Maureen Lang's Springtime of the Spirit ~ Reviewed

Springtime of the Spirit
Maureen Lang
Christian Historical Romance Novel
Paperback, 323 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House, March 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4143-2437-1

Back Cover Description:

By the fall of 1918, the Great War has ended and the world is at peace, but there is little time to celebrate in Germany. After four years of fighting for his homeland, Christophe Brecht returns to find there is little left of what he once called home. So when family friends ask him to travel to Munich to bring back their runaway daughter, Christophe agrees.
When he finally locates Annaliese Duray, he discovers she is far different from the girl he once knew. Headstrong, idealistic, and beautiful, she is on the front lines of the city's political scene, fighting to give women and working-class citizens a voice in Germany's new government.

As the political upheaval ignites in Munich, so does the attraction between Annaliese and Christophe. With an army from Berlin threatening to squash everything Annaliese has worked for, both she and Christophe are forced to choose between love, loyalty, and their lives.

Review:

A loosely based historical novel, "Springtime of the Spirit" gives us a glimpse of post Great War Germany on a very personal level. We see it through the eyes of soldier, Christophe Brecht, struggling with the fact that he killed men for a cause that he never truly believed in and socialite daughter turned political activist, Annaliese Duray, who believes capitalism and everything her family stood, including their faith in God, caused the war. Christophe pulls closer to his heavenly father as Annaliese runs further away becoming an atheist and a 'free' thinker. When they are forced to meet again, will Christophe be able to show Annaliese that Jesus is the only one who can heal her heart and show her that he is in love with her or will she continue to pull further away? Find out by reading "Springtime of the Spirit".

Reviewed by: Rachael Schnitker

Bonus Review:


Springtime of the Spirit takes place in Post WWII Germany. After fighting for his homeland, Christopher Brecht returns home to find that his parents have passed away and his sister has left for America. With no where else to go, he visits some old family friends, only to be asked to travel to Munich to find their runaway daughter, Annaliese Duray. Annaliese, however, does not wish to return home, as she is busy fighting to give working class citizens and women a voice in Germany’s new government. As tensions start to build, Christophe stays in Munich to “help” Annaliese’s cause, and to keep an eye on her. When they start to develop feelings for each other, tensions rise even more, because they are on such opposite ends of the spectrum belief wise.

This book took me a little while to get into. It was interesting, reading about the different political uprisings that took place in Germany after WWII. It’s not something I’ve read much about. It was quite interesting, though, and someone who loves reading about the history of that time would really enjoy this book.

Reviewed by: Sarah Porter