JULIA'S HOPE

From a fresh new voice in Christian fiction comes this simple, well-told story of one family's experience of love, generosity, forgiveness and faith during the Great Depression. Samuel and Julia Wortham and their two young children leave Harrisburg, Pa., with only eight dollars and three bags containing all their worldly goods. They're hitchhiking to Vernon, Ill., where there is the promise of a job and a roof over their heads. Along the way, the family stumbles onto a deserted farmhouse belonging to the elderly widow Emma Graham, who was forced to leave her home because of her health and longs to return. As Julia works out a solution to her family's troubles and Emma's, the small farm promises to be a haven and place of healing for all concerned — if the neighbors don't interfere. George Hammond's farm adjoins Emma's, and he sees the interlopers as moving in on his territory, while spinster Hazel Sharpe is determined to see her version of justice done. Kelly tells the story from several different points of view, handling the switches smoothly and changing voices believably. The faith threads in the novel are gently woven in, rather than feeling forced or contrived, and the writing is beautifully descriptive without being overdone. The novel ends rather abruptly, leaving the reader wishing for just a bit more — not a particularly bad way to finish. Overall, Kelly's smooth voice and well-crafted writing keep the pages turning. (Sept.)