A Blessing to Cherish

Loved getting a glimpse into the world of Blessing and getting to see the characters all in one final culmination of this series! Brought back so many memories and I loved getting to see how their life played out. And grateful for the happy ending. ?

This book was wonderful but sad. I hate to see the saga of Ingeborg Bjorklund end . There have been so many wonderful books in the story of this family. Lorraine is one of my three favorite writers. This was the 22nd and last book in the series. I feel as if I am saying goodbye to wonderful friends but looking forward to her next series as she is such a gifted writer.

I was so disappointed. I had to put off writing this review several days because I felt so bad. <br /> I know many of us wanted another Bjorklund/ Red River book, so I guess Lauraine Snelling acquiesced. It seems she brainstormed with her writer-helper friends and threw in a bunch of random ideas. I had asked our librarian to get the book and put a hold on it. I was so eager. As I read it, I got more and more discouraged. It seemed like many of the old timers were neglected. Even Andrew and Carl were barely mentioned. Andrew was such a thoughtful, hard-working kid (except in the Ellie book, which made him pugnacious. He only fought to defend others.). Emmy and Manny, who were neither originals nor family, seemed like main characters. <br />It was nice that her cousin, Gunluag, finally got to visit.<br />Why was she putting niece Sophia in her will?<br /><br />The epilogue was so silly. Rachel Anderson? Philip and Annabelle Rogers were not Blessings residents. They lived in Minnesota. Does anybody remember George Carlson? I only remember because I had recently reread A New Day Rising. <br /><br />There should have been two books, one about David Gould and family, including the prodigal son and maybe also wedding - but not return at same time. The final book could have been a reunion of all living characters with the published history Thorliff was working on, including remembrances of the years and people who had been there. <br /> The lovely picture on the cover could not have been Ingeborg because the only time she wore her hair fancy was when David Gould's maid fixed it for a special dinner. Even for her weddings, she wore the coronet of golden braids. The model looks much too young with fancy clothes.

A Blessing to Cherish is the eagerly anticipated conclusion to the Red River of the North series. <br /><br />It's not uncommon for a series to begin strong, but then the quality goes downhill as the stories continue. That has definitely been the case for the Red River of the North spin-off series. <br /><br />In this novel, I found the Thorliff storyline rushed and unrealistic. Fortunately, the Ingeborg storyline is both better and a wise way to conclude the series. <br /><br />The "Where are They Now?" portion is a disappointment. It was very random in both characters chosen and content. One of the "updates" on a character directly contradicts the series, including this very book. It was a nice idea, but the reader will be better served to stick with his/her imagination regarding what happened to favorite characters. <br /><br />

I am so sad this series is over. I hope the author will write about Ingeborg's grandchildren someday.

This is the last book in the series and I really enjoyed it.This has been my favorite series and am sad to see it is the last one.This is about Ingeborg Bjorklund and her son Thorliff.They have both lost someone they love very much.Ingeborg has know Davis Gould for a long time and has feelings for him but not sure if she wants to marry him.Louisa Gutenberg is a new teacher in town and Thorliff in finding himself being very interested in her.

It was a great ending to a wonderful series! Loved it.

I could not wait for this book to come out. I always wondered if David and Ingeborg would end up together, ever since the first time I read about him. <br />I was disappointed to read so much about the Gould family. And much of the book seemed stilted or rushed. It’s hard for me to describe. <br /><br />I would’ve loved to read more about the main characters of previous books. Karen &amp; Lars, Andrew, Astrid...I missed reading about them. They were barely mentioned. And the “where are they now” section at the end was quite confusing. Some didn’t make sense, and I’m sure I never read about some of these people. Oh well, I love Lauraine’s books, and I’m glad I read this one. It was just not what I expected<br /><br />Also, in this book and in the previous book…Sophie is referred to as “Tante Sophie”. Mistake there because she is Thorliff’s cousin. She’s not an aunt to any of the people in the last two books that refer to her as Tante.

I have loved this series from the beginning but this last book left me feeling cheated. Thorliff and Louisa’s marriage seemed rushed and in the beginning of the book I was confused on why all of a sudden David Gould was staying and now living in Blessing. I also felt that I didn’t get to see into the lives of every character that I wanted to see. I mean what about Andrew and Ellie and the rest of their children? Astrid and her family? Also where is the family tree at the beginning of the book? Overall this book was fine but of lesser quality than what I had expected.

I think I was expecting a recap of all the people and the things that happened from Ingeborg’s perspective. I had little interest in the Gould family. I would have liked to hear Ingeborg reminisce about the early years with Roald, Katy’s death, her relationship with Kaaren, how she dealt with depression, and many other things covered in the books. Over all, it was fine. Not what I was expecting from a finale in this long a series.