I first read this book as part of a book exchange I used to be a part of. I got it from my best friend, Hannah Ashley (Check out her gorgeous blog at www.ourfulllife.wordpress.com).
I'll be honest...at first, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it. It's a diary of a young girl's journey to grow and know herself and deepen her relationship with God. While I always enjoy a good Christian book, I was afraid this would be more of a young adult novel. Boy was I wrong! While it is a wonderful book for young girls (in fact, I highly suggest it for girls age and up), it is also a wonderful book for adults.
Katherine's journey unexpectedly helped me! She faced many of the same trials and afflictions I myself have faced. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but some of the things she faces are dating and engagement troubles, marriage troubles, becoming a mother, and even difficulties in friendships!
Below are a few of my favorite quotes from the book.
“But you will imagine that it is best that He should at once enable you to see clearly. If it is, you may be sure He will do it. He never makes mistakes. But He often deals far differently with His disciples. He lets them grope their way in the dark until they fully learn how blind they are, how helpless, how absolutely in need of Him. What His methods will be with you I cannot foretell. But you may be sure that He never works in an arbitrary way. He has a reason for everything He does. You may not understand why He leads you now in this way and now in that, but you may, nay, you must believe that perfection is stamped on His every act.”
“On the whole, there is nobody like one's own mother... I wonder if, after all, mothers are not the best friends there are!”
“...if God chooses quite another lot for you, you may be sure that He sees that you need something totally different from what you want.”
“...God notices the most trivial act, accepts the poorest, most threadbare little service, listens to the coldest, feeblest petition, and gathers up with parental fondness all our fragmentary desires and attempts at good works. Oh, if we could only begin to conceive how He loves us, what different creatures we should be!”
I could go on and on with the quotes. This book is chock-full of them! I am one who underlines or highlights passages in books that speak to me and writes notes in my books margins and you should see my copy of this book!
In conclusion, this story, though fictional, really touched my heart. It gave solid, sound advice while providing a wonderful, page turner story line. I very highly recommend it and give it a review of five stars!
Be sure to check it out and read it. Also, if you read it, be sure to let me know what your opinion on it is! I love feedback!