The Light in My Window

by Francena H. Arnold

Hope Thompson's own intricately woven cocoon was the result of an emotionally torn childhood...and a humiliating experience at the hands of the only man she had ever loved...an experience that finally drove her from home to the strange, foreboding environs of the big city. She was young. Talented. Vivacious. And busily involved helping the less fortunate on Sherman Street through the Henderson Institute. And yet as weeks passed. Hope found herself slowly withdrawing, even from the people she had come to love. THere was a part of her, she dared not share. Here was one young lady detrmined never to be hurt again. The Light in My Window by Francena H. Arnold is a moving story of a discovery, romance, and the exquisite love and faith that spelled a new beginning for Hope Thompson and the people whose lives she trouched.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Romance

183 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

FRANCENA H. ARNOLD was a schoolteacher, talented storyteller, mother of four children, and author of ten novels. Her first, Not My Will, was originally written "just for the eyes of the family" and has since sold more than 500,000 copies. Her other novels include Then Am I Strong, Three Shall Be One, Brother Beloved, Straight Down Crook Lane, The Road Winds On, Fruit for Tomorrow, and Light in My Window. Raised in rural Illinois, Francena lived with her husband, Frank, in the Chicago area. (Biographical detail courtesy of Moody Publishers)

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent story and the sequel to a favorite of mine, “Not My Will.” Hope was told by a friend that step-parents could never really love a step-child and that adults only loved truly one time, and those words stuck with her for years and made her believe herself unloved.

After a job goes wrong, Hope finds herself desperate for work. Her time at the employment agency coincides beautifully with someone asking for a live-in cook/maid, and she takes the job as a temporary bridge to one in her field. However, she doesn’t expect it to be at an old mansion in the inner city and connected with an inner-city mission program! This kicks off a completely different life journey than she expected to follow and sparks her re-evaluation of everything she previously believed.

The setting is contemporary to the publishing date of 1950 and I loved all the vintage details as well.

Five stars...plus I loved seeing another glimpse of the characters from Not My Will.

[Luann Habecker]

{funny how near the end i was before realizing this was a sequel to my fav NOT MY WILL}


LIKE: her writing style. the vernacular. the no messing around, straight to it, scripture/gospel focus.

DISLIKE: noticing that all of her books i have read follow the same theme. they focus/involve the same things; marriage/farm life/a struggle with self that leads to surrender to God and the end of the book. i'm taking issue with the message being sent therein. a dangerous faulty one of once you surrender to God you no longer struggle. all is bliss for lack of a better word. also, i'm noticing they always end up married by the end. as though there is no other way...

all of this is not tainting my view of my favorite of hers as noted above...

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed rereading this story. It comes after “Not My Will” so read that first if you haven’t. I loved Hope from the first and wanted to hug her and tell her that what someone told her when she was a child is false and completely untrue. Billy was a dear, and I did like Stan and Dr. Ben. Of course seeing characters from Not My Will again was a delight.
The writing style was enjoyable. And I really liked seeing Christian workers really living out their faith and sharing the love and forgiveness of Christ with those in a not so nice district of a city.
I ended it encouraged and satisfied.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope overheard a conversation as a child that changed her life. She no longer felt secure in her parents’ assurance of love. They never understood what happened to their sweet little girl. The, as she got older, she fell in love and planned to marry and was betrayed. After that, when she decided to move away and find a job, another thing happened that made her lose trust. She cried out to God and asked that he help her find another job and a place where she felt safe and secure. Her experience was as a secretary but she ended up taking a job as a cook. Well, it’s only temporary, she thought, till something better comes along. But God had other things plans.
This is the story of Hope, who finds that there are people in this world who find joy, despite unpleasant circumstances in life, when they have complete faith and trust in Jesus.
It is the sequel to Not My Will but the ongoing story of Eleanor can also be read as a stand alone book.
I read it in one sitting and loved all the characters in the book. There are so many truths in the story! We sometimes misunderstand people and jump to conclusions and find out how wrong the judgements we made were. It made me stop and think about my own life and the decisions I’ve made. I highly recommend it.

[Elaine Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent sequel to "Not My Will". Even though both books can certainly stand on their own; when read back to back they are overwhelming. These were certainly not written "in" or "for" the electronic age.

[Jan Ackerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel to "Not My Will", so very special for anyone who wants to know what happened to Eleanor. But my heart always went out to poor, wounded Hope. A happy ending, of course.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Christian fiction. :-) Truly moved by the love of Hope Thompson and Stan Dykstra!

[Pauline Doyle]

not sure on exact date

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was happy to find a part 2 to "Not My Will". The storyline isn't quite as breath-catching as Not My Will, but it does take some exciting turns.

[J.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is old-fashioned, for sure, yet it tells a delightful story with a sweet and poignant message. I enjoyed it all over again!

[Abigail Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a good reminder/ example of how Christians living for God should act

[Juan Miguel Delgado S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encouraging

[Mindy Mcc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 of the book from Marge thru Laurel
Well done in showing how holding on to the past only prevent who you are suppose to be today...

[Christopher Hachet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book a long time ago and loved it.

[Lisa Burch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, must read!