Thursday, November 7, 2013

Review: When the Clouds Roll By


When the Clouds Roll By

by Myra Johnson

When the Clouds Roll By is a luminous story about a post-WWII love triangle. The delightful push and pull, twists and turns, keep the reader engaged and guessing how it will all turn out right up until the end.

When Gil returns from the war suffering from what we’d now call PTSD, Annemarie is shocked to discover her fiancĂ©e is not the same man she sent off to war. He returns with a friend in tow, an army chaplain barely hanging on to his faith after his own horrifying war experience.

The story takes place in Hot Springs, Arkansas, a location I had never heard of and certainly never visited. The small resort town plays a wonderful role in this story of love, healing, and life after war. The descriptions of this quaint town - especially the mountains and wildflowers - have placed it on my own map of places worth discovering.

I like that this book deals with the aftermath of the war because it seems like most WWII books work their way toward the happy ending which almost always is the end of the war. But there is much that happens after the treaties are signed. This story refreshingly addresses issues that crop up when soldiers return home.

Told from four perspectives, Johnson relates the stories of individuals striving to pick up the scattered pieces of their lives. Annemarie is a potter by trade and in one of the opening scenes, a piece she had just created is smashed irreparably. It’s a beautiful metaphor, which describes the internal strife of so many after war. But Johnson also crafts a beautiful tale of how faith and true love can piece together a life, which becomes more beautiful, having passed through testing fires.

What do you like best about "War Novels?" Leave us a comment!


The author of eight published novels, Myra Johnson is a two-time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award finalist and winner of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart. Although Myra is a native Texan, she and her husband now reside in North Carolina and share their home with two very spoiled lapdogs. The Johnsons are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, and are also grandparents of four rambunctious grandsons and two precious granddaughters. Myra writes full-time and is currently serving as president of ACFW-Charlotte Chapter (Carolina Christian Writers). Find Myra online here:
Tweeting as @MyraJohnson and @TheGrammarQueen


review by Jennifer Fromke

5 comments:

  1. I *love* Hot Springs, even though we just drove through it coming home from Branson, Missouri. This book sounds like a good one--I'll have to add it to my ever-growing list!

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  2. I love the cover, and the story sounds like a good read. Thanks for sharing, Jen. :)

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  3. Yep, that cover is beautiful! I think it's from Howard books. And there are two more books in this series that are still on the way!

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  4. I enjoyed your review, Jennifer, and look forward to reading this wonderful book!

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  5. Myra, I love the cover and am looking forward to reading it. :)

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