Saturday, March 10, 2018

The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett (Review)

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: WaterBrook (June 6, 2017)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0735289549
  • ISBN-13: 978-0735289543
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches


An ideal sanctuary and a dream come true–that’s what Margaret Lane feels as she takes in God’s gorgeous handiwork in Mount Rainier National Park. It’s 1927 and the National Park Service is in its youth when Margie, an avid naturalist, lands a coveted position alongside the park rangers living and working in the unrivaled splendor of Mount Rainier’s long shadow.
 
But Chief Ranger Ford Brayden is still haunted by his father’s death on the mountain, and the ranger takes his work managing the park and its crowd of visitors seriously. The job of watching over an idealistic senator’s daughter with few practical survival skills seems a waste of resources.
 
When Margie’s former fiancĂ© sets his mind on developing the Paradise Inn and its surroundings into a tourist playground, the plans might put more than the park’s pristine beauty in danger. What will Margie and Ford sacrifice to preserve the splendor and simplicity of the wilderness they both love?
 
Karen Barnett’s vintage national parks novels bring to vivid life President Theodore Roosevelt’s vision for protected lands, when he wrote in Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter: "There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods, the Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Three Tetons; and our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children's children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred."

My Review:

I love love the cover art for this series. The Road to Paradise is the first book in the Shadows of the Wilderness series. I am a huge nature lover so I couldn't wait to read a book set in Mount Rainer National Park. This book is a historical Christian fiction book and is set in 1927. The author does a good job describing the scenery. It made me want to go hiking and read Walden by Henry David Thoreau. The main plot line in the book is the relationship between Margaret Lane and Chief Ranger Ford Brayden. She is a rich girl who father is a state Senator. She loves nature and considers herself a naturalist. Margie is not your typical rich girl and wants to work with the park rangers. Chief Ranger Ford has been struggling ever since his father's death and does not want her there. Margie's former fiancĂ©e comes to the mountain and is not happy with her decisions so he decides to make trouble. The first half of the book is definitely my favorite even though the pace is slower. The second half of the book has a lot of action in it. The ending is satisfying. The author does a good job developing the characters and plot. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Recommended. 





KAREN BARNETT is an award winning author of four novels who draws on her firsthand experience as a naturalist, former park ranger, and outdoor educator to transport readers to America’s national parks.. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two children.


Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review. 


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