about the continuation of the series, “Return to the Canadian West.” }
Spiritual Content- Talks about God, trusting Him, His will & praying; Witnessing; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Prayers & mention many of praying; A couple of Scriptures are quoted and mentioned; Christmas (x2); Church going & mention of going; Mr. Kingsley & Boyd never to go church (Boyd gets rude about it; “little use for the church—or for God.” And “church is for wackos.”).
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bully for her’, a ‘dumb’, two ‘idiot’s, six ‘stupid’s; Many curses are said but not written; A couple mentions of prison; A couple mentions of animals in traps (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of dead animals; A mention of a man who was killed by a tree (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of suicide; A mention of fighting (semi-detailed); Many mentions of drinking, drunks & alcohol; Boyd drinks and parties; Boyd has a temper & strikes Christine; A bear attack & blood (semi-detailed).
Sexual Content- four not-detailed kisses & nuzzles, six barely-above-not-detailed kisses, ; a finger kiss, three forehead kisses, and four cheek kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); A married couple kiss on the nose; Noticing, Nearness & Blushes (up to semi-detailed); Hand holding & touches (up to semi-detailed); A mention of mistletoe; Mentions of flirting; Mr. Kingsley & Boyd hound Christine to move in to their house with them (she will/does not and sticks to her beliefs); Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
-Christine Delaney, age 18
-Henry Delaney, age 28
P.O.V. switches between them & Elizabeth
Set in 20 years after “When Hope Springs New”
251 pages
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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Two Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars
Hmp. I knew that this one wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as the first four, but I was still disappointed. Not only was there a 20 year gap, but there was new things that the reader "missed" in those many years (Wynn losing his leg, Christine, etc.). It also was really weird to picture Elizabeth and Wynn in their early 50s. Christine really bothered me; Mid-way I read the back of book six to make sure it would be okay! Personally, she annoyed me. Henry was better but it still wasn't Elizabeth and Wynn's story anymore. (Though there is E's POV a couple times.) Overall, it was okay, but wasn't as clean as the rest of the series and kinda odd for fans of the originals.
Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author. -
I was hoping to hear more romance and the story of Elizabeth and Wynn but following her pattern in the Love Comes Softly series the author Janette Oke has moved on to Elizabeth and Wynn's posterity. This book is almost like two in one switching back and forth between the Delaney's adopted son Henry (who is now a Mountie) and their adopted daughter Christine (who at age 18 has just taken her first job in the city). You do receive some information as to what transpired for Elizabeth and Wynn over the last 15 or so years but the story is not about them. Henry is in a new posting in the south but is still working through a tragedy he had to face as a mountie in the north. The widow he comforted up north 5 years ago now resides at his posting in the south. He is still dealing with strong emotions left from the tragedy and how he can help her (Amanda/Sam) while also seeking for love and a family of his own. Christine is favored by the boss' son Boyd who courts her and asks her to marry him but his lifestyle and morals are far from hers. She struggles with her love for this man and closeness with her boss (Mr. Stark) as it opposes her faith.
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Well, once I settled down my grumpiness from the time jump this book does, the story proceeded like the rest of the series, only in the next generation for the most part (with cameos from the parents). Amazing how Henry could be so much like his adopted dad, and yet he's grown into his own self as well (a nod to his good upbringing by Elizabeth and Wynn). Christine was a bit more cause for worry in the story. Though I had predicted she'd be let go after she found her courage, I found it a bit disturbing that further consequences were not given to the boss/father. But, perhaps it's a "be thankful" moment that one woke up in time instead.
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Was not expecting to like this book as much as the others, as I knew the main characters were changing a bit! I was so wrong! This one was so sweet and I think she did a great job tying in the old and new characters!
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DNF
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When I picked this one up, excited to read the 5th installment of life with the Delaney's I was disappointed to discover a huge time gap. As the book jumps a decade or so, it was disorienting. After the first couple of chapters, background info was provided and got back into the story, still sad to see Wynn and Elizabeth on the back burner, so to speak. Still looking forward to reading #6 now that the series has won me back over. A refreshing read full of hope and promise.
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I love this series! This is now the continuation of the saga into the next generation. I found this book a little disappointing though because it’s like Wynn and Elizabeth’s story just ended. Too much time elapsed between the books and it took me a bit to figure out what was happening. I felt like the author was getting tired of the story and just wanted to move things ahead. Good story though just an abrupt change from the other books.
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I liked reading about Wynn and Elizabeth’s children, however the story lines were rather lacking. Christine gets into a bad relationship which she finally cuts off right before she sends out wedding invitations. ??? Henry’s story was a little more interesting but of course predictable. The four original books are definitely better.
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It was very strange how this book jumped ahead so many years and introduced a grown child that didn't exist in the first part of the series. I enjoyed this book, but would have liked it to be more like the first 4. It also didn't help that it was narrated by a different woman (I listened to the audio version).
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3,5 stars rounded up to 4.
I enjoyed reading about Wynn and Elizabeth's children and their struggles and happinesses in life. The book hopefuly did not follow the cliche and I liked how things turned out . -
It took a little while to get into it, but good story once it got going. I've read all of the Canadian West series together, so it was jarring to go from Wynn/Elizabeth to Christine/Henry.
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The time jump was annoying, but even more annoying was the overuse of ellipses in conversations between characters. It was like reading dialog between Christopher Walken and William Shatner!
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Review coming soon.
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A good one and a quick read.
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I had read the first 4 Canadian West books many years ago and only recently found there were 2 more! It was so nice to revisit Elizabeth and Wynn and see that they finally get the children they so desperately wanted through adoption. This book had a different feel from the other books as the others were told from Elizabeth's point of view and this one was 3rd person. It would have been nice to have some books detailing what happens between 4 and 5 and there were times I felt like I was being told what was going on instead of shown. Other then that this book has what you would expect from a Janette Oke book. A good story filled with spiritual lessons and lovable characters. I really liked Henry and his story. Christine's story could be the story of so many young girls. I too could relate to her a lot. Looking forward to continuing their story!
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Well, this book is not about Wynn & Elizabeth anymore. (I didn't read the summary, I just bought it on Kindle & started reading.) I'm one chapter in & I think there should have just been another series for their children (yep, children!!) I don't know why the publisher/whomever let the story continue in this way. However, I will say, for some writers, once they're emotionally done with their characters, they're done. They loved them while they wrote the books, but now they wanna move on. Maybe that's what happened with this series.
I liked Henry and Christine in different ways. They both felt easier to understand emotionally, in their thought life, than their parents had been & you could understand why they were doing what they were doing for the most part. There was a lot more emotion compared to the rest of the books.
Christine makes one bad decision after the other when it comes to a certain man, & while I was inwardly thinking, "Stop going out with him!", I could understand why she didn't put the brakes on the situation immediately. I was back & forth on my opinion of her employer; he seemed alright one minute, then shifty the next, which kept me on my toes.
Henry's story was probably my favorite of the two intertwined in this book. I won't tell everything, but I'll just say the ending was pretty good!
There were a few kisses, no cussing, some violence.
The author did a good job keeping things interesting. The story didn't drag most of the time, & had a quicker pace than the previous books, I thought. It was less narration & more action.
4 stars. -
The low rating on this book has nothing to do with the writing. It's just, man do I hate Boyd. I saw him being abusive about as soon as we met him. He's volatile in mood. He has no respect for Christine as a person. Oooh! I hated that man. And he lied to her mom. You know he's a no good, dirty rotten, worthless piece of crap if he lies to your mom. Put as much distance between you and a guy like that as possible. And it frustrated me to know that Christine just kept going back to him, excusing his poor behavior. Like have some dignity girl!
Henry's story I liked more than I had anticipated. I did get a little worried when the guy who sounded like he had been in jail for being a rapist showed up in town. Man, I was relieved when they sent him back behind bars on petty crime. Henry's whole story could have gone in a completely different direction after that. -
I didn’t expect to jump so far ahead in the timeline. This book is more about the next generation, as opposed to Wynn & Elizabeth’s story. I couldn’t hardly STAND reading Christine’s portions. It was pretty painful how dumb she was almost the entire book. Let’s just look at it as a lesson on how to NOT find an appropriate mate. Thankfully, Henry’s story, though outlandish for sure, was more enjoyable to read. Only one book left to finish up the series. I’m okay with that.
I will say, the author did a decent job of filling in all the blanks (what happened between the last book and those one) throughout the story. How did this or that come to be? She answered those questions in a fairly organic way. -
I loved this book!
It taught me a lot of lessons about romance.. even though I wasn't really there.
It's pretty important to marry someone that has moral standards the same as yours. -
This is a very enjoyable and inspirational addition to the Canadian West series. About 20 years has lapsed since the previous book took place. This book focuses on Henry and Christine who were adopted by Wynn and Elizabeth Delaney after the last book. Henry and Christine are now adults. Henry has followed his father's footsteps and is a Canadian Mountie and Christine has moved to the city and gotten a job.
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To be honest, I had a really hard time getting into and liking this book. Having this be #5 in the series but have such a time gap between #4 was hard for me to pick up the storyline. The main characters are different with no character development, and the setting is much different, which almost make it a completely different series. But, by the end of the book, I am able to give it 3 stars. There did seem to be more religious philosophizing in this book than the others, too.
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I am reading this series to our children as out bedtime story. I LOVE Janette's ability to share such vivid images of God's love and desire to see us through ANYTHING!
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I have to speak honest truth here. The story of Beyond The Gathering Storm is quite lovely and flows smoothly. I just wish that it involved more of Wynn and Elizabeth instead of their children. I feel this is more of a sequel series instead of actually part of the series that I have started a short time ago. Also I don't mind the speak of God and in the past books it was subtle. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for this one. Now I am not saying that I don't like religion. In fact the opposite. I share the same belief as the characters in the books but I felt that it was much more forced on the reader this time around and I felt like that they tried making that they main part of the story. That part I did not like as I felt it broke the flow of the story many times. Mainly when Christine's part of the story is being told. It was much more subtle with Henry I found.
Let's start with Christine.
I truly felt for the girl. She reminded me if myself abit. Likes her solitude and her own company but she also likes being with her friends. She doesn't stray from God but had someone try and pull her away from him. Her relationship with Boyd, oh Boyd that narcissistic spoiled little ass, was going to be a toxic one for sure. Boyd wanted Christine as a trophy and viewed her as such. He did not like her having a relationship with God and thought it foolish. He did not like her pretty much having some friends or doing what she wanted but it was fine for him to go out with friends and do what he wanted. Reminded me far to much of my own father. I saw it and I wanted to jump into the book and slap and scream and kick the fool as he aggravated me to much. I loved when the story switched to Henry as it gave me a break from Boyd. Man I hated Boyd but kudos on Janette making such a realistic character.
Henry, I felt for Henry. His struggles with his first encounter with Amber and how it left him hurting. You saw him deal with that struggle and overcome it. I liked when he met Amber again and got to become more than just a good friend with her. I hope the next book has more of his story than Christine's. -
I was very surprised with the way this book started and did not expect it. I thought that it would continue on with where the former book left off. This book did not start that way. Time passed and showed the Delaney’s kids grown up. Christine gets in a serious relationship with Boyd. The relationship I upset me because I could see the red flags and how he was not good for her. His anger and outbursts were terrible and then he would change to a happy mood. She was engaged to him and then realized she needed to end it. This really opened my eyes to relationships and knowing how to read them. We should not be yoked with an unbeliever. I’ve had my fair share or bad relationships and with an unbeliever. So this book showed me how important it is to be with someone that is a believer. The book got better as it went on and saw the storyline.
