This is a remarkable retelling of the prodigal son story, one that will stay with me for a long time.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought this was an interesting book. It is love story set in the glittering lights of Hollywood..
I thought the author did a good job creating a believable story.

I received this book to review from Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

Due to personal beliefs I will not finish nor recommend this book.

I'm saddened by how the Christian publishers are falling away from good books with true faith.

A re-telling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son set in Hollywood during the Great Depression.

Minerva leaves her home in Odessa, South Dakota to chase her dreams in the bright lights of Tinseltown, but things aren't as they appear in the movies and soon she finds herself desperate, making compromises. When she wakes up next to a dead movie star, everything that she worked so hard to keep afloat comes crumbling down.

A well written read novel that does a good job of bringing to life the gritty underside of Hollywood's early days, with all of the glitz and glamour, and fool's gold promises. I loved the complex and imperfect characters, each with their own secrets and desires. I think that the author did a great job of retelling the parable while making it her own.

Max is the charismatic and enigmatic agent who takes Minerva under his wing, while Oscar fights for his family's survival while searching for the truth behind his employer's murder. I loved Lupita, her beautiful heart for others and how she offered friendship to Mina.

This is an engaging read with a well crafted plot, but there also many things that might give readers pause. This book doesn't shy away from the darkside of Hollywood, and Mina makes bad choices that while not explicitly depicted, it doesn't shy away from them either going further than most books in the genre--if you are OK with Redeeming Love then you likely won't have a problem with this book . There is also the repeated use of a racial slur. Also the faith elements are not as overt as other books of the genre until the end.

In the end I did enjoy this book, but I know that it won't be for everyone. I would definitely recommend for more mature readers. A well rendered retelling, with flawed characters, and an engaging plot.


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this story so much. What a wonderful retelling of the prodigal son. I really liked the romantic arc, even though I was expecting a romantic storyline and didn't realize who the couple would be for a few chapters. It was a pleasant surprise.

Details are very good. There is a smoking and drinking, but it is not glorified.

I really connected with the heroine and was glad she got her ended, though it wasn't quite what I expected.

In a Far-Off Land was- I must admit- not quite what I was expecting, in more ways than one. First, I expected that it was going to be more of a murder mystery... and while there was certainly a murder, the whodunnit really wasn't the focus of the story at all. Aside from that, though this is from a Christian publisher, the first part of the story really doesn't read much like a Christian story at all. I mean, it's fairly clean considering there is no language and no graphic details are given, it does give a pretty clear look at the darker aspects of Hollywood during the 1930s so there is definitely open mention of alcohol, drugs, sex and prostitution... certainly not what you'd expect in a Christian novel. Towards the very end, we do see it come around to being more of a story about grace and forgiveness and a truly unique take on the story of the prodigal son, but I could certainly see where some more conservative readers might find it uncomfortable. I must admit, in the beginning, I almost stopped reading several times not because it wasn't very well written but just because of how unexpected this all was... in the end, I am personally glad I continued reading to the end, as I really did enjoy the story in the end.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Classic Stephanie Landsem. Historical fiction. Romantic. Well written. Engaging characters. Intriguing story line. Five stars.

This was good. Like, really good. I didn't know what to expect when I started it, but considering I was in LA at the time, I figured this book was the perfect read. This ended up being so much more than I expected, and I loved it.

Instead of being a simple story like I expected, this was a beautiful tale of glamor, love, and desperation. It was gritty and dark while at the same time being hopeful. It was hard to read, but at the same time, an amazing read. I felt so bad for our main character, Minnie, but at the same time, hated some of the decisions she made. She was flawed and realistic, yet still likeable. I loved her, and I wasn't ready to leave her behind at the end of this.

I also loved the small glimpses this gave us into 1930's Hollywood. To me, this time period evokes ideas of luxury and glamor, not desperation and fear. This blended these ideas perfectly, and the setting was one of my favorite things about this.

Finally, I loved the romance. It was a smaller element, but it still hit incredibly hard. The connection between our characters was so strong, and I found myself hoping their love would survive the events of the story.

Although I was originally drawn to the because of the cover, I ended up loving it for so many reasons. I'll definitely be looking into getting myself my own copy, this was that good.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Rounded up from 3.5 stars. This was a very interesting story line, but it was really slow moving. I had a really hard time getting invested in the characters.

I was already a fan of Stephanie Landsem’s with her biblical fiction but this book is truly something special. It takes a deft hand to craft a story that not only absorbs the reader in a bygone era of decadence without apology for the difficult but necessary subject matter but also so skillfully depicts the perfect grace of our heavenly Father who loves without condition by weaving a fascinating prodigal tale, all while making the reader effortlessly fall in love with a number of flawed characters. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

A marvelous mixture of mystery, desperation, romance and intrigue. This retelling of the prodigal son parable traverses from America’s heartland of South Dakota to the golden age of the Hollywood machine.
Farm girl Minnie Zimmerman holds the dream of being an actress on the silver screen. With several questionable acts completed, she arrives in Hollywood and assumes the name Mina Sinclair. As she steps inside a world of glamour, grit and flaws she faces the dark side of the bright lights of stardom. After a Hollywood party resulting in a devastating situation Mina finds herself a suspect in a high profile murder and the life she dreamed of could not be farther away from the life she is living.
With twists, turns and wonderful storytelling this is an excellent choice for historical fiction lovers and book clubs.
Thanks to NetGalley, Stephanie Landsem and Tyndall House for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

Making it big in Hollywood is rare, but Minerva is determined to do so. The Great Depression is raging and her dad needs money to save the farm. Mina’s heart is in the right place, but she’s set herself an impossible task.
This is a well-written story, but I found it depressing. Mina takes risks, is taken advantage of, is used, and accused. She finally comes to her senses and returns home, where her father welcomes his prodigal.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"You’ll find your way, my girl."

Stephanie Landsem spins a beautiful tale reminiscent of the biblical "Prodigal Son" within the pages of her book “In a Far-Off Land.”

I was intrigued to see a book written in the 1930's and specifically old Hollywood -
the characters have all been written with such care and you can tell the author put the work in to research everything throughly, as it shows throughout the story.

Mina had you cheering for her to make good choices throughout the tale, in spite of her many bad ones.

If you're a fan of well-done historical fiction with faith & forgiveness woven throughout, definitely check out this book!

***Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the digital copy of this book. All views and opinions expressed in this review are my own.***

This unfortunately was a DNF read for me after ~25%. I initially was drawn to the book by its cover and intriguing synopsis, but found the more adult content (something I've personally committed not to read as it stays in my head for a lot longer than I'd like) off-putting, and the regular discussion and consumption of alcohol somewhat triggering--again, due to personal choices in my own life.

The book certainly reveals the unseemly underbelly of Hollywood--something by no means unique to the Great Depression, as we've seen to present day, especially with the rise of #MeToo. Depression-era struggles (in many forms) were also vividly brought to life here.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a wonderful surprise. Set in 1930s Hollywood right when the depression was taking a strong hold in America, we meet Mina, who seeks to change her farming family's fortunes by running away to make it big as a movie star. How hard can it be for an attractive young lady?

Mina holds secrets and meets Max, a budding agent, who is so dedicated to his talent that he only looks after one person at a time. Max, too, holds secrets. Of where he comes from, his heritage. Like Mina.

The plot revolves around an investigation into the apparent murder of a top-billing actor. Unfortunately, Mina wakes in the man's bed to discover he is very dead. And she can't remember a thing about the night before. This is the mystery/suspense angle of the story, however, what is far more appealing are the cast of characters that Ms Landsem introduces us to.

Oscar and Lupita, Mexican migrants, who happen to work at the deceased man's estate become entwined in the mystery. Then there's Angel and Roman, Oscar's brothers and their mama. We get a real sense of the poverty of the time that especially impacted the migrant populations of the city of angels. Besides unemployment and racism there was this constant threat of being deported back to Mexico simply because there were insufficient jobs and the like for everyone and least of all those who had recently immigrated.

Ms Landsem does a marvellous job helping us to see and feel the struggles of the era. Her research was tremendous in bringing it alive. We even get to meet Charlie Chaplin and William Randolph Hearst to namedrop a few of the stars that make an appearance.

But this is Mina and Max's story. Mina isn't your typical beautiful heroine. She's a thief, a liar and does what she believes needs to be done to make it in Hollywood. It's a town that is low on trust and big on making it whatever the cost.

In all the squalor, the superficiality of the glitz and glamor, we find a story of redemption, mercy, forgiveness and love. This is a re-telling of the Bible's Prodigal Son parable but with two daughters instead. Mina has an elder sister, Penny, who like the elder son in the parable is similarly stuck in her self-righteousness and prejudice.

The girls dad is perhaps the ultimate hero of the story even though his part is small (Chapter 11 is brilliantly written) but what we see in the transformation of both Mina and Max is very special. We see the power of love and forgiveness as well as the significance of making one vulnerable to another's secrets in order to be in a position to receive the love we're all created to enjoy.

This is a beautiful historical fiction/romance with some suspense that I wholly recommend.

Wonderfully researched, beautifully written, with mystery, romance, and a touch of classic Hollywood mystique! I was immediately drawn into Mina's story as she leaves America's heartland for Hollywood, where she finds little success, few friends, and mounting troubles culminating in her becoming a suspect in a high-profile murder.

Equally as engaging are the two men, Max and Oscar, who, despite their own flaws, failures, and troubled pasts, risk their lives to keep her safe from harm.

I'm left with a fresh appreciation for the love and mercy of God the Father, the persistent, if difficult, call to forgive, and a deeper curiosity about an age in American history marked by poverty, discrimination, and determination.

** “Regret isn’t something to be proud of. It isn’t a one-shot deal like stubbing your toe. No, it’s a wound that doesn’t heal. You live with it, you keep it covered and try not to think about it, but it’s always there, aching.” **

** “The thing I learned — after everything that happened — was you don’t deserve mercy. And you can’t earn forgiveness. If you deserved it — if you earned it — well, I guess then they’d call it something else.” **

Stephanie Landsem offers a delightful reimagining of the Prodigal Son parable with her latest novel, “In a Far-Off Land.”

South Dakota farm girl Minnie Zimmerman has dreams of starring on the big screen. So after doing some questionable things to get herself to Hollywood, the newly named Mina Sinclaire is shocked to realize fame and fortune are hard to find.

After a devastating night at a big Hollywood party, Mina must turn to her agent, Max, and his cousin Oscar for help, protection and guidance. As all of their lives quickly begin to swirl downward, they must each rely on each other while trying to solve the mystery from Mina’s frightful night.

“In a Far-Off Land” is a delightful historical novel set in Hollywood’s Golden Era — referencing many recognizable names like Charlie Chaplin and William Randolph Hearst. Landsem does a great job of developing intriguing and deep, yet flawed, characters.

The story also deals with heavy topics like the desperation of the Great Depression and prejudice — as Max and Oscar must both battle bias against their Mexican heritage. Major themes include mercy, justice and forgiveness; secrets; regrets; beauty can come from ugliness; and it isn’t always easy to tell black from white in situations. It also reminds us God is always there to open doors for us (“Sometimes it was in the darkest times when the Lord opened a door.”).

One disclaimer: this book does contain many incidents of mature content, dealing with intimacy, drugs, alcohol, smoking, and situations pregnant women find themselves in.

Fans of historical fiction, Hollywood’s Golden Era, film buffs and stories of strong women overcoming adversity will love “In a Far-Off Land.”

Five stars out of five.

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Hollywood 1930s Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Charlie Chaplain, a young girl wants into the movies. This is a surprising, heartfelt story that tugged at my heart, and one I cannot stop thinking about. This gorgeous cover first grabbed my attention and made me want to look inside. I loved how the author brought readers into the golden age of motion pictures; with its ups, downs, and everything in between. Hollywood is a city that used people up in their hopes of making it big.

I was quickly caught up into this fabulously, layered story, with its larger-than-life characters and a situation that made my heart ache. I was blown away at how this author took readers on a profound, intriguing journey with Mina as she desires to make it big in the movies to make things right with her family. She tries extremely hard but does not get anywhere. Then one night Mina finds herself in more trouble than she ever thought imaginable. There was no going home now. The author throws in a mystery that takes the story to a whole new level. I loved that it unraveled in a big way.

I liked what the author had to say about her new book, “My hope is that through this reimagining of the Parable of the Lost Son, we can see ourselves in one – or all – of the characters: Max, seeking redemption and forgiveness; Oscar, obsessed with justice; Penny, unable to forgive; Ephraim, a parent faithfully waiting for the return of a wayward child. And most of all, Mina, who longs to return to her father and be forgiven.”

This novel would work well for your next book club pick. And one to read just for the fun of it. This is the first novel I have read by this author it will not be the last.

"In a Far-Off Land" is a historical romance set in 1931 in America. It's loosely based on the lost/prodigal son parable in the Bible. It's not a mystery/suspense novel. While the story started with Mina waking up next to a murdered man, the story became a series of flashbacks. Much of the story was people thinking about or discussing or the characters telling the reader about the events that led up to that day. Very little action happened in the "current day" for about 75% of the book. Then a couple of characters discovered critical clues, quickly solved whodunit, and figured out what to do about it. The remaining story was about healing broken relationships.

While I enjoy historical fiction, I'm not really interested in detailed descriptions of every single piece of clothing that the characters wore beyond the initial setup of their style. Same for the detailed descriptions of the restaurants, houses, etc. So the pacing felt a little slow to me. I liked that the author included the relationship tensions created by the prejudice against Mexicans and the bastard status of Max. Anyway, the story was a depressing litany of how these realistic and complex characters made bad decision after bad decision, leading to sad and tragic outcomes. Mina was a thief, prostitute, liar, and selfish, but she came across as a sympathetic character even though I didn't relate to her situation or choices.

At the end, Mina received the profound mercy and grace of a father's unconditional love. This helped her to understand God's unconditional love when she felt like God had no time for the likes of her. There was no bad language. There were veiled references to sex (no detailed sex scenes). Overall, I'd recommend this story as long as you realize it's a slow, relational novel that shows God's love for the undeserving. It excelled at that.

Thanks to NetGalley for access to the ARC.

This book I highly recommend it if you like "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo"

Why would you ask, the author does an amazing job setting the time when the story occurs, the character are complex and the story goes with so much difficulties without making the story slow or uneasy to read, it follows the story rhythm.

I read that is inspired by the prodigy son, and honestly it sort of make sense because the book itself focus more on the negative aspects of hollywood, but at the same time is not so prude, is just the way it was.

I highly enjoyed it.