About the Book

 

Book:  A Promise Child

Author: Kathryn Spurgeon

Genre: Inspirational historic fiction

Release Date: September 10, 2017

She can’t survive the ‘30s alone…

Sibyl Trimble does everything she can to keep her family together. Before falling in love with a handsome, penniless hobo, she lived a life of new cars, speakeasies dances, and fancy cloche hats. 

Then the Great Depression hits Oklahoma. The wind blows topsoil away, hundreds of jobless men hang around town, and the economy falls apart. Even Fremont, her strong, stable husband, grows discouraged and considers leaving as they struggle to put food on the table.

When disaster strikes again, will Sibyl and Fremont move on to California or try to survive in Oklahoma? Neither option sounds promising.



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About the Author

 

Kathryn Spurgeon, an award-winning author and recipient of a 2018 Illumination Book Award, has published over a hundred stories, articles, and poems. She grew up on an Oklahoma farm before moving to South Korea, where she adopted two children. She and her husband, Bill, hold weekly studies in their home for international college students. They have six children and twelve grandchildren.

 

More from Kathryn

 

Researching and writing about the 1930s has been a blast, and although it was the economically worst decade of the last century, faith, love, and life went on. It has been fun to glimpse into that historical time and find amazing and uplifting stories.

 

Sibyl Trimble, my grandmother and the ever up-and-down, emotional but brilliant lady, did her best to create a great family environment. Seeking God, she also studied, taught, and shared about Christ in the midst of heartaches. Based on a true story, I hope this tale will inspire, uplift, and bring a touch of nostalgia to your day.

 

The strength and courage Sibyl revealed can encourage us all and I am honored to share her tale with you.

 

My Review

 

America is deep in the throes of the Great Depression as Sibyl Trimble Pope’s story continues with “A Promise Child” by Kathryn Spurgeon. Reading about deprivation and desperation weighs heavily on the heart but is nevertheless inspiring because of those who refused to give in to defeat and who trusted the Lord in spite of it all. My grandparents grew up during this time period, and my grandpap joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and headed west, so I enjoy reading about the lives of the characters in Spurgeon’s books. It is necessary to read book one, “A Promise to Break,” first in order to understand this second one fully.  

Following the divorce of her parents, Sibyl faces ongoing social ostracism as well as a conflicted heart. She worries that she is not good enough and that her marriage will follow the same destructive pattern as that of her parents. Being raised and groomed for success in the upper echelons of society, she feels out of place in her husband’s world, but she knows that her place is by his side. The effects of the trauma and stress are evident in the characters and remind readers to turn to God and trust Him to provide for each of us. Sibyl determines that: “We would not only survive but thrive in this restricting environment. We would create a family to be proud of. I heard that overcoming difficulties makes you strong. Well, now was the time to be strong.” This message resonates throughout the narrative, which is based on a true story. First-person narration sharpens the intimate feeling that the story evokes, and with a chapter or two allotted to most months, this book reads something like a diary. Sibyl’s view continues to shift and adapt to each day’s challenges as she searches her heart and discovers what joy can be found in the simplest pleasures of life: “Papa taught prestige and riches would transform the world. All I wanted was to find peace, especially for the ones I loved.” In a world where we are all looking for peace, we need to remember that God’s peace passes all understanding, no matter our circumstances or where we live.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

 

 

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About the Book 

Book: A Promise to Break

Author: Kathryn Spurgeon

Genre: Christian Historical

Release Date: July 11, 2016



Click HERE to get your copy.

 

About the Author

A Christian writer, Biblical counselor, teacher and speaker who offers insight, the author loves connecting to people individually and through retreats and conferences.

 

Kathryn’s mission is to teach that the passion of godly love knows no boundaries. Whether with prisoners, international students or those needing assistance, her platform strategy is the concept of personal, intimate encounters with Jesus. Her historical novel, “Up Town,” shows the importance of spiritual encounters with Jesus—small encounters that lead to a more mature spiritual life. Kathryn’s Biblical counseling and teaching background lends itself to this message.

 

She lived in South Korea for two years in her early twenties, spent time in an orphanage and adopted two Korean babies. A single mom for 18 years, she went from welfare to owner and CEO of a multimillion dollar corporation, Integrity Healthy Care. Her company took care of the medical needs of over 4,000 prisoners and during that time she counseled over 200 women.

 

Kathryn and her husband, Bill, hold Bible studies for international students attending the University of Central Oklahoma. They have had many different students live in their home and try to help students in all areas of their lives.

 

Kathryn is on the Mission Team at her home church, Henderson Hills Baptist Church, in Edmond, Oklahoma, where she has been a member for over 13 years. While attending her prior church, Country Estates Baptist Church in Midwest City, Oklahoma, she was on the Finance and Long Range Planning Committees, and taught DivorceCare and Financial classes. She is a Crown Money Map coach.

 

Bill and Kathryn have six children and nine grandchildren at the last count, including some adopted. Their family is internationally diverse. God’s love is enormous and includes all of us.

 

More from Kathryn

 

Nostalgic book

 

Have you ever wished to go back in time and question a relative who is no longer around? Ask what motivated her, discuss her greatest heartaches and how she overcame them, analyze her spiritual journey?

 

My grandmother’s life was full of upheavals and I wish I could have spent more time with her and studied her thought-processes. My mother did spend more time with her. With a clear mind of that time, Mom (and many others) enthusiastically shared memories and discussed the lessons the once wealthy Sibyl Trimble may have gathered in life.

 

What a trip it has been! Autobiographies. Publications. Notes in attic boxes containing information about secret love affairs and heart-breaking losses told with spiritual honesty. The more information I uncovered, the more I wanted to get to know Sibyl Trimble, the person. I wanted to know how God worked in her life. I wanted to write her story.

 

The nostalgic era of the 1930s came alive to me as I travelled to places of lively, boogie-woogie music, old handwritten documents, and tombstones. The amazing, booming town of Shawnee, Oklahoma, was the perfect setting for a Great Depression tale. Some people moved to California during that time. Others stayed in Shawnee. In contrast to “The Grapes of Wrath,” this book relates the experiences of some who remained during one of the worst times in U.S. history. They stayed and thrived.

 

This book is not a recount of simple facts but examines the essence of a brilliant woman who traversed through life, maneuvering the hardships along with the blessings. I uncovered anecdotes, read newspaper articles, and confirmed family lore that had been passed down through generations.

 

Many readers agree Sibyl could have been their grandmother, their heritage, and after reading this book series, they will know Sibyl almost as well as I do.

 

This story is an intimate look at a searching individual during the wistful days of a long-gone era. I expect, after you read “A Promise to Break,” you’ll agree that Sibyl Trimble’s story needed to be told.

 

My Review

 

The 1930s is not a time period with which I am very well acquainted. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, but I haven’t read many books set during this decade. The fact that Kathryn Spurgeon’s “A Promise to Break” is based on a true story enhanced my appreciation for this book, and because it is written in the first person, it truly felt like stepping back almost 90 years into the past. Something that struck me almost immediately was how much things have actually remained the same. Issues that our society and our country is now contending with may seem new, but in reality they are longstanding. Sybil Trimble’s father is an advocate for Socialism, and yet as a well-to-do bank auditor, he is more inclined to talk and not to action. He is not willing to sacrifice anything himself but thinks that he has all of the answers to society’s ills. As Sybil remarks, “Papa, not God, decided what was right or wrong for our family. And right and wrong always depended on his mood that particular day.”

As the oldest child and her father’s protégé, Sybil follows a path already set forth for her. It is not until she meets Fremont, a poor young man and a hobo, that she begins to see beyond the close confines of her sheltered life. Spurgeon does well in demonstrating the conflict within Sybil as her upbringing collides with Fremont’s worldview. Up until this point, she has lived under her father’s thumb, and her goal in life is to please him: “I would do anything to make Papa proud. Anything… I promised I would help Papa change the world. I could never break that promise—Papa was my hero.” As her eyes begin to open to the world outside of her own comfortable home, she finds herself questioning her future and what she truly believes. Sybil’s spiritual journey likewise progresses, and her questions and doubts are very credible coming from someone of her upbringing and class. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 9:24, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When we have everything we need to live securely, it is easy to rely upon ourselves and forget that the Lord is the one who blesses us and provides for us. The journey to accepting and trusting God may be filled with bumps and detours, as is Sybil’s, but what a spectacular treasure awaits for the heart of the faithful!

Anyone who enjoys reading historical memoirs and books about the 1930s, the disparity between rich and poor, and flawed but endearing and sympathetic characters will appreciate Kathryn Spurgeon’s debut, “A Promise to Break.” There were some grammatical errors throughout, but none of them detracted from the story itself, which contains an appealing mixture of faith, family, heartache, and triumph.  

I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

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