Book Description:
Grandchildren are not in short supply for Grant and Audrey Whitman, although their middle daughter, Danae, and her husband, Dallas Brooks, after trying for years, have not been able to contribute to the growing family. Danae is open to adoption, but Dallas will not even discuss it. Her despair over never having a family of her own is so deep, it even causes her to question God’s plan for her life. Knowing she must find something to do to fill her lonely days and energize her life, Danae volunteers to work at a newly opened women’s shelter in town. She was only looking for a way to spend her time, but getting to know the hurting women at the shelter fills her heart and she learns to live a life of gratitude once again. But heart-wrenching events on Thanksgiving weekend threaten to pull the entire Whitman clan into turmoil— and leave them all forever changed
My Thoughts:
Another Way Home is the third book in Deborah Raney's Chickory Inn series and it is the best one so far. I have had the honor of reading and reviewing the first two books in this series and each one is better than the last. Another Way Home focuses on Danae and Dallas Brooks. They have been trying for many years to have a family, had many fertility treatments, and haven't been able to get pregnant. Danae's sisters have 5 between them and one on the way and each time it kills Danae to not be a part of it and it affects the relationships Danae has with other people especially her sisters and question God's plans. Danae has been open to adoption but Dallas won't do it or talk about it. Danae decides she needs to find something to fill her days so she volunteers at a women's shelter even though Dallas and her Dad have some major reservations. Danae finds being at the shelter helping these women and children brings her joy she hasn't had in a long time. Danae finds herself filled with purpose and really connecting with one woman and her son especially. Even Dallas comes to the shelter to help and he finds himself connecting with the little boy. When Dallas and Danae help her out over Thanksgiving and the events that unfold from there throws their lives up in the air and changes them forever.
Another Way Home is FANTASTIC. I am a huge fan of Deborah Raney having read quite a few of her books since I started reading Christian Fiction. Those who read my reviews know that I don't read much in the category of Christian Contemporary fiction but I have a few authors of Christian Contemporary Fiction that I read and Deborah Raney is at the top of that list. I really feel that Another Way Home is the best book I have read by Deborah Raney. This is one of those books that after I read it I had to take time to process before I could review it because it is that kind of book. I really had a hard time putting it down at night, this book grabbed me from the start and held on to me until the end, keeping me guessing how it would all work out until the end. I don't know that I will be able to do this book justice in this review because it is just deep and well written but I am doing to try. In this book, Deborah Raney deals with some big topics and she writes with authority on them including adoption, infertility, the effects of infertility on the family, domestic violence, and the effects domestic violence has on adults and children. Another Way Home really deals with these topics honestly and tastefully. As I read this book, the emotion and levity of this story really hit me. Deborah Raney wrote with such passion that you can feel the emotions in her writing. I really love that she is able to write about these topics cleanly, without having to be graphic. As a reader, I felt the full effects of these things without it having to be vulgar or violent. This book really brought out a range of emotions from laughing out loud to heartbroken and sobbing for the characters. The characters in this book and this series are well written and relatable to everyone, things don't just work out in the end but how the characters handle them is key. As someone who has dealt with some of these issues including infertility and domestic violence Deborah Raney captured not just the topics but the heart of these issues and all the emotions that surround them for everyone, not just the main characters but all of those around them and in the situation with them. This book really touched me and it is one of those that will stay with me for awhile. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, especially after the sneak peek at the end of this book. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who reads Contemporary Fiction, it will not disappoint. I give this book 5+ STARS.
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