All for a Song - eBook

While I thoroughly enjoy Allison Pittman's books, "All for a Song" left me somewhat unsatisfied. The setting was interesting, but the plot was rather milquetoast. I felt as if I had a bird's eye view of one relationship and a blink of another. The abruptness where one relationship ended and another began was only overshadowed by the lack of connectivity between Lynnie's past and present. It left me with more questions and disappointment that I had two halves of a story.

I wasn't sure how I was going to like this book when I first started it. I actually started and stopped this book, twice, before picking it up to read it again; not because it was boring, but because I wasn't sure how I would feel about it once I got into the story. I worried for nothing. This is the first book I've read written in this time period (I think), and I wasn't disappointed. From the moment Dorothy Lynn comes running home, I was captured. The story was impeccably written, switching from present day to past seamlessly. The descriptions of the characters and their emotions and feelings swept me away and I felt as if I was actually part of the story.

Dorothy Lynn Dunbar is an exciting character. She is simple and pure and honest and refreshing all at once. The author does a fantastic job of portraying Dorothy's emotions and feelings throughout the story. So much so that I could sympathize with her and could feel her confusion as she faces things she never dreamed she'd face. Roland Lundi and Brent Logan represent two sides of Dorothy's story. Each are equally intriguing, and provide fantastic secondary characters for Dorothy's interactions.

This story, written as a kind of prodigal son story, has some deep truths imbedded within. I loved the scripture that was quoted at the beginning of each present day Dorothy's parts. As the author states, "All for a Song is ultimately a story of longing, of searching for what you think you lack." Cheering Dorothy on as she faces temptation head on with the Love of Christ at her side, weeping with her as she finds herself and the feeling of God's grace, and longing to return home with her will keep you turning the pages to find out what she does.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series, All for a Story, as soon as I can!

This story is easy to relate to. I feel all of us have felt pushed into decisions we weren't whole-heartedly sure of. When I can put myself in a character's shoes, this shows the author has tapped into something within herself, ("write what you know") and gives fiction an authentic feel.

I love stories that travel back and forth between contemporary and historical time periods. This author does this without being distracting or confusing.

I also love Lynnie's 'voice' and was sympathetic to her plight. Seeing how her life unfolded, and the restoration that takes place in her 107 years is both captivating and inspirational.

If you like books with the flavor of the 20s I feel you'll enjoy All For A Song. An inspiring read.

Dorothy Lynn Dunbar has it all; a loving family and a fiance that is a preacher just like her daddy. Hours spent in the woods playing her brother's guitar make her life complete, but she aches to know more of the outside world and all it has to offer. She feels claustrophobic and tied down to the small town of Heron's Nest that is her birthplace and home, yet imagines life in the big city.

When an opportunity rises to go visit her sister in St. Louis, she is fascinated by the fancy cars, movies, dancing, and daring fashions of the Roaring Twenties. She meets an evangelist who happens to be a woman, and like a moth to flame, Dorothy is drawn to her. Will she join the McPherson evangelistic team or go home to her family and fiance? Will the temptations of the times prove to be too great for a small town girl like herself?

As with every generation, there is a curiosity about the world. Whether you grew up in a Christian home or not, young people always want to know what's on the other side of the fence. Dorothy is faced with all these curiosities and more, and Pittman takes us on a journey that could be any one of us. No matter which generation you are from, or even where you're from, you will relate to Dorothy's struggles and temptations. All of us were there at one point; the desire to grow up, to find who we are, and to discover what we truly believe. The line of morality is either crossed or respected. But in the end, it is the choices Dorothy makes that essentially make her who she is and who she became. A very good novel about growing up, relevant to either gender of any age.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I read by Allison Pittman and I would want to read a couple more by her before I would decide on her writing skills. This book didn't do a lot for me. It was a little confusing because it switched back and forth between the young girl and the 104 year old lady. The suspense was in whether she was going to go back to her fiancee and live out her life in Heron's Nest or stay and try it in the big world of California. It was a nice read, well-written, but maybe a little simple. I'm not sure totally how to describe. Definitely not a favorite book for sure.