Review: The Sowing Season

Synopsis:

After he’s forced to sell the family farm he’s labored on his whole life, 63-year-old Gerrit Laninga doesn’t know what to do with himself. He sacrificed everything for the land–his time, his health, his family–with nothing to show for it but bitterness, regret, and two grown children who want nothing to do with him.

Fifteen-year-old Rae Walters has growing doubts and fears about The Plan–the detailed blueprint for high school that will help her follow in her lawyer father’s footsteps. She’s always been committed to The Plan, but now that the pressure to succeed is building, what was supposed to unite her family in purpose, may end up tearing it apart.

When their paths cross just as they each need a friend the most, Gerrit’s and Rae’s lives begin to change in unexpected ways. Can they discover together what really matters in life and learn it’s never too late for a second chance?

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

The Sowing Season by Katie Powner is a powerful story of second chances and forgiveness. An older man is left with sealing his family’s farm. A farm that was supposed to be passed along from generation to generation. Yet, it takes a toll on his emotions, pride, and personal life. Gerrit didn’t realize just how bad of a father and husband he was until the farm was sold. He’s full of anger, bitterness, and remorse. He feels like a failure. It isn’t until much later that he realizes he’s the one who makes mistakes.  Gerrit is a likable character. I felt drawn to him from the beginning. Like him, I’ve let some things take up my whole life with nothing to show for it. I’ve also distanced people. Just like Gerrit, I have to learn to forgive others as well as myself. It’s not an easy road. I loved this story. The whole book swallowed me whole. I cried, I laughed, and I understood all the feels that came my way. What an epic literary novel. All the characters big and small were crucial for this tale. With an unlikely new friendship comes hope. Katie Powner is a talented writer. It is obvious from the first chapter until the last.