"God, I'll do anything. I'll be anything. Whatever You want - name it. Just make her better. And You'd better be listening God, because I'm going to make one last promise. If You dare take her away...I'll never speak to You again." (pg 16).
When Abby Fischer made that prayer to God as a promise to her sister Cecilia who was dying of leukemia, she believed God would send help. She never expected it would be in the arms of the man who would help her out of the tree she had crawled in to for her private prayer time. Dr. Robert King, is her cousin Gerald's assistant. Just when all hope is lost for a cure for Cecilia, Robert believes that the latest treatment involving X-rays may be the last option for helping to prolong her life. All of the previous treatments involving morphine and arsenic have failed to bring about the answer to prayer they have been searching for.
Now it seems as if God has indeed provided her with that answer. Armed with the latest textbooks that have shown that a researcher in Chicago discovered one of his cancer patients improved when he irradiated the tumors. Apparently, the radiation not only penetrates the body, it appears to target and kill cancerous cells specifically. Now they can only hope that Cecilia will be strong enough for the treatment to work. Ir could help her gain back some of vitality and provide more time for the treatment to eradicate the cancerous cells.
Yet what Robert and Gerald fear is that the family is making them into heroes and banking on the fact that the cure will work and Cecilia will be healed. But since this treatment is still only exploratory at best and still in the research phase they still don't know how much radiation or length of time she needs to be under the Xray machine. If they're not careful they could end up causing her more damage than healing. No matter how much they try and convey honest expectations to the family and Cecilia, Abby believes God is going to answer their prayer. Only time will tell and it may be that time will be their worst enemy as the great earthquake from 1906 prepares to rock the city.
I received Out of the Ruins from Karen Barnett compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own unless otherwise notated. This is such a great novel based on the two fold research that went into its creation. From the background on medical practices of the early 1900's to the unfolding of the tragic earthquake that devastated San Francisco in 1906. Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. I found myself relating quite a bit to Abby. While she has such a profound love for her sister, she is still weak in her faith and believes prayer is simply a wish list for God to answer. She will have her faith tested in the direst of circumstances when she finds herself all alone in a city while her family remains lost in the multitude attempting to escape the ruins of San Francisco and find safety. She learns that God never leaves us in the midst of our circumstances but walks faithfully by our side from beginning to end. This is the first novel in the Golden Gate Chronicles and I can't wait to see what lies in store in the next novel. I loved this one and can easily give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
For more information about Out of the Ruins, Karen Barnett, or where you can pick up a a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:
You can also find Karen Barnett on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.
To read more reviews on Out of the Ruins, please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page.
Don't miss the debut book, Out of the Ruins, in Karen Barnett's new series, The Golden Gate Chronicles. Set against the backdrop of early 20th century San Francisco, Out of the Ruins will remind readers that no matter who we are or what we’ve done, God is still as close to us as our next breath.
Karen is celebrating with a fun giveaway and Facebook author chat party.
One winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire HDX
- Out of the Ruins by Karen Barnett
So grab your copy of Out of the Ruins and join Karen on the evening of June 19th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)
Thank you for reviewing Out of the Ruins! I'm so glad you enjoyed Robert and Abby's story. :)
ReplyDelete