Knowing how a book is going to end and reading it are two different things . . . Oh, gosh, this book!!! *is so crying right now*

Review to come.

***UPDATED WITH REVIEW***
My Review: I can't do my normal break up of a review for this one . . . It is so good, sad, heartbreaking, loving, wonderful and horrible all at the same time. Through the whole book I knew the ending . . . I often know the ending of a book a quarter of the way through but what I didn't see coming was the feelings with this emotional roller coaster of a read.

Every word was filled with a perfect blend of the time surrounding the Vietnam war and a turning point of our country.

I'm amazed at this wonderful piece of artfully woven fiction. Vietnam is something I've been interested in but haven't really looked into, I'm a history nerd I research so much history but I know little of this time and this book makes me want to know more (a plot bunny is spinning in my head as I type this...) And I hope to find more books like this one. It is indeed a need to read for anyone who likes to know more about the war with Vietnam, more recent historical events and Christian fiction. This book is good for anyone 13 up though maybe better for 13/16 since their are details about the war though they are only mentioned and not "shown on screen"...

I still have tears in my eyes from reading this book.

I think my review is done other then mentioning that I received this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review, all the thoughts are my own and I am happy to provide it... ( )

This book, set in 1967, is a book to revel in. I didn't realize when I started that it is slotted as a Christian book, and I almost set it down because that isn't usually my preferred genre. But I had just finished reading and listening to, two rather graphic noir thrillers, and I thought this would be a nice change of pace. Susie Finkbeiner is a marvellous writer. Her characters are warm and alive, her story, in this case is as warm and alive as the characters. The Jacobson family consists of Michael, Annie and Joel, and their mother Gloria. Gloria has been a single mother since Joel, who is the youngest, was 2 years old. Her husband and the children's father came back from fighting in Korea with severe PTSD, and couldn't stay with the family. The action in this book takes place over the course of one year. Annie is 18, Joel is 14 and Michael is 20. This is a happy home with well-adjusted children. Their mother has done a marvellous job of raising them. But when Michael comes home one day saying that he has enlisted in the army to fight in the Vietnam war, the family dynamic is forever changed With his mother as captain of the family, Michael has been the glue that held it together in the absence of their father, Frank. I particularly enjoyed this book as I completely remember the 60's, and the music references, news articles and all the free love and demonstrations are all very familiar to me. I too grew up in this era. Once you open this book, you will not want to shut the covers. It's a gripping story of family, friends and caring people in the small community where the Jacobsons live. Part of the book is set around correspondence between Michael in Vietnam and his family back home. It brings the Vietnamese War to life and shows clearly the damage it did to those who fought in it and to those who were at home praying for their family who were fighting in it. I heartily recommend this book. Once you meet the Jacobson family, you will not soon forget them. ( )

There are many time in the history of mankind where Julian of Norwich's words, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well," speak directly to us, inspiring hope, evoking prayer, and offering solace. Somehow these words just seem to carry peace. As the epigraph to Susie Finkbeiner's well-written, gentle novel All Manner of Things, the words are incredibly fitting.

It's 1967 and Annie Jacobson is eighteen. She lives with her mother and two brothers, one older and one younger. She works as a waitress in a diner. Life in this West Michigan town is pretty ordinary and Annie's life is generally contented and commonplace. But as the novel opens, her older brother Mike is enlisting in the Army, knowing full well that this will get him sent to Vietnam. Their father left the family years before, chased by his own demons left over from fighting in Korea so they all know of the damage that war can inflict, even on those who come home again. As the remaining Jacobsons go about their lives in the wake of Mike's enlistment, Annie tries to figure out where her life is taking her even as she faces the hope and fear of living every day with Mike overseas at war, the confusion of her father's arrival back in their lives, and the uncertainty of a budding relationship.

Finkbeiner has done a beautiful job evoking the time period and in portraying Annie's balancing on the cusp of her whole life. All of the characters here are quite appealing and she's drawn a realistically loving extended family and community and woven their faith in as an integral part of life. The chapters are short and frequently followed by letters to and from Mike, Annie, their parents and others, offering additional insights into each character and the place in which they find themselves. As the war comes to touch more people, the reader feels the same drop in their stomach that Annie does each and every time but the reader also feels the lightness Annie feels as she comes to appreciate the sweet steadiness of love and caring. As the Jacobsons grow and change over the course of not quite a year, they come together in comfort and heartbreak, happiness and sorrow, and they find and offer forgiveness as they look to the unknown of the future. There is a bittersweet, poignant feel to the novel and the feel of another, simpler time. Somehow Finkbeiner has captured a beautiful calmness here, that certainty reflected in Julian of Norwich's words: "all manner of things shall be well." This is a lovely, engaging, and winsome read. ( )

This is my first Susie Finkbeiner novel and it certainly will not be my last one! I sat down with this novel, opened the pages, and was instantly transported to the heart of the story, to a different time and place. From the beautifully chiseled characters, to the emotionally moving plot line, this book is completely captivating. Start to finish, this book enveloped me and didn't let me go until the last page was read. If you want an incredibly written historical novel, then grab this 4 star worthy book now. You will become a fan of Finkbeiner and look forward to the next book, just like me! ( )

Excellent read about a family during the Vietnam War ( )