Review of Belonging

Belonging by Robin Lee Hatcher is the first in the historical fiction series Where The Heart Lives. Felicia Kristoffersen is determined to escape her old life as a mistreated orphan to the new life of a teacher in rural Idaho. Ever since her childhood she has been completely alone, save her relationship with her Savior. Her two siblings were separated from her on an orphan train, and her attempts to reconnect have resulted in failure. Now, Felicia must win the hearts of the townspeople, especially the children, in her new town. However, that may be a hard task to accomplish. There are already some influential people who think Felicia shouldn't belong in their tight-knit town. Surely an inexperienced, unmarried young woman doesn't belong!

Widower Colin Murphy is one such person. He has seen many schoolmarms come and go with one intent: find a man and marry him. His mistrust in Felicia stems from his daughter Charity, a young student of Felicia who thinks the world of her. Charity's struggles with school and Felicia's inexperience make Colin hesitate, but he then discovers the beautiful person she really is and begins to doubt himself. Yet jealous rivals and an impressionable town begin to challenge any relationship Felicia and Colin might have.

Do things really work out for good for God's children?

The author's writing style is excellent. I saw no flaws in the flow of the story, and I have to admit, this is probably one of the best books I have read from this author. Felicia's story is touching, although her past is very sad. Her sweet attitude and trust in God is certainly admirable. I am also pleased to report that there were absolutely no objectionable content in this book. One of the most interesting aspects in this book were the antagonists. Usually it's all black and white in books. Here's the good, and here's the evil. The author shows that one of the women who are against Felicia really does change as the story progresses. It shows that even the "bad" characters are human. I liked that.

The author does do a good job of making this story unique. However, this type of novel is somewhat cliche. Woman moves away, woman meets widower with a child, child falls for woman, and then widower falls for woman. The conflict also is typical in this genre of books. Yes, this book is unique and beautifully written. I just wish it were more original.

All in all, I rate this book four out of five stars

Specifics (from amazon.com):
~ Paperback: 288 pages
~ Publisher: Zondervan (August 16, 2011)

Note: Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free e-copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Blessings,