A Bride for Donnigan
by Janette Oke

Rated 4.5
ISBN# 1-55661-327-X
Reviewed 3/16/97 by Pam Tullos
Copyright 1993

Janette Oke is a brilliant author. "A Bride for Donnigan" has to be one of the most gentle yet loving stories I've ever read.

Kathleen O'Mally is a young woman caught in a home life that anyone would dread being a part of. Her mother died when she was three and her father remarried a couple of years later to a woman Kathleen is ordered to address as Madame. Wicked step-mother is a light name to be given to this overbearing woman.

Kathleen spends long days selling baked goods on the street for which she receives only a few pennies a day. It is a struggle for her being that she has a limp. At the end of each day, all her earnings are turned over to Madame.

One day, Kathleen sees a sign offering women a wonderful chance of a lifetime. Free passage to a new life with -- a husband. After much contemplation, Kathleen signs up. In a matter of weeks, she is on ship sailing to her new home with a man she has never met.

Donnigan Harrison can't believe what he's done. How could he be so cold as to order himself a wife, sight-unseen? He must be crazy is all he can say. All he wanted was someone to share with and talk to during the long winters. Someone besides his horse, Black. He does have this nice country home on a farm near a small town. It's small, but he is doing fine for himself. At times though, that just isn't enough.

The relationship that develops between Kathleen and Donnigan is a natural one. Progressing only slightly on a daily basis, it will definitely warm your heart.

As things begin to settle down and they have become to know each other, Donnigan feels something is still missing from their marriage. It's slow to come to him, but he discovers that God is what's missing. It's a heart-warming process that he goes through to come to an understanding of prayer, reading from the bible, and teaching his children about having faith and love for God.

A warm story involving gentle characters who are searching for a deep sense of love to share with each other and God.