The Song of Sourwood Mountain
A woman has another chance for love in Ann H. Gabhart’s nostalgic romance novel The Song of Sourwood Mountain.
In 1910, Mira is a schoolteacher. She was once in love with a classmate, but he died of tuberculosis. Resigned to being unmarried, she finds solace in church and with her students.
When a visiting reverend, Gordon, springs a proposal on her, Mira is hesitant to accept. But Gordon, who needs help with a mission school in the Appalachian mountains, remains convinced that Mira is the answer to his prayers. Persuasion and providence combine to lead Mira to say yes, risking her personal security to launch into the unknown—despite still feeling that her new husband is a near stranger.
The rural Appalachian setting is populated by bright characters whose love for Gordon extends to Mira. Their speech and rough mannerisms charm and puzzle her. Still, she makes a home among them, proving perceptive and kind. She reaches out to an orphaned girl who roams the woods and seldom speaks; in turn, the girl teaches her about solitude. Through their shared, bittersweet experiences, the Sourwood community builds and becomes strong.
The couple’s marriage is traditional and devout. Love isn’t required as the basis for their union, but instead grows across time—a reward for the couple’s shared faith. Risk never places them beyond the grasp of God, it seems. Indeed, when Mira elects to trust in God, her trepidation is relieved, and her affection for Gordon grows. In turn, Gordon’s patience is encouraging.
In the warm romance novel The Song of Sourwood Mountain, a solitary woman is surprised by a marriage and a move; in a new location, she forms the family she yearned for.
Reviewed by
Karen Rigby
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