The Light in My Window

by Francena H. Arnold

Hope Thompson is new to the big city. However, instead of finding fulfillment in her work and service, she is bitter and struggles with herself, with God, and with her love for Stan. ...

Genres: Fiction, Christian

206 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1992

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

[Loretta F. Miller]

Not My Will has long been a favorite, in spite of its abrupt ending. I discovered this sequel at a thrift store and I'm ever so glad I did! The main character, Hope Thompson, is realistic and her journey is so very true to many lives. Tears came to my eyes as I read of her struggles and fears and I laughed at her initial responses to Stan. The lessons in this story are not preachy, but they are strong. A book well worth the reading!

[Abigail G]

What a powerful addition to 'Not My Will'!! This story may be from a different time period but the struggles Hope faces are still real today. It is so refreshing reading a book that has a positive view on God rather than one that hates on religion. True portrayal of becoming and being a follower of Jesus rather than being a Christian by name only is something that every person needs to hear about! It was exciting to see what further happened to the characters from the last book as they discover and travel the path Jesus called them to.

[Myra]

This book was difficult to read on so many levels. Overall, it had a sweet, though wandering, story and a message of God’s love carrying us through difficulties. But the age of the book, the antiquated words and ideas, and the strong evangelical themes were a bit like chewing cud instead of cotton candy.

[Mark]

This wasn't as good as Not My Will, but I enjoyed it, and it was cool to read more about Eleanor and Phillip. I always wished Not My Will had not ended quite so abruptly

[Emma Jane]

AMAZINGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!🤩🥹🥹🥹

[Karina (Karina's Christian Reads)]

Number of pages: 206

Genre: Fiction

Series: It is the sequel to Not My Will (It would make more sense to read them in order)

Age recommendation: High School (15+)

Summary: Cooking at the Henderson Institute was not what Hope Thompson had in mind when she came to the city. But a job is a job after all, and the Kings were nicer than other employers, so Hope decides to stay. Her bitterness is evident to everyone there, and it becomes even stronger when Stan comes. Will Hope allow God to take it away?

My thoughts: I really liked this book. I probably liked it a lot more because I read it right after I had read some heavier non-fiction books, so it was just so easy to read and I enjoyed it. The book had some good Christian content: about really being saved - rather than claiming to be Christian; praying and trusting God for things; how it’s God who brings joy rather than circumstances.
I really liked Sam Every time my sister asks what my favourite part is, I tell her “when Sam dies.” I know that sounds rather heartless but I like how the poor, uneducated guy gets to help the rich, smart guy and show him how he’s not really saved, but he can be.
I didn’t love that some of the things were so predictable; from the beginning of the book, I knew that Eleanor’s story was going to help Hope. Hope kept complaining that if only Eleanor had suffered like her, she wouldn’t be so happy. If you read Not My Will you would know that Eleanor’s life was not very happy at all; even harder than Hope’s.
Some things in the story were too random. For example, Stan’s identity about ¾ of the way through the book Billy reveals that Stan is actually her uncle, not her fiancée and is shocked that Hope didn’t figure it out yet. I was just sitting there very confused. There weren’t any hints of that in the story.
Another thing that’s weird is that Hope holds on to the thing her 9 or 10 year old neighbour friend told her when they were kids. She thinks her step-parents can’t love her because they’re just there to make her life miserable, and that true love only comes once in a lifetime. (So her stepdad can’t have loved her mom because he now loves her stepmom). Why does she still believe that when she’s around 20 years old?
Overall, I really enjoyed the story, even though some things were a little too predictable while others were too random.

My personal rating: 4/5 stars.

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