At thirty-one, Ellen Barrett has already won a Pulitzer prize. Sadly, though, her skill as a journalist far surpasses her ability to sort out her troubled past. When she returns to picturesque Petoskey, Michigan, for her beloved father’s funeral, it’s a traumatic emotional and spiritual journey for Ellen—a rediscovery of what is truly important and eternal.
Will facing her past tear Ellen apart—or teach her what is truly important in her life?Ellen Barrett, thirty-one, is a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist with an uncertain marriage, a forgotten faith, and haunting memories of her picturesque hometown and the love she left behind. The eldest of five siblings, Ellen longs for the time, long ago, when they were happy—when they were a family.Then tragedy strikes. Now Ellen’s beloved father is dead, and she must leave Miami and return to her childhood home on the shores of Little Traverse Bay in Petoskey, Michigan.As she returns to a world that was, an avalanche of memories is unleashed. And so Ellen’s quest begins—a quest to make peace with the people who still live there, with the losses and changes that time has wrought, and with the future God has set before her.
Karen Kingsbury is an internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author with over 25 million copies of her books in print. She is known for her captivating stories which often focus on family, faith, and love. Kingsbury has written over 40 novels, including her Baxter Family series, which follows the lives of the Baxter family through difficult circumstances. Her books have been made into movies, translated into multiple languages, and have earned her numerous awards and honors. Kingsbury's writing style is unique and her stories are often thought-provoking and inspiring. She is able to combine real-life issues with faith-based principles to create stories that are both entertaining and meaningful. Her books often center around a family's struggles and how faith in God can help them overcome their difficulties. For fans of Kingsbury's work, it can be difficult to know where to start. Karen Kingsbury books are often grouped into series, with each series focusing on a different set of characters. Reading the books in order can help readers better understand the characters and appreciate the growth of the story as a whole. Kingsbury's work is also compiled into box sets and collections that make it easier to read her entire body of work.