All That Was
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4.6 • 7 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Separated by a century. Bonded by loss. Will examining all that was invoke comfort or calamity?
Seattle, 2015. Emily Reed refuses to dwell on her emotions. When the first-year attorney is assigned a church archival project, she dives into the records to hide from her own heartache. But when she discovers her parents were married in this very chapel, she is forced to confront the grief she buried a decade ago.
After she died in 1935, Elizabet Thomas was devastated when her beloved husband wasn't waiting for her on the other side. A lost soul, she's wandered their church for the past eighty years, desperate to find him. And now she must persuade a young, living lawyer that the historic building needs to be preserved rather than sold and torn down.
Discovering a diary among the disarray in the building's basement, Emily is first engrossed and then moved by the dead woman's words. And as the fate of her home unravels, Elizabet realizes she and the grieving archivist have more in common than she ever would have guessed.
Can Emily and Elizabet save themselves and their cherished sanctuary?
All That Was is an uplifting standalone women's literary fiction novel deeply woven with historical elements. If you enjoy dual-perspective storylines, complex female characters, and the rekindling of lost hope, then you'll love Tanya E Williams's soul-stirring tale.
Buy All That Was to overcome the pain of the past today!
Customer Reviews
Love, loss, grief and redemption, this story has it all!
‘All That Was’ is a story about love, loss, grief and redemption with a generous portion of history, humour and the supernatural thrown in for good measure.
It takes place in The First Church of Seattle, a beautiful 150 year old classic building; a landmark of old downtown Seattle. The old church is embroiled in a lawsuit over its proposed sale to developers.
The main characters are Emily and Elizabet:
Emily is a modern young woman who is mired in grief engendered by the untimely loss of her parents. She is unable to free her heart so she can give it to Ryan who loves her dearly. In readiness for the proposed sale of the church, she has been hired to organize the church’s archives, which are in a terrible state of affairs. In the process of her work she discovers Elizabet’s diary in which Elizabet describes her life and her participation in church activities almost a century ago. She also discloses her beloved husband’s death and confesses her unresolved grief. Emily recognizes a kindred spirit.
Elizabet is a spirit who has haunted the old church since her death nearly 90 years ago. She refuses to move on because she is afraid she will never find Rupert, her dearly departed husband again. Surely he will come for her here. At first Elizabet is angry that Emily has invaded her privacy but she relents when she learns Emily’s sad story and realizes that they have much in common. She resolves to try and help Emily heal.
There are several other engaging characters in this story, both with and without bodies. They all conspire together to help Emily learn to love again, and fix their own problems in the process.
‘All That Was’ is a delightful read. It warmed the cockles of my heart and touched me in all the right places. Tanya Williams has done an excellent job with her new book and I am happy to give it a 5 star review. I will put this book in my ‘read again’ file. I know that when I go to it again I will get as much joy out of it as I did the first time.