Julia's Last Hope

When the lumber mill closes down in Calder Springs, it essentially spells sudden doom for the town. But Julia is determined to find a way to keep the town going and to hold on to her home for her family in Julia's Last Hope by author Janette Oke.

This is at least the third time I've read this novel over the years, from one of my all-time favorite series, Women of the West. Sure, some of the aspects still aren't my cup of tea (too many dashes making much of the dialogue jerky, tears so frequent that they lose their effect, and other issues.) Even so, while some of the stylistic and delivery choices here aren't what I go for in ChristFic now, there are reasons why I keep returning to this series.

In the case of Julia's story, even knowing show more the ending already, I had to see the process again. The eerie feeling in the streets and among the remaining townsfolk as a "ghost town" cloud starts creeping over the place. The questions and uncertainties. The way Julia's industrious idea brings about outcomes she wouldn't have foreseen and lessons she wouldn't have learned otherwise.

Plus, wholesome novels that are easy to digest are still great to mix in between heavier reads. I'll again be making my way back around to this series of standalone novels in the near future. show less

The town of Cedar Springs is dying as the lumber mill closes down. Julia suggests turning it into a tourist town, and with the help of her daughters, starts advertising. A pleasant light read with a strong Christian message of hope, as well as a sense of finding God's will, yet without being too 'preachy'. Interesting social history too.

This story takes place in a small lumber town of Calder Springs, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. John and Julia Harrigan live a contented life, with their twin girls and enjoy the beautiful home they were able to build in this small community. Then the mill suddenly closes and all their hopes and dreams come crashing down on them. The town is slowly dying as folks move away in search of jobs. Julia tries to turn this town into a tourist area, but it is an uphill battle. With the family having to separate to survive, they must come to realize that "home" is truly where the family is together, and not necessarily the "house" they live in.

The second of eight standalone novels in Janette Oke's Women of the West collection. Julia, her husband, and twin daughters live in a logging community in the Canadian Rockies. When the lumber mill closes permanently, the town is in danger of becoming a ghost town. Julia struggles to turn her home and the town into a tourist resort town. Spoiler: they have a few visitors, but eventually everyone in the town moves away. However, Julia realizes that God used the circumstances and experiences to give her and her family a chance to minister to and witness to some people they never would have otherwise.

"No one in the small lumber town of Calder Springs was prepared for the news of the mill closing. Without the mill jobs, the town would surely die. The most anyone could hope for was to relocate and start over. John and Julia Harrigan and their two daughters had lived a quiet, prosperous life in Calder Springs, and now their dreams for their family seem to be crumbling around them. Though Julia is an unlikely candidate to lead an effort to change the grim reality facing the town, she forges ahead to find a way to save the town and the home she loves."

Julia Harrigan seems an unlikely candidate to help a town when the local mill closes, but she must find a way. A Woman of the West book.

A family's struggle to survive when the lumber mill in their town is destroyed.