The Soul of the Rose by Ruth Trippy ~ Review

My Review:

Celia decides to make a fresh start by taking a job working for dear family friends, the Chestley's, at their book shop. While there, Celia makes a big impact on the small community, catching the eye of a young man training to be a lawyer, as well as the mysterious and reclusive, Edward Lyons.

Celia shares her love of literature with the community through a weekly book discussion, the community welcomes her readily, even Mr. Lyons who is drawn to her fresh beauty and insightful mind.

With multiple men vying for her hand, Celia has to decide whether to follow her heart or the One Who Made It.

A fascinating book that focuses on the beautiful harmony of art and religion, as well as the importance of Biblical doctrine rather than man made constructs that seek to eliminate God from our daily lives. I liked how this book explored importance of genuine faith, partially dissecting worldviews like deism and transcendentalism.

From the beginning there is warmth and familiarity about the community, especially from the Chestleys who are a very dear middle aged couple, who demonstrate a godly marriage and hospitality throughout. There are many interesting characters, who are all a mix of good and bad. I thought that the story dealt realistically for the time period with the various situations at hand.

Celia has an innate love for literature and art, with a firm shining faith that cannot help but attract all who cross her path. She has a firm foundation of faith from her family, and in many ways is mature for her age. I admired her faith and her willingness to let go of what she wanted because she knew it was right.

Overall, I applaud this book for its strong messages of faith and firm doctrine, and as a fellow booklover it was impossible not to be drawn to this book and its heroine. Mr. Lyons is an excellent brooding leading man, drawing comparisons to Mr. Rochester or Beast from Beauty and the Beast. I liked how the author strove to show how art and literature can be appreciated with a Christian worldview and insight, and how these things give a window to the soul of their authors and creators. This book had something of a gothic feel to it with a nod to Jane Eyre, though in the middle the pace lagged a bit. At times it felt predictable, but I liked how this book took a more in depth look at faith and the intellectual side of things than many other books of its contemporary. A book written for booklovers, it shines with appreciation for literature alongside a firm faith foundation.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.