"A Distant Melody" by Sarah Sundin

I had heard wonderful things about Sarah Sundin's historical novels, so when I saw that this one was free on Kindle (and it still is for a limited time!), I grabbed it up and started right in on it. Having just finished "Rilla of Ingleside", I was already in a war novel kind of mood. This one is set in World War II.

Sundin's writing style drew me in immediately. She found ways to insert musical references seamlessly into the text, tying in with the title of the story, which I found to be a nice touch. I thought her an engaging author, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Our story opens when Allie Miller takes a trip away from home to be a part of her best friend's wedding. Allie feels very little control over her life. She's been raised by wealthy, homebody parents, and is in a long-term relationship with the young man who will one day take over her father's company. Having recently become a Christian, Allie feels that there is more out there than the staid life she's always known, but is uncertain of herself and her ability to pursue it. On the train ride she meets a young lieutenant and they are able to have an enjoyable conversation, each thinking they will never see each other again. But when they reach their destination, Allie and Walter Novak discover that they are both in the same wedding party, and are thrown together often over the course of the week.

Walter falls hard for Allie. Allie doesn't like to talk about the unpleasantness of her home life, and she feels sure that their mutual friends will fill Walt in on the fact that she's almost an engaged woman. Besides, she's enjoying the very real connection between them. At the end of the week Allie returns home and Walt prepares to ship out, and they agree to write each other.

Throughout the following long months, their friendship and prayers for each other are a sustaining force in both Allie and Walt's lives. She is bolstered by his encouragement to begin attending church and making decisions for herself, and he appreciates the way Allie listens and understands like no one else. Each of them fight their own inner battles even as Walt battles the Axis forces. Allie craves her parents' approval and knows she has it if she accepts her boyfriend's proposal and takes the place already assigned to her, but she doesn't know if she can live with herself if she follows through with it.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this book. The spiritual aspect of the friendship between Walt and Allie was nicely done. At times the plot got a little convoluted, but thankfully I had a good stretch of time so I could read through most of the story at once and therefore wasn't bothered by that. There was realism about the death of friends and personal danger that Walt faced as a fighter pilot that fit the WWII setting. It wasn't a perfect novel, but it kept me wrapped up wonderfully. I hope I have opportunity to read the rest of the books in this series.