My review of Wings of a Dream by Anne Matter. Great story!

About the book:

Rebekah Hendricks dreams of a life far beyond her family's farm in Oklahoma, and when dashing aviator Arthur Samson promised adventure in the big city, she is quick to believe he's the man she's meant to marry. While she waits for the Great War to end and Arthur to return to her so they can pursue all their plans, her mother's sister falls ill. Rebekah seizes the opportunity to travel to Texas to care for Aunt Adabelle, seeing this chance to be closer to Arthur's training camp as God's approval of her plans.


But the Spanish flue epidemic changes everything. Faced with her aunt's death, Arthur's indecisiveness, and four children who have no one else to care for them, Rebeka is torn between the desire to escape the type of life she's always led and the unexpected love that just might change the dream of her heart.

My review:

Masterful debut. I loved that it was in first person POV, which is not common for historical novels, but the style worked very well. Wings of a Dream totally captured my heart. I loved how the author took what was essentially a self-centered young woman and matured her through a variety of painful circumstances over which she had no control. I felt bad for Rebekah because she wanted to do the right thing, but she was afraid of being passed over entirely if she said no, so she struggled with it. That made her very easy to relate to and likable. 


I read this book in two sittings. I simply couldn't make myself break away from the story from page 81 to the end. I fell in love with those children as much as the heroine did. The author showed them in all of their good and bad behavior so well they seemed like real kids to me and not fictional characters. I could see how she felt overwhelmed at times, but on the other hand them needing her gave her a sense of purpose.


This is a passionate story about finding true love. The hero was a great guy all around, but he had his weaknesses, making him that much more real to me. I wanted to kick him in the butt and tell him to go after her and not let her get away. Thankfully, he must have heard me mentally yelling at him while I read because he did just that (much to my delight and pleasure) and so rather than being sad at the end, I sighed with relief. This book is enthralling. I can't say much more without giving some spoilers. 


I found it necessary to be vague in my above description because half the fun of this story is not knowing what she will do or who she will choose. My heart was very satisfied with how everything came together in the end. Even more than that, I loved the strong faith message in this story that God's path often doesn't match ours, but when our paths become one we are truly satisfied. 


What's the takeaway value of this book? The message that God will give us the desires of our heart, but that usually comes with necessary changes because rarely do our desires match God's at the outset. He knows just what we need. If nothing else, this book is great when it comes to encouraging us all to wait on God and to allow Him to direct our lives until we are fully and completely aligned with His will. But we can't do that if we don't surrender to Him and listen for His prompting. Well done!


Wings of a Dream was published by Bethany House and released in Sept. 2011.