- Title: Until the End of Time
- Year Published: January 2013
- Published Novel Number: 87
- Days to Read: 6
- Overall Rating: 3.25
Wow!
I’ll admit, this book was a pretty fast read. Though I did put it down for a full day without touching it because I wasn’t sure I was ready to continue on with the story.
In essence, this book contained two separate stories that were linked together by the two couples’ love for each other. Of course, there was this underlying vibe that the second couple was really the first couple in some reincarnated form. I think this was Steel’s point with this book, though. However, she was almost too good at it.
Minor Spoilers Lie Ahead!
The first story had me really invested and I really would have liked to see the full story for those two characters, except, of course, they are both killed. Both of these happened quite tragically, by the way.
The first half of the book revolves around a high profile fashion guru and her want-to-be minister husband. Eventually, he takes a job at a church in the Midwest and they are forced to leave New York City behind. Which means that the wife can no longer really work. Though she tries to remotely.
One day on a trip to some backwoods parishioners, there’s an accident and the minister is killed. A few weeks (or maybe it was months…it was a while ago), his wife is killed in a car accident on the way to meet their new baby.
With the turn of the page, the setting and characters change.
We are now dropped in Lancaster County, PA and meet a young Amish woman who has a strong desire to become a writer. And become a writer she does. Using the help of an English (non-Amish) dairy farmer she makes contact with a book editor in NYC. The editor comes to PA and eventually convinces her to sign a book deal.
There’s only one problem. Her father, an Amish Elder in the community, won’t let her go to New York or publish the book. Eventually, she does get to the opportunity to publish the book, but I think she has to leave her family, faith, and community behind.
To be honest, it was a few months ago now, so I cannot remember all the details.
Overall, I do think this book was well-written. The structure of the novel, with two shorter stories was a clever idea and I’m not sure how common it is in women’s fiction today. That said, I did want more from both of these stories. Personally, I was more invested in the first couple than the second couple. I’m not really sure as to why that is.
Overall, I give the book 3.25 out of 5 stars. I liked The Mistress better than this one. But The Cottage is now at the bottom of the list. I still can’t get over how annoying some of those characters were!
Shelves of Steel 