Through Thorny Ways

Wisteria House, Book 1

De: Jennifer Q. Hunt

Narrado por: Leigh Foster

With secrets dating back two generations, will Wisteria House unite or destroy an already-fractured family?

Shrouded in scandal and secrets, Arilee Rutledge’s family is as tangled as the thorns surrounding their unwelcoming antebellum mansion. When her brother Davis returns from the Great War, she hopes they will make a new start after a season of devastation. But Davis is haunted by their younger brother’s death and his wife’s committal to the state asylum; while he loses himself in his work, Arilee continues raising his children. Determined to control at least one area of their lives, the siblings hire a former acquaintance to restore their dilapidated home.

Thrown from a carefree boyhood into the horrors of trench warfare, Adam Harrison is broken yet matured by his experiences. He takes a job updating and repairing Wisteria House, not only to pay his way through medical school, but in hopes of winning the woman he has long admired. A startling discovery plunges them all into a series of events revealing dark mysteries and shaking their already-uncertain future.

Can the thorns of grief, pain, and regret ever be cleared from their troubled hearts?

©2022 Jennifer Q. Hunt (P)2024 Jennifer Q. Hunt

It's no wonder Jennifer Q. Hunt is a favorite!

This book is filled with so many good things: history, family, faith, mystery, but also reality and difficult topics. I appreciated the inclusion of the details of restoring a historic home, early flight, and the hardships experienced by returning WWI veterans. Hunt has woven together an unforgettable tapestry and further beautified it with Scripture, hymns, and Shakespeare.

Great book with amazing narration!

Love love love! Such a sweet story of grace and love through hardships. Narrater did a great job telling the story too! So good at portraying emotions and making it interesting to listen to.

As charming as wisteria

Wisteria house is full of surprises plus more than a few family secrets, a teacher turned caregiver for her brother's children and begins an extensive home remodel. Only more than the house is remodeled, so is her heart. Seti in Post WWII with southern charm, this story is delightful. I enjoyed listening to it as much as I enjoyed reading it. It's on my short list of all-time favorites.

What an absolute gem of a story!!!

I loved this book so much! The plot, the characters, the historical accuracy, the romance, the deep faith, the realistic struggles. All around a beautiful and meaningful story. Highly recommend! Also loved how it intertwines characters from her other series ❤️

Riveting and edifying

Having read this book, I was curious to hear it on Audible. Jennifer’s books are always hard to put down until you get to the end and this audiobook was no exception. The various voices and inflection used lent itself well to the style of storytelling. And I love how all of Jennifer‘s books bring out intriguing aspects of history, while coupling it with sound theology in a very natural and non-preachy way. It’s truly an art form. I highly recommend this audiobook and can’t wait to listen to the next one!

A sockdolager story!

Hunt’s books make me grin, tear up, and laugh out loud. It was an absolute pleasure to visit this one again in audiobook format. There’s adventure, romance, joy, and sorrow, and it’s all spun in Hunt’s delicious prose and careful, confident handling of God’s word and his church as an institution and a community.

Sweet Historical Christian Novel

I enjoyed this book from the first minute to the end of the book plus author’s notes! Sweet and charming in the post Great War era. The characters are all rich and multifaceted. The story is gripping.

Loved it!

Review by christianbooksandcoffee

This was a fantastic story! Full of great Christian content! I was captivated by the story and loved the characters! I definitely recommend.

Beautiful historical Christian fiction with romance

This Christian Fiction/Romance set in 1921 has many heart wrenching tender moments and much redemption. It’s a beautiful story not just of the romance that unfolds between Arilee and Adam, but also of their relationships with family and others in their community.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version and each time I began listening, I didn’t want to turn it off. The way Jennifer folded history, faith, family secrets and even church hurt in with the romance was so natural and they all intertwined into a lovely story.

It left me feeling encouraged and strengthened in my faith while pushing me to dig deeper into God’s word and look to Him for my hope. The romance was touching and realistic as Arilee and Adam work through their own failings and relationships with God.

Other key characters who added much to the plot were Arilee’s brother Davis, and her niece and nephew.

The female narrator did a good job of adding enough variation to each of the voices that it was clear who was speaking and easy to follow. Even her male voices worked well.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian fiction and romance.