Rose Among Thornes Blog Tour

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Rose Among Thornes by Terrie Todd, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Rose Among Thornes Author: Terrie Todd Publisher: Iron Stream Media (Heritage Beacon) Release Date: August 31, 2021 Genre: Christian Historical FictionForgiveness is the deadliest force on earth. War might be raging overseas, but Rose Onishi is on track to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a concert pianist. When forced by her government to leave her beloved home in Vancouver and move to the Canadian prairie to work on the Thornes’ sugar beet farm, her dream fades to match the black dirt staining her callused hands. Though the Thorne family is kind, life is unbearably lonely. In hopes that it might win her the chance to play their piano, Rose agrees to write letters to their soldier son. When Rusty Thorne joins the Canadian Army, he never imagines becoming a Japanese prisoner of war. Inside the camp, the faith his parents instilled is tested like never before. Though he begs God to help him not hate his brutal captors, Rusty can no longer even hear the Japanese language without revulsion. Only his rare letters from home sustain him—especially the brilliant notes from his mother’s charming helper, which the girl signs simply as “Rose.” Will Rusty survive the war only to encounter the Japanese on his own doorstep? Can Rose overcome betrayal and open her heart? Or will the truth destroy the fragile bond their letters created?

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My Review

I love this genre and I love this book! In the beginning we are introduced to the Onishi family who live a very modern life in Vancouver. The daughter has her dream, of being a professional pianist, in sight until Pearl Harbor changes everything. When America and Canada are drawn into WWII, fear of Japanese citizens goes out of control. Canada, like the US, decides to place all citizens of Japanese heritage into camps. Rose and her family must give up everything to be moved around like cattle. They are forced to live under terrible conditions and treated like slaves.

Thankfully, God was with them and had a plan to bring good out of all the sadness. The family ended up working for a farm family, who were very kind. The Onishi family lived in a poorly constructed cabin and had to work in the fields, get wood to heat the stove, and prepare their own food. The farmers were Mr and Mrs Thorne and their son Rusty, who was in the service. They were a Christian family. As Mrs Thorne befriended Rose, she encouraged her to write letters to Rusty. Rose and Rusty became close through their letters, but Rusty didn’t know Rose was Japanese.

When Rusty was captured by the Japanese, he was tortured and abused in various prison camps. The book describes many of the horrible things he went through. In addition, he had a crisis of faith. On one hand, he was the strong Christian who encouraged those around him with songs and verses. On the other hand, he had times where he couldn’t see or feel God’s presence.

When Rusty is finally freed and returns home the sight of Rose is horrifying to him. The Thornes decide to keep the Onishi family away from their son, as they prayed for him to forgive. Rusty isn’t the only one who was filled with hate. The author also points out how the entire country had hate for the Japanese. The country wanted to ship them all to Japan.

Rose and her family had much fear and didn’t know what was going to happen to them next. Rose was facing the end of her dreams. Would she have to move to a country she didn’t even know?

You will find that this is a wonderful Christian book and one that you can’t put down. I highly recommend this book to everyone. There is some content about the war that is hard to read, but it is handled sensitively. The author studied real experiences of Japanese citizens to write this book. You’ll really have to think about the issue of forgiveness and how it’s the right thing, especially for a Christian.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR