Dr. Astrid Bjorklund Jeffers and her sister-in-law-law, Dr. Elizabeth Rogers Bjorklund, are proud of what they have accomplished so far with their small hospital in the small Red River town of Blessings in North Dakota. It is springtime in 1905 and the sounds of construction ring though their town as more people arrive. Given all the new people and activity, the two doctors are thrilled that three new nurses in training will be coming to join them in the fall. While they don't have all the equipment like the big hospitals in Chicago, they are well recognized as a good facility and the young nurses will gain lots of experience in the year they will be in Blessings.

Right now, they are concerned about Ingeborg Bjorkland, Astrid's mother. She is worried about her husband and that is not like her. Ingeborg has always handed over her problems to God and trusts in his protective care. What is happening now to bother her so much?

Meanwhile, lots of things are happening, then suddenly the two doctors get news that the nurses in training will be arriving sooner than they are expected. Where will they be able to put them until their lodgings are ready? Already, the town has swollen beyond all the housing available and people are living in tents. What will they do? How do the Chicago student nurses feel about coming out to this almost pioneer town?

TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON is Book One in Song of Blessing, a new Red River series by the well- regarded and respected Lauraine Snelling, author of over seventy books. While this is a new series, the story in it has many of the characters of her previous series and there are frequent references to past events in TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON. This is sure to cause much delight to Snelling's numerous and loyal fans; however, it may be a wee bit disconcerting to some readers who may want to read the earlier books first. Snelling does include a Bjorklund Family Tree at the start which is helpful and the back stories are nicely woven into the new storyline, but it is not a stand-alone novel for those readers looking for things to be wrapped up near the end.

TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON is set in 1905 which is a very interesting time of transition in the western United States and Snelling does a masterful job in capturing that sense of the times. She is also very knowledgeable about Norwegian customs and culture and the hardships they faced both in Norway and in the new world and so the plot and the storyline have a very authentic sense to them. With her skills as a storyteller, TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON is filled with the stories of the hardworking, mainly Norwegian community and neighbours in the small but fast growing community of Blessings, an aptly named place. Interwoven into the plot, Snelling threads in stories of abject poverty, crime, medical knowledge for the care of the injured and dying and the impact on their lives amongst other issues of the times.

In TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON, Snelling begins the book slowly by building a context of the community and only after the introduction of many other characters does she introduce a meeting between two key characters: the handsome Trygve Knutson who is debating between staying in town to work or to continue with his job drilling for wells and Miriam, a newly arrived nurse in training. Will the spark between them even be kindled?

To partly answer that question, Snelling has crafted a heart-warming story between two strong characters whose lives are very different, the people around them and how they relate to God and church. Fans who enjoy Christian historical fiction as well as those who believe in the power of love and God's plans for people are sure to enjoy the interactions between these two unlikely people and where distance might prove to be a barrier. So, see how 1905 ends out in TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON! Enjoy and look forward to the next book in the series!

Book Summary

Beloved Author Lauraine Snelling Returns Again to Her Popular Red River Valley Setting

Trygve Knutson is devoted to his family and his community. With his job on the construction crew, he is helping to build a future for the North Dakota town of Blessing. Though he loves his home, he sometimes dreams of other horizons--especially since meeting Miriam Hastings.

Miriam is in Blessing to get practical training to become an accredited nurse. She's been promised a position in the Chicago women's hospital that will enable her to support her siblings and her ailing mother. Although eager to return to her family, Miriam is surprised to find how much she enjoys the small town of Blessing. And her growing attachment to Trygve soon has her questioning a future she always considered set in stone.

When a family emergency calls Miriam home sooner than planned, will she find a way to return? If not, will it mean losing Trygve--and her chance at love--for good?