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The Yearning Deep Inside Her--to Go Somewhere, Discover Something, Be a Part of the World About Her in a New Way--Would Not Go Away. But What Would Satisfy It? In The Tender Years, Virginia Simpson managed to struggle through adolescence and was looking forward to stepping into adulthood. When her graduation day arrives, she walks to the podium as the class valedictorian to the proud grins of her grandparents, Marty and Clark Davis. College beckoned, and life seemed to be well in hand. She thought she would feel different. Like an adult, with an inner knowledge that she was on the edge of the nest, ready to try her own wings. And then circumstances began swirling around her, making her rethink her plans and reevaluate her priorities. If She Only Knew What the Future Held?… (more)
User reviews
While I still greatly appreciate that aspect of the story, I'll admit Virginia's character irritated me somewhat this time around. She's pretty timid and tongue-tied while the young men she meets do pretty much all the talking. The couple of times when certain characters' jerky behavior gets to Virginia and she finally shows a little fire by calling them out on it, she shrinks back afterward. She rather comes off as a "Mary Sue" beside her fast-lane, selfish...friend, Jenny—a girl Virginia has almost nothing in common with. And especially during the second half of the novel, Virginia is frequently in tears.
Also, regarding an aspect of her view on Christianity that hit me differently this time than it might have when I was an adolescent... Well, I'll say that asking questions of your faith doesn't have to mean you're losing it or in danger of doing so. A faith that can't face uncomfortable, honest questions can lead to insular beliefs that a person can only hold on to while they're in a safe bubble or in an echo chamber with people who think the same way. Many times, people don't truly grow into a faith that can last through life's confounding twists and complexities until they grapple with questions from outside of their one, limited perspective.
God can handle people asking all kinds of questions.
On a different note, I still like how this novel brings together characters from two previous series. Granted, similar to other books by this author, the story sort of just finds a place to eventually stop rather than having a real climax and resolution, and a romance squeezed in around the last ten pages doesn't make for compelling romantic development.
Even so, the gentle pacing overall, the warm cups of tea, the "everyday-ness" of regular folks working through some normal problems, the ultimate sense of hope... There are still reasons why I've turned to this author again and again for comfort reading over the years.