What Momma Left Behind by Cindy K Sproles Review

Good Morning Everyone :)

I hope your week is off to a great start, and that you all had a fantastic weekend. Mine was definitely up and down, but I started a couple of new devotionals through Youversion that I'm loving, and I also got to spend a lot of time with my hubby.

Another thing that definitely made the weekend better was getting to curl up with some more amazing reads, as there's very few things I enjoy more than that.

Today I'd like to share my review with you all of a fairly recently released Christian historical fiction title.

What Momma Left Behind by Cindy K. Sproles:

Source: Complimentary Copy Provided by the Publisher 

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: June 2nd, 2020

Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction

Synopsis:

Worie Dressar is seventeen years old when influenza and dysentery ravage her Appalachian Mountain community in 1898, leaving behind a growing number of orphaned children with no way to care for themselves. Worie's mother has been secretly feeding a number of these little ones on Sourwood Mountain. But when she dies suddenly, Worie is left to figure out why and how she was caring for them.

Plagued with two good-for-nothing brothers--one greedy and the other a drunkard--Worie fights to save her home and the orphaned children now in her begrudging care. Along the way, she will discover the beauty of unconditional love and the power of forgiveness as she cares for all of Momma's children.

Storyteller and popular speaker Cindy K. Sproles pens a tender novel full of sacrifice, heartache, and courage in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I have to be honest and state that this one took me a little while to get into. I found the plot dragged quite a bit for the first part, which was kind of surprising since it is such a short novel.  A lot of times the story failed to hold my attention, and that ended up being slightly disappointing as it did have a lot going for it. 

I haven't personally read too many novels that are set in the Appalachian mountains, and I highly enjoyed that the author made them the setting of this story. While I may not have loved the entire story, I did love the setting, and I thought Cindy K. Sproles did a fantastic job of representing what this time period in history would have been like for the people that made the mountains their home. She didn't sugarcoat or gloss over the harsh realities of "the fever" and its aftermath, and I think personally that it made it that much more realistic to the reader.

I'm always a big proponent of stories that emphasize the idea that family goes much deeper than blood relations. This element was definitely my favorite part of What Momma Left Behind, and I loved how Worie takes it upon herself to help any orphans like herself who've been left behind after the fever has claimed their parents. While she does spend a good portion of the novel complaining, she never hesitates to help another in need, even when it means another mouth that she may not be able to afford to feed.

I enjoyed the fact that the faith content shines through in pretty much every chapter, and I loved the fact that its message is delivered from a handful of lively characters including Justice, Pastor Jess, Ely and Bess. They were all characters I came to care about by the end of the story, and I thought they each brought a unique element to this historical piece of fiction. However, I can't say I ever came to like Worie's character. I appreciated the selflessness she shows throughout, but she honestly just rubbed me the wrong way, and I ended up enjoying the secondary characters more than I did her.

All in all, I'm really glad I had the opportunity to read this one as it shines a light on some important pieces of history, and speaks to the importance of family, trusting God, and learning to follow His plan even when we don't understand the reasons behind it. I don't think this will end up being a reread for me, but I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who's a fan of hard hitting Christian historical fiction.

Final Rating: 3/5.

Thanks so much to Revell for allowing me to read and review this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) in exchange for an honest review as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.