Dandelion Field

Dandelions are the bane of every landscaper and lawn-owner, and the pride of every three-year-old wanting to give his mother flowers. It is the wishing flower of the five-year-old who finally has lung capacity to blow the seeds off the head. Those seeds blow everywhere in a good wind, send down roots and grow new plants wherever they land.

Gin is like a dandelion in some ways, she blows wherever the wind takes her, but she doesn't like to set down roots or stay in one place too long. When she landed in Bannister Falls, she promised her daughter, Raine, that she would stay until Raine graduated from high school. Gin found a job at My Place diner, the place to eat on the wrong side of the tracks; and a place to live on the wrong side of the tracks--both of which put Raine at a disadvantage when she started school.

Evie and her son, Cody, have lived in Bannister Falls all their lives, but their lives are on a collision course with Gin's and Raine's lives in an inseperable way. Cody and Raine become friends through several classes together, especially the family life class where they became partners in one of the lab projects.

Kathryn Springer has written a coming of age novel that brings young love and a mid-life love together in a way that satisfies the reader. As I read the book (and it is incredibly hard to put down), I was reminded of a book I read and re-read over and over again when I was in junior high school--Mr and Mrs Bo Jo Jones. Both stories are honest looks at teen pregnancy and its trials, but the Dandelion Field also brings in how God works in our lives regardless of the circumstances we place ourselves in. God doesn't overlook our sin, but He does forgive and cleanse, and, if we allow it, He will use it to draw ourselves closer to Him. From the very beginning of the world, God wanted and wants nothing more than our fellowship, unencumbered by sin. He will use whatever means necessary to get our attention and to bring us to Him.

One of the key elements of the book that plays a significant part is the death of Cody's father in a fire, when Cody was six years old. His influence on Cody through his best friend, Dan, is unmistakable. It is Dan's constant support and his enduring friendship that pave a way for Gin and Raine to find their way into God's family. It is Dan's reaching out that keeps Gin's sanity in tact when Raine decides she needs some time alone.

This book is so hard to put down, I devoured it in two sittings. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a Dandelion Bouquet

Zondervan allowed me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.