Mulberry Park Book

This was a fantastic story. Didn't want to put it down. Claire went to work day after day, put her time in, then after work made her way to Mulberry Park where she would go on a run. She hoped to dull her senses, wear herself out, anything to escape the pain of having lost her son three years ago. Unable to let go of the past and move on, she'd watched her husband walk away from their marriage. Her best friend, Vickie, who'd been there for her when Erik died, no longer called her regularly and Claire knew it was only a matter of time until Vickie quit calling altogether. But Vickie's family is still intact and hearing Vickie talk about them only makes things worse.

One day Claire comes to the park and sits on a bench watching the people around her. There's the older man, Walter, who is looking for a new chess partner since his close friend passed away. Hilda, an older lady, brings the little girl, Analisa just about every day to play. There's also the little boy, Trevor, who mostly keeps to himself and always shows up alone.

On this particular day, however, their lives are about to intersect in a very amazing way. While sitting on the bench, an letter lands in her lap. It's a letter to God from Analisa. Curious, Claire reads it then decides to answer it as if she was God. She places it back in the tree where the other one was and the next day there's a reply. After a couple of days, Claire begins to regret her actions. Analisa is requesting things Claire has no means of providing and not wanting to mislead the youngster, writes back and introduces herself.

Before long, Claire's pain begins to ease and she finds herself not only involved with Analisa herself, but with the other people that come to the park on a regular basis. She also discovers that Analisa's uncle, Sam, is her guardian and Claire's attorney. A romance slowly begins to develop between them.

I can't begin to tell you everything that takes place in this story. There's so much because of all the characters. However, the author does a wonderful job of tying it all together, relating each character's story, and bringing everything to a marvelous conclusion. I loved the struggles each character had and how they were able to overcome it. I also enjoyed the faith elements to the book especially that of Analisa's. There was nothing complicated. She believed when she prayed God would answer and she unselfishly prayed for them while urging them to talk to God themselves.

Trevor's plight touched my heart and I thought it was so sweet the way Walter cared for Hilda when she went into the hospital. Sam loved his niece but struggled with juggling his work and the presence of Analisa in his life. Sam's brother died in an accident while serving as a missionary in Guatemala, leaving Sam to take his daughter. He knows nothing about caring for a child but seems to be doing a good job given the circumstances. Claire's willingness to help is a godsend and his attraction for her grows when she volunteers to watch Analisa while Hilda is in the hospital.

This was one story where my emotions were engaged from the start and I came close to tears a couple of times. I loved the characters, loved the plot, and loved how it all worked out in the end. I was so excited to discover there are more books involving these people. I highly recommend.