All Manner of Things

By: Susie Finkbeiner

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

When Annie Jacobson's brother Mike enlists as a medic in the Army in 1967, he hands her a piece of paper with the address of their long-estranged father. If anything should happen to him in Vietnam, Mike says, Annie must let their father know.

In Mike's absence, their father returns to face tragedy at home, adding an extra measure of complication to an already tense time. As they work toward healing and pray fervently for Mike's safety overseas, letter by letter the Jacobsons must find a way to pull together as a family, regardless of past hurts. In the tumult of this time, Annie and her family grapple with the tension of holding both hope and grief in the same hand, even as they learn to turn to the One who binds the wounds of the brokenhearted.

Author Susie Finkbeiner invites you into the Jacobson family's home and hearts during a time in which the chaos of the outside world touched their small community in ways they never imagined.

©2019 Susie Finkbeiner (P)2019 Oasis Audio

I love this sweet story…

Susie Finkbeiner maybe my favorite author in recent time. She writes such great stories with twists and turns and ups and downs, but always a good ending.

Tender and moving

✍️ I’ve been so intrigued by the literary style used in Finkbeiners book. It’s meandering and contemplative, pulling you deeply into the characters of the story and their lives. I CARED about each character and what happened to them, due to the immersive storytelling used.

🇳🇱 Being Dutch, I loved all the Dutch references (common saying around my family is “if you ain’t Dutch you ain’t much) and learned even more about the culture and traditions.

🏠 It’s such a tender family saga, that explores real and difficult situations with sensitivity and simplicity. I love how we see life through a coming of age girl named Annie, who is genuine and unsullied.

🇺🇸 This whole novel felt like the Fourth of July and celebrating small town USA, with all of its nostalgia.

💔 It definitely pulls at your heart and shatters it even, but in a beautiful and touching way. Things are so much more beautiful and heartbreaking, when put at a backdrop of love and a strong family bond.

Wonderful

I loved everything about this book. I highly recommend it. Such a sweet yet bittersweet story

Real fiction

I love this author. Her stories involve real people with real problems. They are full of struggle and the hope we find in God and His word.

AMAZING!!

This is one of the best books that I have listened to this year! The 60s, broken families, men coming home from war and learning to live in the day to day. Love and loss, adolescents, coming of age. If I could give it 10 stars I would! Now all that being said… for those of you who do not like to get all teary this one is going to make you tear up! If you are like me you will hold it in until you have a headache but it will happen! No worries for the most part it’s a lot of laughs and real life that you can relate to!

All Manner of Things shall be well

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well"

The Optimism of Mother Julian of Norwich

All Manner of Things is a novel set during the Vietnam War in the 1960's in a small town. There is much to fret about during wartime and author Susie Finkbeiner does an exceptional job of imbueding her readers with an overwhelming sense of hope through her characters while they struggle with grief and tragedy and all the things in-between for the Jacobson family; There is an estranged father who is making amends with his family. A budding 'taboo' inter racial relationship. A brother off to war and all the emotional stirring things of life that we all must deal with such as guilt, grief, anger, and fear since no man is immune to the these visceral human feelings.

This is a book you will want to read over and over again.

Loved so many things about this!

Such a wonderful story, but please keep tissues on hand. I felt like I was in the middle of the story experiencing everything the characters felt. I loved the late 60s setting, and the author either lived through it or did some fantastic research! This is a story I will think about for a long time. And I hope to read more by this author. The audio version was fantastic also with great narration and wonderful character voices.