Then Came Heaven
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4.2 • 29 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A grief-stricken widower learns to open his heart again in this touching and emotionally charged novel from New York Times bestselling author LaVyrle Spencer…
A man of unshakable faith, Eddie Olczak derives intense pleasure from the life he’s built with his beloved wife, Krystyna, and their two daughters. But when a tragic accident cuts Krystyna’s life short, Eddie is sure his heart is broken forever.
Sister Regina, the girls’ teacher at St. Joseph’s school, has always felt a special affinity for the Olczak family, but the strict rules of the Benedictine sisterhood have kept her from getting too close.
Now, as Sister Regina and Eddie cross paths, they realize there is a connection between them that goes beyond their shared love of Krystyna and the girls. Thrilled—and secretly frightened—they must summon the courage to look within their hearts and make their own choices.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1950, in Spencer's (Small Town Girl) hometown of Browerville, Minn., this gentle tale of forbidden love (which Spencer says will be her "last book") brings together a nun and a widower. St. Joseph's Church janitor Eddie Olczak and his saintly wife, Krystyna, are pillars of Browerville's Polish community; their two daughters are the favorite pupils of Sister Regina, one of the Benedictine nuns who teach at St. Joseph's school. But then Krystyna is killed when a train hits her car at a crossing. As Eddie, with the help of his large family, manages to put his life back together and take care of the girls, Sister Regina finds that her feelings for Eddie go beyond nunnish sympathy. The Mother Superior of St. Joseph's notes it, too, and warns Sister Regina not to let herself be distracted from her religious duties. Meanwhile, Eddie and Sister Regina keep meeting up in potentially compromising ways. The good Sister questions her vow of chastity, and Eddie continues to seek out Sister Regina's companionship. After a struggle, she applies to the pope for dispensation to leave her order. Dispensation comes--but with the condition that Sister Regina leave without goodbyes, and so Eddie and his girls feel Regina's loss as another terrible blow. But, of course, love conquers all in this traditional romance. Despite a slow and achingly predictable plot, the vivid people and attentive rendering of Browerville bring this story to life. With this avowed swan song, Spencer exits the romance stage with a characteristically pleasing novel filled with leisurely charm and balmy emotion.
Customer Reviews
Then came heaven
Her best. So sad it was her last!!!
Favorite! Wish it was longer
Wonderful slice of life in small town Minnesota