"Her family had to be alive. The Almighty was both powerful and loving, so no other outcome was possible."
"Time to ride with Jesus upon the storm."
Just that morning war widow Evelyn Benson had been snuggling with her nephew and watching her sassy niece argue about what to wear to the circus. Originally planning to join her brother and his family at the highly anticipated matinee performance, Evelyn had to give up her seat when the owner of the diner where she worked insisted that she come in for an extra shift. When a plume of gray smoke appears in the sky and the wail of sirens pierce through the afternoon bustle, Evelyn takes off in the direction of the circus . . . only to discover that an indescribable tragedy has taken down the big top.
"Fraidy Freddie" alias Hank Webb, (actually Henry Frederick Webster, but that's another story) a popular clown among his other jobs for the circus, collides with a desperate woman searching for family members outside the carnage that was once the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Recognizing her as the pretty young waitress from Clyde's Diner, Hank offers what help he can lend, while dreading to tell Evelyn what he already knew.
"No one should have to go through a trauma like this alone."
What an impressive impression of a "day to remember" in American history; July 6, 1944. Populated with vibrant characters, whose search for truth and the courage to live with the results merge with the deep desires of their hearts, making the spiritual journey required to embrace the goodness among the sorrow all that more precious. Proving once more that "as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9
A highly recommended read for fans of well researched historical fiction layered with inspiration and romance.
*I purchased a copy and was under no obligation to provide a positive review
BackCover Blurb:
Will Faith Perish in the Big Top’s Flames?
Introducing
a new series of 6 exciting novels featuring historic disasters that
transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man,
these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered.
Evelyn Benson’s husband perished in the Bataan Death March but not her
faith. The World War II Gold Star widow is taken in by her brother and
soothed by the love of his wife and children. Evelyn refuses to cower to
grief. She may not understand God’s mysterious ways, but she has never
questioned Him—until the circus fire.
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus train chugs into
Hartford, Connecticut, on a sweltering day one month after the Allies
invaded Normandy. Among the roustabouts is a reluctant clown, Hank Webb.
He may hide from his murky past behind grease paint as Fraidy Freddie,
but God wants to offer Hank a chance to be found. Though first, what
little Hank believes about God will endure a fiery trial.
On Thursday, July 6, 1944, a devastating blaze of unknown origins
consumes the circus tent along with Evelyn’s hopes and Hank’s
anonymity.
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