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Highlights
- After he's forced to sell the family farm he's labored on his whole life, 63-year-old Gerrit Laninga doesn't know what to do with himself.
- About the Author: Katie Powner is an award-winning author who lives in rural Montana where cows still outnumber people.
- 368 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Christian
Description
About the Book
Forced to sell his family farm after sacrificing everything, 63-year-old Gerrit Laninga no longer knows what to do with himself. 15-year-old Rae Walters has growing doubts about The Plan her parents set to help her follow in her father's footsteps. When their paths cross just as they need a friend the most, Gerrit's and Rae's lives change in unexpected ways.Book Synopsis
After he's forced to sell the family farm he's labored on his whole life, 63-year-old Gerrit Laninga doesn't know what to do with himself. He sacrificed everything for the land--his time, his health, his family--with nothing to show for it but bitterness, regret, and two grown children who want nothing to do with him.Fifteen-year-old Rae Walters has growing doubts and fears about The Plan--the detailed blueprint for high school that will help her follow in her lawyer father's footsteps. She's always been committed to The Plan, but now that the pressure to succeed is building, what was supposed to unite her family in purpose, may end up tearing it apart.
When their paths cross just as they each need a friend the most, Gerrit's and Rae's lives begin to change in unexpected ways. Can they discover together what really matters in life and learn it's never too late for a second chance?
From the Back Cover
Can an unlikely friendship give them the courage to start again?Forced to sell the dairy farm he's worked his entire life to make successful, Gerrit Laninga, now sixty-three, doesn't know what to do with himself. He sacrificed everything for his cows--his time, his health, his family--with nothing to show for it but bitterness, regret, and two grown children who want nothing to do with him.
Fifteen-year-old Rae Walters is stricken with panic every time she climbs behind the wheel. But any failure, including not passing her driver's test, jeopardizes The Plan--the detailed blueprint for high school and beyond that has her following in her lawyer father's footsteps. Though she's always been committed to The Plan, now that the pressure to succeed is building, doubts about whether she has what it takes begin to haunt her. What was supposed to unite her family in purpose could end up tearing it apart.
As their paths cross and a friendship begins to form, Gerrit's and Rae's lives change in unexpected ways. Will they discover what really matters in life and together learn it's never too late for a second chance?
"Powner debuts with an enjoyable tale of friendship between a retired farmer and a teen girl, both of whom are struggling to find their place in the world. . . . This is an excellent tale of family, friendship, and finding one's path."--Publishers Weekly
"Packed with poignancy and meaning, Powner's debut novel delivers life lessons that cross generations and will linger long after the last page is turned. If Powner has more stories like this, she will be the next big star in Christian fiction."--Library Journal starred review
About the Author
Katie Powner is an award-winning author who lives in rural Montana where cows still outnumber people. She's a two-time OCW Cascade Award and ACFW First Impressions Award winner. Katie is the biological and adoptive mother of three and foster mother to many more. To learn more, visit www.katiepowner.com.Dimensions (Overall): 8.5 Inches (H) x 5.5 Inches (W) x 1.1 Inches (D)
Weight: .7 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 368
Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres
Sub-Genre: Christian
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Format: Paperback
Author: Katie Powner
Language: English
Street Date: October 13, 2020
TCIN: 80405035
UPC: 9780764237591
Item Number (DPCI): 247-48-1919
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Estimated ship dimensions: 1.1 inches length x 5.5 inches width x 8.5 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.7 pounds
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4.5 out of 5 stars with 4 reviews
An Impressive Debut Novel!
5 out of 5 stars
Connie Saunders - 4 years ago
This is a book that speaks to all of us farmers who've seen our lives slip away in a haze of early mornings wake up calls, days filled with back-breaking labor, and working until there's no light left in the day. Author Katie Powner grew up on a dairy farm so her own knowledge is shared in Gerrit Laninga's thoughts and recollections and let me tell you, they are 'spot on'! Gerrit's story also targets anyone who has allowed their career to preoccupy their time and, in doing so, lost precious time with family. Best of all, The Sowing Season is a lovely story of hope, renewal, and the power of forgiveness, with a reminder of what most of us have learned---in life, as in farming, we truly reap what we sow. Rae observes that "Maybe this was what that whole "harvest" thing meant. That you get out what you put in. If you plant anger and suspicion, you harvest misery. And if you plant reconciliation, forgiveness, hope---there was no telling what good things might come out of it." I recommend this stunning debut novel to all who enjoy realistic faith-filled stories and I certainly look forward to reading more of Powner's books! I voluntarily accepted a copy of this book from Bethany House. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.
Impressive Debut
5 out of 5 stars
Lucy Reynolds - 5 years ago
Impressive debut novel and an author to look forward to. The characters were well developed throughout the story and it was genius to put together such an unlikely pair. Such a hard time in both of their lives, one a retired dairy farmer and the other a teenager learning how to spread her wings. So many great things are wrapped up in this book such as a marriage falling apart and trying to find restoration, a family putting pressure on a teenager to succeed at everything, grown children holding grudges, an after school program that had me shedding tears, etc. The plot is so well laid out and descriptive that you feel a part of their lives. I could easily read a sequel as I didn’t want it to end. The cover is gorgeous and draws you right in before you ever turn a page and the lessons the main characters teach each other are forever forged into your spirit. Truly remarkable. I was blessed to win a copy of this book. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
Great Glimpse of Americana!
4 out of 5 stars
Rebecca Maney - 5 years ago
"I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone . . . . . . . cared about this place." Gerritt Laninga has just made the hardest decision of his sixty-three year existence seem easy to everyone else. Having devoted all of his adult life to his dairy cattle, he is now at odds with everything and everyone who isn't a cow or a tractor. . . . selling the family farm lifted one set of burdens only to replace them with another kind. When he meets a young neighbor hanging out in the deserted barn on his personal property, his plans, or lack thereof, begin to incrementally shift. Rae Walters is the perfect student, the perfect friend, the perfect daughter . . . she is following the perfect plan . . . . graduate at the top of her class, slide effortlessly through college into law school and become a lawyer, just like her father. There's only one problem. She's terrified of driving. What if she can't pass the test? When she meets a crotchety old neighbor in his deserted barn, her plans begin to incrementally shift. What an absolutely refreshing "coming of age" meets "too young to retire" story! Rae longs to know what she is really meant to do and Gerritt is grieved over what he has already done. Their conversations and inter-actions with family and friends was incredibly humorous at times (picture a six foot four dairy farmer trying on skinny jeans) and heart breaking in the interim. For surely, "let us not become weary in well doing, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up". It's all a matter of what we sow. I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.
The Sowing Season
4 out of 5 stars
Beauty in the Binding - 5 years ago
The Sowing Season by Katie Powner commenced with searing emotion and gave me all the feels as I read through the book. Because the poignant story dealt with heavy issues, I had to take frequent breaks. Despite such interrupted reading, my interest in the characters and their relationships never waned. In The Sowing Season, Gerrit, a cranky, older man with a lifetime of regrets and bitterness, must face the aftermath of his own choices. Rae, a perfectionistic, overachieving teenage girl with a deep attachment to The Plan for her future, must decide who and what she’ll invest her time and energy in. These two characters are good medicine for each other. Their unlikely friendship brings forth character growth in them both. Themes about sowing and reaping, the importance of relationships, and letting go of expectations weave into these characters and their stories. I recommend The Sowing Season to fiction readers who enjoy novels that delve deeply into life experiences, including painful ones. The ending is what I consider an open resolution – there’s resolution, but not every loose end is tied up and there is potential for a sequel. Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.