Well done historical fiction about life in the US during WWII. Good characters and storytelling make it a good read.

I loved reading about this family. They were very realistic and ordinary characters who experienced the everyday emotions and problems that we all do. I enjoyed the historical aspect as well.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is an interesting story about life at home during wartime. You don’t really hear much about that, since people seem to focus more about the actual war and politics. The family/characters were believable, as well as the story line. I read it rather quickly, as the story is fast-paced. It covers a lot in a short time.
My only issue with the book is that it is very much a “slice of life” story. Each character’s story branches off, so you follow all simultaneously. However, the book just suddenly ends. I expected there to be more and was shocked that there wasn’t. There is no real resolution to the story. Perhaps this is the author’s way of making a comment on the human condition. Perhaps there was no resolution, no neat ending.

The book was an interesting story, but ultimately rather sad. The main character is a single father. He helplessly observes all of his children enter terrible situations, which either permanently change or end their lives. Meanwhile, the father finds love, but rejects it due to his commitment to his late wife. The book tells the separate but connected stories of the father, as well as each of the children.

This book addresses the ideas of living with ethics and integrity, but it does so in ways that I really couldn't relate to. The children try to be brave and to do things that would make their father proud, but at risk to their own safety. Not to give too much away, but there is nothing inherently ethical about a willingness to go to war.

It was an interesting read, but I ultimately didn't really connect to this book or its characters.

Do you know anyone who thinks they can control their lives, keep bad things from happening, and sacrifices all to that end? Well, Jonathan Beecher is one of those who has already met with loss and misfortune but thinks he can prevent tragedy from striking again. He lives in a small town and owns a hardware store. Pearl Harbor has recently occurred and the United States has jumped into World War II. His wife has passed away yet he seems to have moved on with his life and now surrounds himself with his two sons and daughter. He hopes to keep them close by to work with him in his store.
Quite suddenly all his plans are disrupted by the decisions his children make with their own lives. He finds himself unable to maintain control over them as they each leave him alone. What life lessons will he learn from their choices, the world changing around him, and a relationship with a new woman he meets at church? His mental anguish, loyalty to his dead wife, and determination to sustain his hardware store may push him over the edge. What will he discover about himself that could be helpful to you? Do his grown children owe him their allegiance in a time of war? Read this book and find out if Jonathan can say “It is Well”.
I received a copy of this book by James Shipman from NetGalley for my honest review which I have given here.

I loved the cover art of this novel...I also loved this heart-warming story. Looking forward to reading more of Mr Shipman's work.

I really struggled with this book. I wanted to like it, but I really struggled with the protagonist and his loyalty to his dead wife, who by all accounts was a terrible wife.

In 1939 in a cemetery in Snohomish, Washington, Jonathan Beecher stands mournfully at the burial of his wife, who has died of cancer at 38. Among his family huddled around him are his eldest son, Matthew; a second son, Luke; and the youngest, 15-year-old Mary. Matthew decides to take a job with a contractor on Wake Island, and Jonathan has to rely heavily on help from Luke and Mary to operate his hardware store. In 1941, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Luke, ignoring Jonathan’s dictates, enlists in the Army and is eventually sent to Europe. Meanwhile, Jonathan’s business suffers when Mary elopes with a policeman who mistreats her. The news of Japan’s occupation of Wake Island and the war raging in Europe adds to Jonathan’s despair. He survives by getting further involved in church activities and finds himself attracted to a kind and gentle widow, Sarah. While Jonathan ponders about his children’s fates, he is most troubled about keeping the promise he’d made to his dying wife.

From the novel’s title, it’s evident that this is a story of overcoming grief in the face of calamity. James Shipman has thoughtfully composed the title from Horatio Spafford’s amazing hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul.” Spafford had experienced real family tragedy, and so does Jonathan in this novel. Jonathan’s and Sarah’s faith in God, which carries them through their periods of despair, is brought out vividly. It might lead us to examine our own beliefs. The battle combat sequences on Wake Island and in Europe, while informative and graphic as if on a movie screen, are lengthy at times. Matthew’s and Luke’s characters could have been developed a bit more to keep us engrossed in their storylines. An interesting read.

This review first appeared in the Historical Novels Review Issue 79 (February 2017)

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the E-Arc of this title in exchange for an honest review. This book was well researched, but the characters weren't as developed as I'd have liked. It wasn't a bad book, but it just wasn't my favorite read lately.

I am sorry to say that this title was archived before I had a chance to read it. :(

It is Well by James D. Shipman is the story of one man’s journey as his world drastically changes around him. The story opens at the funeral of his wife, Helen, Jonathan Beecher sits quietly as the service proceeds around him. His 15-year old daughter, Mary, as his side and his sons, Matthew and Luke as well. After the funeral, Matthew breaks the news that he is joining a construction company in the Pacific. Fast forward to December 7, 1941, the news of the Pearl Harbor Attack reaches his small town in Washington. He worries about his son, Matthew and now his son, Luke, who joins the service with this fellow countryman. Back home, Jonathan must deal with the economic strife the war brings on his hardware store, no word from Matthew and Luke, off at boot camp and Mary becoming very familiar with a local police officer. As he tries to live day-to-day, Jonathan meets Sarah Gilbertson and the attraction is immediate. However, Jonathan holds back due to a promise he made his late wife. Will Jonathan allow himself another chance at happiness? Will Matthew and Luke return home safely?
It is Well is a dramatic story filled with the struggles and dangers on the home front as well the battlefields. The story switched between Snohomish, Washington, Wake Island, and the European battlefields as the reader sees life on the home front with Jonathan and his daughter, Mary. The atrocities of the Wake Island occupation by the Japanese and the horrors of the battlefields. The story is filled intense drama and heartache as well as sweet memories of love and happiness. I highly recommend It is Well for its realistic portrayal of life during World War II.

It is Well
is available in paperback and Kindle
with Amazon
and
in paperback and audiobook
with Barnes and Noble

Lake Union Publishing published James D. Shipman's  Christian Family Romance novel set during WW2:  "It Is Well", on 11/1/2016.
     Middle-aged widower & father Jonathan Beecher is a man of quiet faith, a small town store owner, & volunteer church handiman. Jonathan's 2 sons enter the war after Pearl Harbor, his daughter marries an abusive man, & his business accumulates mounting debts. This book tells the story of how Jonathan deals with these losses. And how God blesses him, by bringing Sarah into his life.
     I found this story rather confusing because the perspective kept changing. By the end of Chapter 5 (29% of the story), the author had written from Jonathan's viewpoint, & each of his sons. So I gave up reading any further.
     I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, & voluntarily chose to review it.