Blog Tour: An Absence So Great

An Absence So Great by Jane Kirkpatrick is actually the second book in a series. Although, I never realized this until about halfway through the book. It did well as a stand-alone read. There were definitely parts of it I enjoyed and parts that had me shaking my head. 

What I truly felt was very cool about the entire series is that Ms. Kirkpatrick wrote these based on the life of her real grandmother, Jessie Gaebale. Her grandmother was a photographer at the turn of the century when it was still very much a man's occupation. Ms. Kirkpatrick also included copies of real photographers that her grandmother had taken with the stories behind them. 

As an amateur photographer that part of the book intrigued me greatly. However, the actual "love story" involved was just strange. Perhaps if I had read the first book it would have made more sense to me. I guess the saying that truth is stranger than fiction applies here.

Summary:

Inspired by the engaging stories told through her grandmother’s photographs taken at the turn of the century, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick provides a portrait of the tension between darkness and light in the soul of a young woman pursuing her  professional dreams.

Despite growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is still at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those ill with mercury poisoning. 

Jessie gains footing on her dream to one day own her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession. But even a job she loves can’t keep those painful memories from seeping into her heart, and the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life.

Author Bio:

Jane Kirkpatrick is an award-winning author of sixteen historical novels, including A Flickering Light, the first part of Jessie Gaebale’s story, and three nonfiction titles. Known for her unique insights into the exploration of community, family and faith of actual historical women, the Wisconsin native and her husband have called their ranch in Oregon home for the past 25 years.


An Absence So Great can be purchased here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for these book reviews. I am given copies of the books by the WaterBrook Multnomah Blogging for Books program to read in exchange for my review. Of course, this arrangement works well for me since I love to read! If you are interested in seeing how to get free books to review, click on the link in my side bar.