Lynn P. (Bama-Booklover) - reviewed on 4/6/2015 + 140 more book reviews

A well written shorter novel by Tracie Peterson: pulls you into the WWII time period. I felt the loneliness and heartache of a young man on his own; with an injury that kept him from serving in the war. He served in his own way by delivering telegrams to families to notify them their loved one was missing or worse, killed in action. He was ostracized by the community because they were blaming him for their loss (he was the messenger of their misfortune, they were "killing the messenger"). He'd given up hope and was ready to join his parents in death but his neighbor, a lonely widow, found him in need.

The neighbor took it upon herself to show him love, help care for him, and stood up for him at the church's Christmas Eve service. He found that he was still cared for and found God again.

This is a very touching story, based on the symbolism of the service flags that are still displayed today to show a family member is serving in the military. The story meant a lot to me as I have one hanging for my grandson, and pray I never have to replace the blue star with a gold star.

I read this book in one afternoon; it's a short book, easy to follow, easy to read. It's especially suitable for the Christmas season but I enjoyed it on a spring afternoon.

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