A Sound Among the Trees

It took me a few tries to really get into this book. I would pick it up, start reading, and quickly get distracted. I would set the book aside. The next time I wanted to read, I'd find something else. This went on a few times until about 4 days ago. I was determined to get past the part that I had read and reread over and over. I know that Susan Meissner is a wonderful author, and I had high hopes for this book. But for some reason, that first chapter did nothing to entice me. I was definitely glad I kept going though.

Marielle Bishop moves from Arizona to Fredericksburg, Virginia when she marries Carson. She agrees to live at Holly Oak, since that is the only home Carson's two children have known. She knows there will be challenges, there always are in blended families. But the challenges she faces are not those she anticipated.

Meet Adelaide McClane, the eccentric elderly woman who owns Holly Oak. She is convinced that the house is "stuck". She uses a scratched record as an example of "stuck". Imagine a record, one of the older ones played on an actual record player. If it gets scratched, it has a hard time playing. It will get to that scratch and play the same part over and over. This is what Adelaide thinks has happened to the house. It is stuck and cannot seem to get past what happened during the Civil War. Susannah Page, Adelaide's great-grandmother, lived at Holly Oak during that time. She is now thought to be haunting Holly Oak, determined to make up for her past as a Yankee spy.

Marielle begins searching for the truth. Is Susannah still with them at Holly Oak? Or is the house stuck in time, not knowing that 150 years have passed since a cannonball struck it's side during a battle? Her focus becomes uncovering the truth and bringing the light of day to buried secrets.

Once I got past that first chapter, being introduced to the different characters that make up A Sound Among the Trees, I was hooked. I had a hard time putting it down after that. I would recommend this book to any of my friends, especially those who enjoy reading a bit about the past, and how it effects the future.

I received this complementary book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for my honest review.