Sing for Me by Karen Halvorsen Schreck ~ Review

My Review:
A captivating tale set against tumultuous times.

Rose Sorenson is a hardworking young woman who longs for the sounds and music of the late night jazz clubs. The Danish Baptist Church she attends, looks down on the worldly songs that are sung on the radio and in the clubs, but Rose finds herself drawn to them and their beauty.
When Rose gets the chance to sing for a band called The Chess Men, she has a choice to make between her family's expectations and the song in her heart.

I loved the style of this novel, I thought it fit the story and the setting very well, evoking the emotion and forbidden love, showing a part of history that we don't necessarily hear much about. Rose was a strong, yet vulnerable heroine, who loved her family, especially her sister. Theo was a gallant, and selfless hero, who knew that the way he was being treated wasn't right, but he dared to dream of a brighter future.

I think that my favorite character was Sophy, because she could say so much without really saying anything. I loved her delight in the small things, and how she truly wanted the very best for her sister.

This is an evocative novel set in the year 1937, the tail end of the Great Depression, and the beginning of the troubles leading to WWII, the country is recovering, but many are irreparably changed by the long years of hardship.

Overall, this was a fantastic book that kept my eyes glued to the pages, even when I knew I had something else that I should have been doing instead! I loved the characters and the subtly of their interactions and emotions, little movements and expressions spoke volumes. In a way this was a sort of coming-of-age story, and Rose was a brave young woman willing to chart a new and dangerous course at the dawning of a new era. I loved how the book showed how God gives us different gifts, so that he can use us in different ways. Rose wasn't meant to walk the same path as her peers and parents before her, but make her own way by following her calling.

 I will definitely be on the look out for the next book from Ms. Schreck!



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