A Portrait of Dawn

Dawn Trilogy #1

by B.J. Young

Beth grew up in an abusive home with an alcoholic dad. After looking for comfort in the wrong place, she becomes pregnant at the age of sixteen, and her life is changed forever. As she struggles to push past the pain of her childhood, she doubts she'll ever be able trust any man again. She wants to believe God can take the darkness of her past and create a life of beauty, but wonders if she's destined to be alone in life. Then she meets Alex and becomes the recipient of his unconditional love. With his help she begins to overcome her issues of trust and unresolved grief. But will his love and her faith be strong enough when she receives a letter that takes her back to the darkness of the year she turned sixteen? It was the year she placed her baby girl in the arms of adoptive parents. Now her daughter is back and needs her biological mother to give her life a second time. But for that to happens Beth will need a miracle.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian

300 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

After retiring from a long and rewarding career in nursing, B.J. Young continued to feel a need to nurture those who were hurting. She began to write short, inspirational stories and devotionals. Those were first published by Front Porch Publishing, then by Guidepost, Angels on Earth and The Huffington Post. Her debut inspirational fiction novel, "A Portrait of Dawn" was a semi-finalist in the Genesis contest in 2012. The first edition was published in February of 2013. The second book of the trilogy, "Dawn’s New Day, A Love Story" was released in June, 2013. The Dawn Trilogy, a collection of Christian fiction novels was completed with the publication of "Reflections of Dawn" in February 2014. Each book has received multiple five-star reviews. "A Season for Sarah" is her most recent book. Mrs. Young lives in Northwest Ohio where she enjoys time with her husband of forty-two years, three daughters and their husbands, and nine grandchildren. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Kathleen (Kat) Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The course of a person's life can be altered in just a day, sometimes in a matter of minutes.

The letter I received in the mail yesterday, carried me back to the day my life took a drastic turn. It began like every other day in my somewhat routine life, but this one ended with my life changed forever. It was sixteen years ago, but I haven't forgotten it. How could I? It will be stored in that one private alcove of my mind. The one reserved for the memories of those early years. Memories I don't want, but hey are mine and must be stored somewhere.

Unlike some people, I know the exact day I became pregnant. It was a Friday. One week before my sixteenth birthday."

What an incredible opening to introduce our reader to A Portrait of Dawn by author B.J. Young. We get the opportunity to journey back to the day when Bethany Braun's life took a dramatic change that would not only alter her life but every single life she would touch because of what happened that day. Beth grew up in an abusive household, not so much for her personally but watching her dad, Larry come home each night, and drink himself into another person she grew to fear. He would take out his bad days on her mother and Beth was forced to watch the horror of her mother being beaten. Even when she confronted her mother later, her mother continued to make excuses for his behavior. Soon Beth found that leaving the house when those times came, was better than sitting back and becoming a witness to what she was incapable of stopping. It was when she met Ryan, a boy from her high school that she found she could confide in. It was when she went looking for love in all the wrong places, that Ryan offered her more than what she needed.

Beth knew that if she told her parents she was pregnant, her dad would literally kill her and her mother. Her brother Joel, had left years ago and they lost contact with him, when her dad abused him for the last time. Beth wished she was able to find her brother so she could run away and deal with her pregnancy away from the abusive household she lived in. Ryan only wanted her to have an abortion, but at the last moment knew this was something she could never do, and never told Ryan. She would have to wait for the opportunity to tell her mother and hopefully between them, they could offer a solution to dealing with her father. But for now, they had to continue along with the same old routine, her father expected every time he went to work. It was how he was able to maintain a level of control that kept them both living in fear of ever hoping things might be different for them.

I received A Portrait of Dawn by author B.J. Young compliments of the author herself and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is a novel that needs to not only be read but shared with teen pregnancy on the rise and abortion at an all time high as the answer to this issue. I think B.J. Young did an exceptional job at enabling the reader to walk in Beth's shoes during every heart-rendering, emotionally-charged situation. I literally cried during so many stages of this book, because I could relate to Beth's situation. I did not make the right choice at that time, and have had to deal with my decision every single day of my life. But God can heal those broken places in our life and give us a new one, one of forgiveness, healing and hope. This is just the example of showing how God can take some of life's greatest painful moments and bring about goodness even though we may not see it for years. This one is truly unforgettable and one that will be remembered long after the final page is turned. For that very reason, this one rates a perfect 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. I look forward to the sequel which we get a sneak peek at the conclusion of this one, Dawn's new day. Perhaps the most memorable quotes of the book is one I will leave you with:

"I woke at dawn and watched in awe as God used the sky for His canvas. He began to paint for me a picture of my coming day; it was a parade of resplendent color that took my breath away. Then the fog came and my hope was that tomorrow's dawn would bring new wonder."

I will never look at a sunrise again the same way.

[Jodie Dye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! This was an incredible story. I absolutely loved the whole book. I honestly felt like I was reading parts of my own story which brought out a lot of emotion. I cried a lot through this book because the author made it very personal. I look forward to getting the sequel to this book and I would recommend this book for anyone who likes a good novel.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book for free through the GoodReads giveaway program.

Young does an amazing job of painting a story that pulls at every emotion possible. No matter if your 16, 36, or 56 years old you feel as though you are relating - even connecting - with Beth. My heart ached for her, anxiety surfaced for her, my heart broke for her and felt hopeful for her too. The beginning of this novel was SO HEAVY! that I had to take a break 5 chapters into it.

I was grateful that Young divided the past and present Beth in parts / sections. The transition between part 1 and 2 really makes the reader think "oh! She kept the baby - wow!" The baby's name was never revealed. I sincerely applaud Young on this writing structure. She had me so deep in the story that when the truth was revealed I was shocked.

I did not like how part 4 began. I would have rather gone into the present of Beth waking up with Alex, letter still in her hand (how part 5 begins) and stop with a "cliff hanger" again. Doesn't need to be a long section, but I had that flow in my head established.

I wanted to read about Beth graduating high school, her decision process in picking a college, how she decided to stay in touch with her dad then dive into college graduation - job acceptance - David and Alex - etc. With these piece missing, I felt disconnected to the story.

And I felt unsettled that David left without a word. Someone that controlling and powerful, I feel, would not go away quietly.

I also thought the beginning of the novel was a good balance of religious aspect to the story; now, however later on, it's a bit much. I am a devote Catholic so I appreciate the sayings, advice, practicing and connections within this novel. It gave me peace and help center me. However, I worry about non-religious folks who might be turned off or away from this novel due to the amount of religion poured into this novel.

Overall, Captivating! Definitely take it in stride as you feel the struggle and the heartbreak and all the emotion that the characters experience in this book. The writing was phenomenal! It was easy to understand, simple to read, and pulls at all the emotions. Young's story telling flow is amazing. I also almost feel liked I was reading a diary from Beth's point of view yet other point of views are narrated as well such as Beth's dad.


4 out of 5 Stars * Happy Reading!



P.S: I know I have a pre-released, 1st edition proof copy. Some of the punctuation and grammar are incorrect. When Beth refers to her father, "dad" sometimes has a capital d but usually does not. When she talks about Abby with her dark hair then she says its blonde is confusing. Just little things here and there but it's not difficult to follow along. Goodreads lists 314, my 1st edition contains 303 including the story at 294 pages, and preview of the next novel at 8 pages.

[Allison Kohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book. It kept me fascinated and engrossed from beginning to end. It made me think the author had firsthand knowledge of the lives she portrayed so I was surprised to read that she had a good home life herself. She had to have done her research well to have such a good understanding of what it would be like to live in a home where the "man of the family" had mental problems and couldn't control his temper. I recommend this to anyone who like to read about the grace of God in the hardest circumstances and how his love conquers all.

[Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book even though I felt torn about it for most of the book. It was basically a form of bible study with a shallow plot woven through. Maybe I didn't understand what I was going to read... But I did not feel it was a good fit for my taste in literature.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this novel for book club, and was instantly drawn into the life of Bethany, those that surround her, and the faith that carries her. You won't be able to put this one down until you've finished it!

[Dawn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book about a young gal who gets pregnant and how that impact her life. The characters were well developed and it was a great story.