THE SACRED HEART

The sequel to "The Meeting Place" by Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn encompasses a journey of two people, one who is a British nobleman and another who is but a peasant girl deep in the bayous of Louisiana after the French were expedited to all corners of the world by the British. Little could either one conceive what they would encounter and learn as they set forth in search of the unknown. The history and descriptions of life in Acadia settled by the British, the bayous of Louisiana settled by the French, and travels upon the Atlantic Ocean during the mid-1700's reaches through the pages and takes the reader back into time as if traveling through a time machine. It almost feels like you are in the same room with each of the main characters and their families, or traveling with them through the storms at sea, or riding along on horseback through the woods to the village of Minas. These two authors have an incredible ability to draw the reader in as if they actually become the characters themselves, feeling all the emotions and inner turmoil experienced along their journeys and then the peace they find within themselves at the end. Oke and Bunn tap into the human need to find purpose in life, much which comes through the struggle of seeking that purpose between self and God. A thread that reappears many times, and at least once with each of the main characters revolves around the human eyes. Tenderness, piercing, softness, love, understanding without words, strength, resolve, and release are all expressed with eyes. It has been said that the eyes are the windows into a person's soul, something that both Oke and Bunn truly grasp and convey in this sequel. Each reader will personally respond and connect with at least one character, bringing them to a point of looking within themselves either because they walk a similar road, or perhaps experienced many of the same emotions, or presently have embarked on a similar journey. Books that completely capture the mind and the emotions of the reader make for excellent reading. Although this series so far may not be intellectually stimulating, delve deep into theological studies, or directly speak to educational subjects, in their simplistic nature offer deep insight into what it means to trust God in the most dire of circumstances. How does a person, young or old, make their faith personal, full of strength and understanding? This sequel allows the reader to catch a glimpse of how people come to their own personal understanding of God and who He is to them in very different lives and circumstances. Once again, I've been pleasantly surprised and engulfed in the 1700's through the authors' abilities to encompass the totality of history and human life into one package that brilliantly allows me to escape for a while into another period.