From A Distance (Timber Ridge Reflections, Book 1)

Tamera Alexander
BethanyHouse (2008)
ISBN 9780764203893
Reviewed by Bethany L. Canfield for Reader Views (9/08)


“From A Distance” is a tale of hope, of dreams and the road to accomplishing them. Elisabeth is a budding journalist. Society may think that she is past her prime, that she should just worry about getting married, but she sees a dream that she is about to capture and cannot rest until she does. Elisabeth dreams big, and she will do whatever it takes to get her to her desired goal. Is everything fair game? Are there things that are not acceptable in our pursuit of what we want, or is it every woman for herself? Decisions made in the past will impact the future; however, there is grace to forgive. Will it be enough?

This is a five-star read for sure. It is believable, well-thought-out, well-written, and intriguing. I could not put it down because the storyline was a dream to read, and as I read, the only thing that I didn’t like was that the end was coming! “From A Distance” is filled with interesting topics from that day: female rolls, corsets, male-female relations, propriety, the wild west, slavery, racism, mistrust, civil war, healing from lives lost in the war and much else that I am always interested to read about.

All humans are flawed, and in this book the flaws are not smoothed over, and they are not made pretty. Flaws are evident and they cause guilt to surface. I admire the way Tamera Alexander portrays loss and life, but especially her take on forgiveness. This book contains so many relationships, and they feel completely real -- mainly because they are deep -- deep enough to have times when forgiveness is necessary. Forgiveness is something that is either given or not. I loved the realness of the problems and the distances formed through hurt and pain in “From A Distance.” It felt so real, so relatable, and through the flaws of the characters, I was able to really feel a bond. A great read all around!

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