You will not want to put (this book) down and you will likely read (it) again!

Review done by Jessa

The Place of Belonging is a novel written through the eyes of a young girl living in 1940′s Montana.  Janie is seemingly left behind and replaced after her mothers’ marriage.  Living first with her grandmother and then finally with her mother, step-father and numerous siblings on their large farm, Janie is constantly looking to find her place with the hope that her faith will help her find her way.  Janie’s feelings of separation and loss after her mothers marriage and consequent children will easily make the reader relate to this young girl and her plight for place and acceptance in her non-traditional nuclear family.

The bulk of this novel is the monologue of young Janie.  While Janie is not an overly observant child, she is not without questioning and wonder about adult action and mannerisms.  Her thoughts and actions in this novel are very fitting for a girl her age which makes her character much more realistic.  You feel as if you are reading a diary more so then a story written by another.

The one downside I found was the lack of fully rounded characters.  I often felt that I had to make my own back story leading up to each event. As well as give each character presented a fuller personality of my own imagining.  I would have been more fully engaged in the story if more details had been presented about the characters.  There were so few verbal interactions that it was very difficult to get a good feel for the depth and dimension of those other relationships.

In my opinion, Ms. Faulkner presents a novel that is definitely worth the read.  While the novel is geared to an intended Christian audience I did not find it to be a book those not particularly interested in Christian fiction would be turned off by.  Janie is a character you will find easy to relate with.  The Place of Belonging is an enjoyable, quick read that you will not want to put down and you will likely read again.   Ms. Faulkner has presented a writing style that is enjoyable to fiction readers.  It is also a safe choice for a younger teen reader.  I would recommend The Place of Belonging to others.

I received this book free from Bring It On Communications in exchange for a written review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.  To read more reviews about this book and others visit Tell Us The Truth Reviews.