Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
Despite the “crinkled pink petals strewn in the path of those who would have preferred red,” four generations of Eliots have survived the War and are moving forward. The family’s remarkable matriarch Lucilla is still with them, though she’s facing the dark night of the soul. David Eliot finds his career as a successful and much-acclaimed actor a definite strain, and his brittle conversation and seeming arrogance earn him the dislike of his new secretary Sebastian Weber. Sebastian, is another survivor of the war. He has a story far more painful than any of the Eliots. While with them, he wrestles with questions about his own disconnected existence. All is turned on its head with his arrival and this intricate story continues as each member of the family struggles to make sense of life-with all its love, pain, loss, and loyalty. They all yearn, in their own ways, to glimpse the high price of love. And through this they are ultimately able to love each other and God more fully.
Is The Heart of the Family appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
This gentle family story explores post-WWII recovery through multiple generations dealing with grief, identity, and faith. War references are historical context rather than graphic; the focus is on emotional healing and spiritual growth.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include grief, war, and depression.
Who'll love this
Readers will connect with a large family working through their problems together as they help each other find meaning and love after the war.