Then Came Heaven - Hardcover

Spencer, LaVyrle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 156865569X ISBN 13: 9781568655697

Publisher: Lowell House, 2011

Synopsis

* A Literary Guild Main Selection Can love survive a shattering loss? A grief-stricken widower learns to open his heart again in LaVyrle Spencer's touching and emotionally charged new novel. Late summer, Browerville, Minnesota, 1950: Life is just about perfect for Eddie Olczak. A devoted husband and father, a man of unshakable faith, he derives intense pleasure from the life he's built with his beloved wife, Krystyna, and their two daughters, and is the dedicated handyman for St. Joseph's, the Catholic church that is the cornerstone of Browerville life. But when a tragic accident cuts Krystyna's life short, Eddie is sure his heart is broken forever. Krystyna was everything to him--his true companion. As friends and relatives rally around the family in the dark days and weeks that follow, there is one person who is unable to express what the loss of Krystyna means to her. Sister Regina, the girls' teacher at St. Joseph's school, has always felt a special affinity for the family. Yet her religious vows prevent her from becoming too close to them, even in their time of need. In the past, Sister Regina had bristled under the constraints of the order, but always reaffirmed her commitment through prayer and contemplation. Now the strict rules of the Benedictine sisterhood, which once gave her life a sense of meaning, chafe at her more insistently. Time passes, and Sister Regina and Eddie Olczak continue to cross paths. Deep inside, they realize there is something between them--more than a kinship, a connection that somehow goes beyond their shared love of Krystyna and the girls. Thrilled--and secretly frightened--they both must summon the courage to look within their hearts and make their own choices. Powerful, moving, and deeply affecting, Then Came Heaven is a celebration of love and tenderness, a book LaVyrle Spencer's fans are sure to cherish long after the last page is turned.

About this title

About the Author

 LaVyrle Spencer is the bestselling author of 22 novels.

From AudioFile

Here the lives of two special people, Eddie Olczak and Sister Regina, become intertwined after Eddie's wife dies. This romance reveals the depth of their commitment to Catholicism, their budding love for one another and their struggles to create new lives for themselves. Amy Irving's performance is so subtle that she disappears as narrator, captivating the listener with the difficult emotional lives of the characters. Irving has mastered the Polish accent and flawlessly recounts the many Catholic services, offices and practices. Spencer's narrative is matter of fact while Irving's performance of the dialogue brings out the full personalities of the characters. M.B.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Lowell House
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 156865569X
• ISBN 13: 9781568655697
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 571