Book Of The Week #15- The Singing River Series by Gilbert Morris

The Singing River Series

by Gilbert Morris

  The Singing River Series is a historical fiction series that takes place during The Great Depression in fictional Fairhope, Arkansas. The four part saga begins as Lanie Belle Freeman, the oldest of four- soon to be five- children, is wrapping up her freshman year of high school. Her father, Forrest, is a logger who's starting a business of his own, which isn't easy. Lanie's mother is preparing to have her fifth child, but she isn't as strong as she should be. When Elizabeth passes after giving birth to Corliss, Lanie, who has dreams of going to college and becoming an author, quits school to care for the baby as well as her three other siblings, Maeva, Davis and Cody. And from there, things only get worse.

Books in the series include:

The Homeplace

The Dream

The Miracle

The Courtship

   

  

This was probably the first "adult" series I ever read when I was younger. I checked out each book from the library when I was thirteen. I probably didn't quite grasp all the concepts back then, but I really loved it as someone who's always been drawn to historical fiction. And though it is a book intended for adults, there was nothing in it too mature for my thirteen-year-old eyes. After all, the main character herself is fourteen when the series starts. There isn't any vulgar content going on here, and I would be comfortable recommending it to teenagers that like historical fiction.

  This series is full of heartbreak. It's set at a dark place in our country's history and the Freeman's seem to run into trouble each way they turn. But there's also humor in the story, as well as hope. From the kids starting up a business of selling "out house seat covers," to Cody preaching on street corners, and the Freeman's befriending eccentric Butcher Knife Annie, there are plenty of things to lighten the mood and show how we can find joy in the hardest times in life. I think this series is a prime example of how tight knit a family can be, especially in strenuous circumstances. After Forrest is wrongfully imprisoned, the Freeman kids have to help raise one another, earning money from odd jobs and thinking up ways to stay together, stay alive, and to free their father.

  Romance is a backdrop to the Singing River series. I have a conflicted view of "romance" novels. I hate the ones that are too cutesy and mushy and portray the woman as weak. But the romance in this series is much different. It's subtle and imperfect, which I think is the most "real" kind of romance. And Lanie is a very strong character, dealing with things girls her age should never even have to consider. Her suitors admire her strength and never belittle her, and for that I really enjoy the aspects of romance in this series.

  Overall, I think this is a great series that people who love Christian fiction and historical fiction would love.

I give The Singing River series a 4 out of 5.