| Title | : | Loves Enduring Promise (Love Comes Softly, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0764228498 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780764228490 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 240 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1979 |
Clark and Marty Davis, the pioneer couple thrown together after the death of their first spouses, now preside over a growing number of youngsters in their prairie home. Together they face the joys and trials of life on a homesteader's farm.
Will they be able to find a suitable teacher for the long-awaited new school? Is the "very learned" Eastern preacher going to be able to communicate with the simple people of the West? And how do Clark and Marty guide their lovely daughter, now grown to womanhood, in her choice of a partner?
Loves Enduring Promise (Love Comes Softly, #2) Reviews
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I liked the last book a lot, but I think I enjoyed this one even more!! :D There was a lot more going on this book...at least it felt like it lol With all the weddings and babies being born :P But it did cover about ten years though so it is understandable I guess haha xD
I don't know what is so special to me about these books...they are just so nice and relaxing to read :) You don't have to think too hard when you read these, or worry about missing anything important if you didn't read carefully enough...idk I am terrible at trying to express what I want to say into words xD Can anyone else relate? lol
I know not everyone likes these type of books, but for me, it's nice sometimes to read a book that doesn't require a lot of brainpower, one you can just sit and relax with while drinking a nice cup of hot tea ya know? :P I enjoy lighter reads sometimes...and this was perfect for me! -
Janette Oke has an endearing writing quality that can tug at you a little bit. While I did enjoy number two in this series I did find myself wishing that instead of everybody growing up and out so quickly that the pace could have been more day to day. I wanted to linger more over coffee at the table with a friend while the children were laughing and picking strawberries. I wanted a quilting bee in town where friends were gathered to discuss hearth and home and a little gossip and giggles. Everything was just too quick for me and I missed the slow and steady pace which I preferred.
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I read this book, having previously seen all the movie versions of the books in the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke.
I enjoyed this book more than the first, but them movie seems to depart even farther from this book than the first, and there is quite a bit of liberty taken with the first book. It is almost as if one could put a disclaimer on the movie that "any similarity between this movie and the book it is based upon is coincidental."
Seeing as I think this book was better than the first (or perhaps to the author's writing style has grown on me), I think I may read the other books in the series also. -
“Willie LaHaye!” she exploded. “When are you ever going to grow up?”
—
Janette Oke,
Love's Enduring Promise
Rating: ★★★★★
Cleanness: ★★★★★
My first read & five star book of February was Love’s Enduring Promises by Janette Oak!
Oh, this was SO cute! I loved seeing Marty & Clark adopt (my dream)! I also love seeing them have more kids, watch their kids grow up, get married, and have families of their own! Honestly I would have loved to read a book from each of their older girls and see their love and growing up stories!
Missie!!! Oh Missie’s love story was my absolute FAVORITE!!! Her love story reminded me of Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe! A sweet and heartwarming enemies to lovers that I LOVED (this isn’t often my favorite trope but this one was done beautifully)!!!
Tommy! He was just so sweet to! He had his own hardships but I’m so glad he did have a happy ending! <3
All in all this is a wholesome and sweet read that I LOVE! I can’t wait to keep reading the series and see more from Missie and her love! <3 -
This is the second book in this series and probably the last one I will read. It was sweet, but if I have to be perfectly honest, a bit boring. I kept waiting for some sort of prairie-disaster to happen, like a fire, snow storm, or bear mauling, but no such luck. Also, I felt the author side-stepped any difficult issue. For example, one of the sons of the heroine's friends falls in love with an Indian woman. Rather than dealing with the cultural/racial implications of this union, the problem is dealt with sort of wussily. The Indian grandfather takes the Indian girl away, where she is expected to marry an Indian brave, and the young white man goes off for a few years to work in a saw mill and then shows up back home with his new (white and therefore acceptable) wife, his heart since healed. I also found this book to be considerably more religious than the first. It sort of crossed the line for the amount of scripture reference that I'm willing to put up with when I read a fiction novel. That said, I really did enjoy the book. It's very sweet, sort of a religious Little House on the Prairie.
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Reviewed for
THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" I'm pretty certain I read Love's Enduring Promise years ago in my teens, but prior to picking it up again, I couldn't really remember a thing about the story. As a consequence and knowing that this was a continuation of Clark and Marty's relationship, I was kind of expecting an epic love story which isn't quite what this novel is all about. The book opens about two years after the ending of Love Comes Softly. It is still primarily about Clark, Marty, and their growing family, but more like a series of snapshots of their lives together over a span of approximately twelve years. It is also about how the community in which they live and the people within it grow and change as time goes by as well. I didn't find this one to be quite as romantic as the first book of the Love Comes Softly series, probably because it doesn't focus in on the building of one couple's relationship, but I suppose there was enough romance present in the multiple courtships and marriages among secondary characters and the next generation of the Davis family to loosely characterize the story as a historical romance.
Once again, I loved reading about life on the frontier, the sense of warmth and love that comes from family, friends, and community, and how they all share in the joy and sorrow, laughter and tears that life can bring. Most of the story is still told from Marty's point-of-view, but occasionally snippets of other character's perspectives pop up. Then Missie takes over some of the bits near the end, probably as something of a transition to the next book, Love's Long Journey, which will be her story. There are numerous mini sub-plots that highlight all the changes in the community. As more people come to the area, the residents welcome a new teacher, new preachers, and new neighbors. I particularly liked the part about the new preachers, because it highlighted a spiritual position with which I agree, that true spiritual sustenance doesn't come from big words or fancy sermons, but from an ability to sense an earthy oneness with God on a much simpler level. The people also say good-bye as some of their fellow residents move on and others pass on. I was very taken with a sweet side story about a young couple's much longed-for child not being exactly what they were expecting, but he ended up being a remarkable boy who was their pride and joy. There was also one of the many romances that ended in heartbreak, which also tore my heart open a little too, not just because of what the couple experienced but because of other issues which I'll address in a moment. Overall, every little piece of the narrative came together to make me feel like I was a part of this little frontier neighborhood.
I would have to say that Marty is still the main character in this book. She strikes me as a no-nonsense kind of woman who works hard, and would do just about anything for anyone. She can be pretty stubborn and independent at times. She can also be fairly exuberant in her faith, and is eager to share it with others, but I wouldn't characterize it as being particularly overbearing or preachy. Underlying everything is a loving woman who is a great wife and mother. I was rather disappointed that Clark didn't play as much of a role in this book, but what we get to see of him through his interactions with Marty and their family, I could tell that he is the same kind, gentle man with a heart of gold. He is a loving, attentive and protective husband and father, always thinking of others before himself. Clark is just an all-around great guy. Clark and Marty's family grows by leaps and bounds until their little frontier home is just about bursting at the seams, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their interactions with each of the children and watching some of them grow up and move on to lives of their own.
Overall, Love's Enduring Promise was a gentle book that was a joy to read, but there was one little part involving the secondary romance I mentioned earlier which left me rather troubled. It involved a white young man (a character I had come to care about a great deal) and an Indian girl (who was very sweet in her own right), which raised the issues of racism and prejudice. The couple was obviously very deeply in love and wanted nothing more than to be married, but not a single person in the story supported that desire (except for one short line from his sister who was immediately chastised by their mother for being naïve and having her vision clouded by her own upcoming nuptials). Marty came the closest by agreeing to meet the girl and talk to the boy's mother, but even she wasn't entirely on board with the relationship. What bothered me the most though was when the boy's mother essentially stated that it wasn't God's will for people of different races to be married and have mixed-race babies. I realize that prejudice of this nature was quite common back then, and that no matter what happened the couple would have faced a difficult road. However, they certainly wouldn't have been the first white/Indian pairing of the era, and since the only way to combat prejudice is for someone to stand up and say it's wrong, I couldn't help wondering if things might not have been different for them if well-respected members of the community like the Grahams and Davises had taken that stand instead of being wishy-washy about it. After all, they are supposed to be good Christian people and to me, that seems like the Christian thing to do. Admittedly, the girl's Indian grandfather wasn't any better, but since he had lost many family members in white attacks, I felt like he at least had a good reason for hating them. The main point I'm trying to make with my mini-rant, is that I felt the author opened a can of worms that ultimately went nowhere and then copped out on a very sensitive issue. However, I'm willing to admit that perhaps, I'm applying too much of my modern sensibilities to a historical fiction story that was written over thirty years ago. This was the one and only thing that kept me from giving this book the full five stars. Thankfully, it was a very small part of the overall narrative and otherwise, Love's Enduring Promise was an enjoyable, feel-good story that left me with warm fuzzies all over, and very much looking forward to revisiting Missie's book soon. -
I read these books ages ago when I was a pre-teen and though it would be fun to revisit them. The first one is quite charming - simple, not overly complex but touching and even a bit believable. This second one however raced along from year to year haphazardly but through all that somehow remained, as one reviewer put it, a little boring.
It ran into trouble for me when Marty & Clark have their disagreement about whether or not she should visit Wanda Marshall. Although Clark was clearly intended to be in the right and the scene was supposed to illustrate Marty's stubbornness, it in fact is one of the few scenes that made Clark appear like a domineering, sexist bully and Marty like a petty child who doesn't know what's good for her. In and of itself, it's not a problem: all couples have these problems and it could have been a great opportunity to address them. However the author skimps over the problems and in the end portrays a decidedly anti-feminist resolution in which the bratty Marty is sufficiently chastised by her all knowing husband.
The next issue was even more concerning and made me unsure if I want to continue with the series. The author's treatment of the illicit relationship between Mrs. Graham's white son and his Native American love interest is highly racist. Although Marty sympathises with the young lovers, Ma repeatedly says it's unacceptable and no good can come of children that are "not white or brown." She furthermore goes on to say she will pray God breaks the lovers apart! Even Marty is concerned the couple will be hurt and hopes they will break it off. Literature is full of complex and challenging portrayals of racism and racist protagonists (Gone With the Wind, anyone?) but in this case, the racism is never addressed, directly or otherwise. The couple breaks it off and everyone else seems to breath a sign of relief, especially when Tommy comes home with his new white wife several chapters later.
This scenario left me feeling extremely uncomfortable. As the reader, was I supposed to accept this unsettling incident and continue enjoying the book? Does that and me complicate in the supposedly Christian characters overt racism? As an author, if you are going to tackle an issue like racism, do it right! You can't just pop it into the middle of a book, gloss it over, and worst of all make it look like it was no big deal and the characters were probably justified in their sentiments to begin with. Wait no, worst of all isn't that, it's the fact that they all seem to think God is on their side and ultimately an inter racial relationship wasn't part of his divine plan. Disappointing doesn't begin to cover it! -
Loves Enduring Promise covers Marty and Clarks small family growing as new babies were born into the household and two young girls were adopted into the family. The story continued on over the years as the children grew into young adults and the girls married young men from the community. Readers saw the town grow as a school and church was built. Years passed and the book ended with Missy marrying Will LaHaye and getting ready to move further west to start a new life.
This is the kind of book that this reader can get swept up into the story. I really enjoyed reading this beautiful classic story of a family that lived their lives through the good and bad things that came their way. God was the head of their humble home. Love abounded between the family members and neighbors. Marty and Clark were loving parents who raised their children to be responsible adults. I can't wait to read Loves Long Journey!
This book can be read by elementary school students, youth and adults. It's good for family reading. Clean and inspirational reading. Highly recommended by this reader.
This book is part of my personal library. A review was not requested but since I love the book I'm more than happy to recommend it to others. All opinions expressed here in this review are my true feelings about the book. -
After loving the first book, I was excited to read this one. Honestly, I didn't like this one quite as much as the first, mainly because it covers about fifteen years. I felt a bit lost by the end of the book because of all that had happened and changed.
But still, the book was good. Not as strong of a message with this one. Hopefully the next book is better. -
Reread in October 2022.
Unlike
Love Comes Softly, which was more focused on Marty's personal growth, and one year passes, in this book the focus is on the growth of the larger community of people surrounding Marty, and at least ten years pass. Marty is still the axis around which everything revolves, but things feel slightly... detached somehow. We get to see other people grow -- accidents, sicknesses, death, marriages, and births. Meet cutes. Relationships do or don't work out. But because the growth is spread out across lots of people, the plot feels scattered. Dropped to two stars. Watch the Hallmark movie!
There's some questionable theology -- "If Clark's prayers were answered more frequently, it was because Clark had more faith. She determined to exercise her faith more" (pg 54). Umm... what? There's cultural clash, with Tom's desire to marry an Indian girl. Lots of agonizing over this leads to nowhere. Oke took the easy way out. What a wasted opportunity. The marriage could have been used for such great character growth -- on behalf of Marty, Ma Graham, or others. They could have overcome their prejudice and been proven wrong. Found a way to welcome the couple and future children into the community. Faced the awkwardness and overcome it. "Opened their hearts" as the cross-stitch pillows would say. But Oke entirely side-steps this conflict in the end.
Conveniently, the Clarks have grown very prosperous, and they seem made of money in this one. Children go to school. New house is built. We needed some conversations about finances. We needed slightly more hardship. One or two bad crop years, a drought, or some bad storms to set things back a little.
But overall it's enjoyable to see this little pioneer community grow.
I also find it interesting that the scene depicted in the artwork on the front cover doesn't actually happen. The closest we get to a scene of Missie and Willie leaving is the last chapter, which is their wedding, which happens before they leave.
First read this as a child so I still see it through a nostalgic haze. -
I loved this dear book so much! It was both fun and bittersweet following the journey of the Davis family as the children grow up and watching some of them get married.💗 I’ve grown to love these characters so much! Marty and Clark are such a sweet, admirable couple!
I loved the addition of new characters too!
I love Willie and Missie so stinkin’ much! All I can say is I am SO happy about the way things happened! 🥰 Those two both cracked me up and made my heart melt. They’re adorable. I also loved Clae and Joe soo much! Nandry and Josh were so sweet! And Tommie❤️ I loved him and I’m so happy he found someone for him!
Anyways, I just really loved this sweet book and love these characters s’much! Can’t wait to continue reading this series.🥰 -
I was so deeply sad when I read this book because it moved way too fast, and did not give me the details I desperately craved after finishing Love Comes Softly. I still loved the story. It was a simple yet very fulfilling read, but I was hoping to get more details of those early years between Clark and Marty. I felt like Marty became seasoned and wise (like Ma Graham) over night,and I missed hearing about her struggles and learning processes. Still, this book left me with a warm heart, and a greater appreciation for what people went through in those times gone by.
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The second book in the Love Comes Softly series. After finishing the first novel I found myself aching for more. I immediately picked up this book with my hot chocolate and dug in. Started at 9:30am and finished at 2pm. Great read. Having watched the movie series I was sad to find the book completely different, but was glad to learn more about this wonderful family and watch them grow. I can't wait to start the third, but needed to shower and check email...off I go.
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It moved a bit too fast, and the dialogue was annoying; other than that, I enjoyed it.
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Just as charming as the first one. I loved it!
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5+ stars & 7/10 hearts. Oh!!! How I loved this book!! It’s even better than book one. I loved seeing the love between Clark and Marty. It was so sweet and precious! I also loved all their interactions with their kids. They were just such a beautiful, happy family. Clae and Nandry were so sweet, and I loved Tom. (I do hope Owahteeka shows up again <33). And I loved Willie, and Pastor J, and… oh, man, I love the characters soooooo much!! The plot line was amazing, and I lovedddd the messages. It was just such a sweet, beautiful, hooking story. <33 I so want to read book three!
A Favourite Quote: “‘Sometimes,’ Clark began slowly, ‘sometimes God knows better than us what is best. He knows thet what we want might not be right fer us now; so, soemtimes, ’stead of givin’ us what we asked Him fer, He sends instead what He knows to be best fer us.’”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘Reckon there ain’t much of enything thet will make Jedd Larson change his mind, lessen he wants to. Me, I wouldn’t even be knowin’ where to begin to work on thet man. He ain’t got ’im much of a mind, but what he had got sure can stay put.’” -
This is the second in the Love Comes Softly series. Clark and Marty continue to add to their family by taking in the two Larson girls as well as their own Ellie and Luke. In this story, the children are growing up and beginning to make their own lives as Clark and Marty help to build up their community by adding a school and church, as well as a teacher and preacher. Clark builds a large new house, Clae Larson goes to normal school to become a teacher, Missie grows up and follows in Clae's path to normal school, and the young people begin to pair up and marry. This is another tender, touching story of life on the prairies.
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Wonderful ... again. This one spans quite a few years, so moves very quickly ... but the stories of each time really help you know the family as it grows, along with all the neighbors. More importantly, it shares a life-style that would, in many ways, really be wonderful. They did work awfully hard, though ... makes me very grateful for all that I have.
April 2015 ... once again a wonderful story, continuing the family life of Clark and Marty and their children. The good times, and the hardships, the tragedies, and the triumphs ... all the parts that make life truly wonderful. I love these stories. Very simply, easy reading, but delightful messages of faith and family. -
Love's Enduring Promise I actually read a while (like weeks) ago, but I've been super busy (was at my grandparents, final editing a book, etc)
SO anyways, just like Love Comes Softly, I loved this book! Missie is very fun. I felt like this one was maybe a little more plot-driven than the last one, which I liked. The romance aspect was good too, although a little 'fake' at times.
Content: few kisses/hugs between a married couple, mentions of birth/pregnancy, the main character is pregnant at one point, but very very non-detailed
Note: because I don't know the exact date I read this, just in May, I'm not going to put a day. -
Not often are movies better than the books, but The Love Comes Softly series is the exception. Don't get me wrong. I love Janette Oke. She's a very sweet Godly woman and i respect her for her love
of family values and she's very good at creating characters and settings. I really wish Clark Davis was a real person. However Michael Landon Jr getting involved with this series is the best thing that could've happened to it. Together their combined efforts made this series perfect. My opinion, just watch the movie series and you'll fall in love with it as i have. -
I want to *love* these books because they have so much going for them, especially the great characters but what stops me from rating them higher is how quickly the timeline moves. From one paragraph to the next it is just as likely that a year has passed as it would be an hour had. I despise that. Maybe it’s me, but when I’m in a story like this it is the ins and outs of daily life that make it. From the first book to this one there was a gap of about three years in which a lot happens that we aren’t privy to. Anyway, good book but annoying also!
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LOVE LOVE LOVE this whole series! I can't say much else about it. I have read and re-read them over and over since I was 13! Definitely worth the read!
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This is one of my favorite books out if this series! Amazing!
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*4.5
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I absolutely adore this series and really enjoyed this book. Janette Oke does an exceptional job of putting the thoughts and emotions of the human experience into words through her characters. It's not a fairytale. It's the simplicity of the joys and hardships that any person may have gone through a couple of hundred years ago--no extreme violence, zombies, or vampires. Just reality.
I wish I could rate it higher than a three star, but I really had some difficulties with the pacing of this book. The first book in this series took place over one or two years and was paced very well. I had anticipated this book would be similar, but I was oh so very wrong.
This book takes place over the span of eleven to twelve years. (Honestly, no one can really know for sure the precise amount of time.) I had been very diligent about keeping track about the passage of time as there are some chapters that highlight very specific scenes and then in the next paragraph or two, Oke is like, "okay, let's fast-forward to the next summer and all of these things have now happened."
I know I had been keeping track correctly and at one point in the middle of the book, only about 4 years of time should have passed, but Oke outright says six years have passed since the beginning of the book.
This had me all confused. It was difficult to keep track of how old the characters were at any given time and I found it difficult to get back into the book from one day to the next because I couldn't remember how many years had passed since I read the previous day.
Overall, if this book had been better paced I would have given it a 5 star rating. It's an endearing story and deserves to be read even with all of the confusion of the passing of time. -
The saga continues. This is the second book in a series. It definitely adds a deeper understanding of the characters to read the first book before this. This books ends with the promise of a continuing story, but it also has a complete story of its own.
This is a Christian book. That influence becomes stronger in this book. Faith is part of who these people are. There are quotes and advice from the Bible.
Again, this is not a very exciting story. In fact, this book seems to ramble through one situation after another just as peoples' real lives do. Normal everyday people do not have lives with a plot line having a beginning, middle and end or a specific quest to be completed. In this book, we follow the lives of people important to Marty as they are born, die, marry, have children and participate in their community.
Marty is now a woman with a growing family. She and Clark are important people in their community. They have several children of their own. They are kindhearted, generous and mostly unselfish people who can't stand by and watch others suffer without helping bear those burdens. Sometimes that means giving advice. Sometimes it means more. This book follows the maturation of one generation in the Davis' lives.
Clark is still a bit of an unrealistic paragon. His wisdom and patience are believable even if unusual, but he still appears to be almost faultless, yet without self-righteousness.
The book is told from Marty's POV.
I did not enjoy this book as much as Love Comes Softly, but it wasn't difficult to keep reading.
There are no mature themes such as sex. -
Love's Enduring Promise is a comfortable read. I've read it half a dozen times at least since it is the second book in one of my favorite series that I read as a child. In this second novel, Marty and Clark have a family together. The first few chapters sees the birth of their first child together. The remaining chapters see their family expand even more: with Marty having more children and with the couple adopting two daughters. By the end of the book, Marty has seen three of her daughters (Missy, Nan, and Clae) become teachers and marry. I can't remember if any of her sons have married by the end of Love's Enduring Promise or not, but, if they haven't it's just a matter of time. Most of the family is all grown up by the novel's end, the others are still attending school. The book gives us quick glimpses of life in the community, and their home life together. But we don't spend much time with the family at any particular time, perhaps with the exception of when Nandry and Clae are first adopted and the family is going through an adjustment period as the girls settle into their new home and as they all prepare for some of the children to attend school. My favorite chapters in this one feature "thet Willie" who is so pesky in Missie's eyes as a child and quite lovable through her grown up eyes.
