She Is Too Fond of Books: Review of Wildflowers from Winter

Okay, I’m just going to admit it right off the bat: I’m not wild about the genre of Christian women’s fiction. Far too often the characters are flat; the plot simplistic, saccharine, or both; and the message (must there be one?) preachy and overt. So I was thrilled to read Wildflowers from Winter, the debut from novelist Katie Ganshert.

A thoroughly satisfying read, this book combines complex personalities with difficult, real situations that test their strength and their faith – wherever they are in their faith journeys. There are several storylines woven together into one strong plot, each with its own intricacies. Refreshingly, Ganshert gives no pat answers or easy fixes to her characters. Instead, readers sense real growth and development, even in the face of unchanged circumstances.

Ganshert uses a multiple viewpoint narrative structure, which I appreciate. I enjoy delving into the minds and motivations of different primary characters, and Ganshert creates a believable voice for each one. There’s Bethany, the main character, who is forced to return to her roots and face her past as the town freak from the trailer park, a past she abhors so much that she completely cut ties years before and recreated herself as a successful architect in the city. Evan, a young man who helps Bethany’s grandfather on his farm, yearns for his own land, but Bethany’s return might wreck his dreams. And Bethany’s former best friend, Robin, caught in the throes of a nightmare come to life, struggles to come to grips with her new normal.

Honest, vivid, heartbreaking, and joyous, Wildflowers from Winter is well worth your time. For a preview of the first three chapters, click here.



I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.