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Tending Roses #4
Drenched in Light
A woman struggling to find her way forward discovers hope in her bond with a troubled young girl in this heartfelt novel in the Tending Roses series from the New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours.
Once a gifted ballet dancer, Julia Costell understands the joy of body and soul lost in a perfect moment. But after buckling under the demands of a professional dance career, she’s landed with a thud in an unglamorous job as a guidance counselor at a performing arts school. Living back home with her parents and feeling lost, Julia is afraid she’ll never soar again—until the day young Dell Jordan is sent to her office.
In Dell’s writing, Julia recognizes not only her own despair, but also luminous sparks of hope. But as Julia fights to forge a brighter future for one disadvantaged student, she is drawn into startling undercurrents of conflict and denial within the academy. Now, as she is tested in ways she never imagined, Julia begins to discover that even though her life has seemed off course, she’s been on the right path all along...
Once a gifted ballet dancer, Julia Costell understands the joy of body and soul lost in a perfect moment. But after buckling under the demands of a professional dance career, she’s landed with a thud in an unglamorous job as a guidance counselor at a performing arts school. Living back home with her parents and feeling lost, Julia is afraid she’ll never soar again—until the day young Dell Jordan is sent to her office.
In Dell’s writing, Julia recognizes not only her own despair, but also luminous sparks of hope. But as Julia fights to forge a brighter future for one disadvantaged student, she is drawn into startling undercurrents of conflict and denial within the academy. Now, as she is tested in ways she never imagined, Julia begins to discover that even though her life has seemed off course, she’s been on the right path all along...
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2006
866 people are currently reading
4178 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Wingate
50 books13.2k followersLisa Wingate is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Before We Were Yours, which remained on the bestseller list for over two years. Her award-winning works have been selected for state and community One Book reads, have been published in over forty languages, and have appeared on bestseller lists worldwide. The group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa and six others as recipients of the National Civics Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. She lives in Texas and Colorado with her family and her deceptively cute little teddy bear of a dog, Huckleberry. Find her at www.lisawingate.com, on Facebook at LisaWingateAuthorPage, or on Instagram @author_lisa_wingate
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 400 reviews
September 19, 2013
Oh, my. . .
Ever read a book that causes you to catch your breath? To laugh only to find silent tears running down your face at the same time?
Lisa Wingate writes from a deep well of pain, of performance anxiety, of hiding behind the lie we fear above all else—that we are unlovable.
In the characters of Dell and Julia, we see glimpses of ourselves—sorrow and joy—the beauty of God working within—drenched "from the inside out in light."
Now it's a toss up as to which is my favorite book in the Tending Roses series—Good Hope Road or Drenched in Light.
Read, enjoy, laugh, cry. Prepare yourself for the profound. Be prepared for unexpected spiritual insight.
Ever read a book that causes you to catch your breath? To laugh only to find silent tears running down your face at the same time?
Lisa Wingate writes from a deep well of pain, of performance anxiety, of hiding behind the lie we fear above all else—that we are unlovable.
In the characters of Dell and Julia, we see glimpses of ourselves—sorrow and joy—the beauty of God working within—drenched "from the inside out in light."
Now it's a toss up as to which is my favorite book in the Tending Roses series—Good Hope Road or Drenched in Light.
Read, enjoy, laugh, cry. Prepare yourself for the profound. Be prepared for unexpected spiritual insight.
October 17, 2021
SUCH A GOOD BOOK… oh my gosh. it perfectly touched on the reality of mental disorders, eating disorders and the struggles kids go though without both parents. it had me crying by the end! highly recommend!!
April 26, 2019
3.25 stars
This book was not part of the originally planned trilogy, and while there is nothing wrong with the writing and this could just be me, but I have read so many novels crusading against abusing one's own body by bulimia for the protagonist, Julia, but with drugs, as there appears to be a drug problem at the arts magnet high school where she is a new counsellor.
In this book we see Dell again, from the first and third books, as well as someone from third book that I won't name in case you plan to read the entire series.
There are some wonderful essays in this written by the character, Dell, that are powerful testimonies to a child who has spent most of her life in a bad situation.
This book was not part of the originally planned trilogy, and while there is nothing wrong with the writing and this could just be me, but I have read so many novels crusading against abusing one's own body by bulimia for the protagonist, Julia, but with drugs, as there appears to be a drug problem at the arts magnet high school where she is a new counsellor.
In this book we see Dell again, from the first and third books, as well as someone from third book that I won't name in case you plan to read the entire series.
There are some wonderful essays in this written by the character, Dell, that are powerful testimonies to a child who has spent most of her life in a bad situation.
May 1, 2022
2.5 stars. I wanted to like this book more but it read like watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. And while I know a lot of people love Hallmark Christmas movies, I am not one of them. The author gave the reader EVERYTHING. It's like she didn't trust us to read between the lines at all, or come to any if our own conclusions. I guess I wasnt the target audience because I don't want to be handed everything on a silver platter like that. I like a book that makes you think, that is more subtle in how character development happens, that isn't so completely predictable and formulaic. It's a shame because the themes in this book are important, and the growth and healing of the main characters was beautiful and I loved the faith expressed by several characters. I would love to have read the non-hallmark version of this book.
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July 7, 2021First of all I didn’t know this was #4 in a series and is actually a reprint – the book was originally published in 2006.
While I have enjoyed two of the author’s more recent books this one was not for me.
It deals with an eating disorder which I find disturbing subject matter.
While I have enjoyed two of the author’s more recent books this one was not for me.
It deals with an eating disorder which I find disturbing subject matter.
April 19, 2017
Beautiful, poignant and wonderfully enriching...
May 21, 2023
Love this author! Excellent read! Lots of different themes explored! As a teacher I enjoyed the school politics as well as the human interest stories
December 28, 2023
Setting: Kansas City, Harrington Performance Arts School
#4 in this Rose series
This is maybe the 10th book I have read by this author; I doubt I will find one that I rate less than 4 stars .. looking forward to reading many more in the future.
#4 in this Rose series
This is maybe the 10th book I have read by this author; I doubt I will find one that I rate less than 4 stars .. looking forward to reading many more in the future.
June 5, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I love how it deals with real issues and challenges the reader to examine what might need to come to light in their own life if they choose to stretch themselves.
December 28, 2019
4.5 stars, explained below
This was such an amazing book. It was not historical fiction, not a romance, not suspense, mystery, fantasy nor comedy. It was simply a story. One my mother would call human interest. And a wonderful one.
From an early age Julia was a gifted dancer. She performed for the Kansas City Metro Ballet...until her obsession to stay willow thin and her eating disorder derailed her career.
A new job as guidance counselor for a middle school of arts, the very one that made her feel so inferior that bulimia became a way of life, is giving her a new focus.
Her desire was to help a young, gifted, withdrawn student who was on the verge of flunking out. Dell was a foster child from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. Different from all the other Harrington students with affluent backgrounds, Dell felt no one wanted her there except her foster parents who realized her gift and felt the school would encourage it.
Julia helped to lift Dell out of the downward spiral by spending time with her as well as getting to know her new family. What she didn’t realize was all the healing wasn’t just for Dell. Julia's life that was once killing her is becoming filled with purpose, no longer dominated by self-doubt and shame.
I was drawn to many characters. Julia and Dell were very complicated, but one can’t help caring deeply to both with their self doubts and extreme love for their families. They both had huge hearts.
I love Ms. Wingate's writing. Such wisdom, effortless beauty without trying to impress the reader with flowery words. Quotes that gripped me:
“I struck on an epiphany. Dance hadn’t ruined me; the instructor who said that ballerinas should be slim like the willow hadn’t ruined me; and Harrington hadn’t ruined me. Nor had my parents or the question of my biological father. I had ruined myself. I had chosen it. The light comes from the inside out, and so does the darkness. We choose the things that fill us.”
About Dell:
“She’s angry—not at you, but in a righteous kind of way. With all the things that have happened in her life, that’s the one thing that has always been missing. She quietly tolerates injustice, like she deserves it. She’s never raged against the machine, against the things that are wrong and unfair, and now she’s finally doing that. She’s learning what it feels like to stand up and be counted.”
i took exception with one exclamation, taking God's name in vane. Although not uncommon in many people's speech, it still hurts my heart when I see it used.
Any faith messages were generic, not specifically Christian. Sadly, the story includes the main character and her sister both living with men before marriage. No sign of it being wrong in the book. Again, not uncommon in the world, but I wish some message of God's view of this had been included rather than treating it as just the norm. Down 1/2 star.
This can be a stand alone book, but the background from the other books that include Dell and her foster family could help.
Can’t wait to go read book four. Somehow I always manage to read books out of order. 😁
This was such an amazing book. It was not historical fiction, not a romance, not suspense, mystery, fantasy nor comedy. It was simply a story. One my mother would call human interest. And a wonderful one.
From an early age Julia was a gifted dancer. She performed for the Kansas City Metro Ballet...until her obsession to stay willow thin and her eating disorder derailed her career.
A new job as guidance counselor for a middle school of arts, the very one that made her feel so inferior that bulimia became a way of life, is giving her a new focus.
Her desire was to help a young, gifted, withdrawn student who was on the verge of flunking out. Dell was a foster child from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. Different from all the other Harrington students with affluent backgrounds, Dell felt no one wanted her there except her foster parents who realized her gift and felt the school would encourage it.
Julia helped to lift Dell out of the downward spiral by spending time with her as well as getting to know her new family. What she didn’t realize was all the healing wasn’t just for Dell. Julia's life that was once killing her is becoming filled with purpose, no longer dominated by self-doubt and shame.
I was drawn to many characters. Julia and Dell were very complicated, but one can’t help caring deeply to both with their self doubts and extreme love for their families. They both had huge hearts.
I love Ms. Wingate's writing. Such wisdom, effortless beauty without trying to impress the reader with flowery words. Quotes that gripped me:
“I struck on an epiphany. Dance hadn’t ruined me; the instructor who said that ballerinas should be slim like the willow hadn’t ruined me; and Harrington hadn’t ruined me. Nor had my parents or the question of my biological father. I had ruined myself. I had chosen it. The light comes from the inside out, and so does the darkness. We choose the things that fill us.”
About Dell:
“She’s angry—not at you, but in a righteous kind of way. With all the things that have happened in her life, that’s the one thing that has always been missing. She quietly tolerates injustice, like she deserves it. She’s never raged against the machine, against the things that are wrong and unfair, and now she’s finally doing that. She’s learning what it feels like to stand up and be counted.”
i took exception with one exclamation, taking God's name in vane. Although not uncommon in many people's speech, it still hurts my heart when I see it used.
Any faith messages were generic, not specifically Christian. Sadly, the story includes the main character and her sister both living with men before marriage. No sign of it being wrong in the book. Again, not uncommon in the world, but I wish some message of God's view of this had been included rather than treating it as just the norm. Down 1/2 star.
This can be a stand alone book, but the background from the other books that include Dell and her foster family could help.
Can’t wait to go read book four. Somehow I always manage to read books out of order. 😁
January 21, 2022
Good(ish) for a short read while recovering, but again disappointed by Wingate. I have enjoyed a few of her books, but this series seems too formulaic and convenient. Characters are a bit too one-dimensional (or predictable), and I kept getting tripped up by the seemingly impossibility if how she was doing her job, and managing everything with a long commute. Like how did Jumpkids work if she’s getting there after 4:45, they have multiple classes, dinner, then classes after?? Are they done at 8? I don’t know, just doesn’t seem plausible.
Also, the drug storyline felt clunky. It was clearly an integral part of the storyline, but just felt like it was so obvious in its introduction. And I didn’t connect with the characterization of the school and the bully hierarchy. But maybe that’s me? (Where were the quirky arts kids? Felt more stereotypical of a high-socioeconomic private school.)
I’d have liked to have seen more depth in the peripheral characters (like Cameron), and more emphasis on the issues she was trying to deal with. Felt like I was hit over the head with everything instead of subtle nuanced issues.
Also, the drug storyline felt clunky. It was clearly an integral part of the storyline, but just felt like it was so obvious in its introduction. And I didn’t connect with the characterization of the school and the bully hierarchy. But maybe that’s me? (Where were the quirky arts kids? Felt more stereotypical of a high-socioeconomic private school.)
I’d have liked to have seen more depth in the peripheral characters (like Cameron), and more emphasis on the issues she was trying to deal with. Felt like I was hit over the head with everything instead of subtle nuanced issues.
August 12, 2017
I loved Tending Roses, Good Hope Road and The Language of the Sycamores but somehow, I missed the last two books in the series. I finally ordered them and it's good to go back and revisit Dell and Grandma Rose's family. Adding Julia Costell as a main character rounded out a great cast of characters. Lisa Wingate is a superb storyteller. She builds her characters such that you feel you know and can identify with them. This book continued the same writing quality for which Lisa is famous. You could read it as a stand alone, but you will gain so much more from the story if you start at Tending Roses and work your way through this series. In this book (and series) you will see yourself, stop reading to ponder what the characters are feeling and realize it touches your life in some way, gain understanding of others, and be swept away into a story that leaves you a bit richer when you've finished reading.
October 11, 2018
I didn't realize this book was from a series! I thought this was a great story, and I really loved parts of it. But I felt like it took a really long time to get to where it was going. I was kind of bored for a lot of it, just waiting for the next thing to happen. It had some beautifully written meaningful moments in it, though. Overall it was a really good book and i'm glad I read it!
July 14, 2020
This was really quiet and rather slow, but I enjoyed it. I was invested in the story & the characters and was quite keen to know how everything turned out in the end. I am writing this review four days after finishing the book and the story is still darting in and out of my mind, so now I want to read the other three books in the series.
April 10, 2024
Meh, just extremely boring characters. I had to force myself to keep reading.
March 10, 2021
A street seller gives Julia a rose, which she puts in a drawer and then forgets.
Julia Costello has landed a job as Guidance Counselor at Huntington, an upscale performing arts school in Kansas City. Julia was once a ballerina who was caught in a cycle of binge and purge, hopelessly convinced that "the real me wasn't good enough, that I needed to be a little thinner, a little more talented, a little more successful". She now lives at home with her parents.
Dell Jordan is adopted, and is trying desperately to "fill the role of the ideal daughter: talented, smart, helpful, loving, not conflicted in any way, not failing in anything. Especially her classes at school."
Circumstances bring these two together, and the results are heartwarming. As they find each other and begin to see others, they face challenges in a school that is only a facade hiding myriad problems.
Ladybugs seem to be everywhere in the school. They wind their way down the ceilings, bunch up in the corner, inhabit the offices. A touching and wonderful metaphor for the school, the teachers, the students.
In the end, a lady at the cleaners gives Julia a rose.
Library book published 06/27/2006
Julia Costello has landed a job as Guidance Counselor at Huntington, an upscale performing arts school in Kansas City. Julia was once a ballerina who was caught in a cycle of binge and purge, hopelessly convinced that "the real me wasn't good enough, that I needed to be a little thinner, a little more talented, a little more successful". She now lives at home with her parents.
Dell Jordan is adopted, and is trying desperately to "fill the role of the ideal daughter: talented, smart, helpful, loving, not conflicted in any way, not failing in anything. Especially her classes at school."
Circumstances bring these two together, and the results are heartwarming. As they find each other and begin to see others, they face challenges in a school that is only a facade hiding myriad problems.
Ladybugs seem to be everywhere in the school. They wind their way down the ceilings, bunch up in the corner, inhabit the offices. A touching and wonderful metaphor for the school, the teachers, the students.
In the end, a lady at the cleaners gives Julia a rose.
Library book published 06/27/2006
August 17, 2021
I really liked this book. I had no idea it was part of a series like others have discovered as well. Julia was treated for anorexia and bolemia because she was a dancer and needed to be a certain weight. The story does not dwell on these disorders but uses treatment in subtle ways to help her with a new job as a counselor at a school of talented kids. She meets a student named Dell and thus a very good relationship develops . I liked all the kids and the help they received from Julia. Dell is one that Julia helps with her grades so she can continue with her talents.
The book starts slowish but it is so worth reading. I learned a lot about dealing with kids especially those with musical talent. Recommended for parents of teens. .
The book starts slowish but it is so worth reading. I learned a lot about dealing with kids especially those with musical talent. Recommended for parents of teens. .
July 26, 2020
Lisa Wingate never disappoints.
July 2, 2021
Really, probably 3.5 stars…characters were likable, some good themes, but maybe a little underdeveloped. I wanted to love it, but it was just slow.
November 17, 2022
wonderful book, great characters, great lessons, so sweet and full of light, positivity, forgiveness, just a wonderful story. Lisa wingate is a wonderful author. enjoyed this book very much.
March 14, 2024
Continuing the series.
This book reminded me of a book of diary entries by the Freedom Writers (currently reading) . . . and of the movie Cabrini (saw recently) as Julia keeps pushing.
"When we don't have so much to read all at once, we can slow down and enjoy the story."
This book reminded me of a book of diary entries by the Freedom Writers (currently reading) . . . and of the movie Cabrini (saw recently) as Julia keeps pushing.
"When we don't have so much to read all at once, we can slow down and enjoy the story."
April 5, 2024
Drenched in Light is a thoughtful story about loss, love, morality, and beginning again. I really enjoyed it.
July 15, 2025
A well written book and well read on Audible.
June 30, 2023
Actually 3.5 stars. Some good aspects, but some are just to cliche.
January 21, 2025
4.5 +
This Summary/Review was copied from other sources and is used only as a reminder of what the book was about for my personal interest. Any Personal Notations are for my recollection only.
***
SUMMARY: Once a gifted ballet dancer, Julia Costell buckled under the demands of a professional dance career, and has landed with a thud in an unglamorous job as a guidance counselor at a performing arts high school. Living back home with her parents and feeling lost, she is afraid she’ll never soar again…until the day young Dell Jordan is sent to her office, carrying an essay.
In Dell’s writing, Julia sees luminous sparks of hope. But as she fights to forge a brighter future for one disadvantaged student, she is drawn into startling undercurrents of conflict and denial within the academy. Only when she is tested in ways she never could have imagined does she begin to discover where real meaning and fulfillment lie—and realize that even though her life has seemed off course, she’s been on the right path all along.
REVIEW: Book 4 continues the story of Dell as she moves to Harrington School for the Performing Arts. Julia Costell is the counseling in the junior high section.
Both have a past that haunts them and keeps them from discovering who they really are and the strengths that they have. Working with one another, they develop a relationship that helps each of them understand their past and move forward to a brighter more hope filled future.
Once again Wingate has filled the storyline with realism, faith and multitudes of gems of wisdom. This book, like book 3, was a little slow to get started and I had to push through the first third or so.
(I have read so many of LW books, I always know it will be worth the wait) :-)
Once the situations really began to develop, then this book is hard to put down. I loved how Julia found the strength to stand up for what she thought was the best for the students and the right thing for her when she discovered the problem hiding behind the doors of the exclusive school for the performing arts and how she was able to relate to it due to her own background. She realized then that perhaps God had led her through the hard times in order to understand more fully what these students were dealing with. Keiler once again makes an appearance and his past helped Julia understand hers more fully and he was another great gift to Dell along with Barry. The minor roles of Grandmae and Mim were magical touches that added sweetness to the story. Overall, another wonderful read from this series.
***
This was such an amazing book. It was not historical fiction, not a romance, not suspense, mystery, fantasy nor comedy. It was simply a story. One my mother would call human interest. And a wonderful one.
From an early age Julia was a gifted dancer. She performed for the Kansas City Metro Ballet...until her obsession to stay willow thin and her eating disorder derailed her career.
A new job as guidance counselor for a middle school of arts, the very one that made her feel so inferior that bulimia became a way of life, is giving her a new focus.
Her desire was to help a young, gifted, withdrawn student who was on the verge of flunking out. Dell was a foster child from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. Different from all the other Harrington students with affluent backgrounds, Dell felt no one wanted her there except her foster parents who realized her gift and felt the school would encourage it.
Julia helped to lift Dell out of the downward spiral by spending time with her as well as getting to know her new family. What she didn’t realize was all the healing wasn’t just for Dell. Julia's life that was once killing her is becoming filled with purpose, no longer dominated by self-doubt and shame.
I was drawn to many characters. Julia and Dell were very complicated, but one can’t help caring deeply to both with their self doubts and extreme love for their families. They both had huge hearts.
About Dell:
“She’s angry—not at you, but in a righteous kind of way. With all the things that have happened in her life, that’s the one thing that has always been missing. She quietly tolerates injustice, like she deserves it. She’s never raged against the machine, against the things that are wrong and unfair, and now she’s finally doing that. She’s learning what it feels like to stand up and be counted.”
i took exception with one exclamation, taking God's name in vane. Although not uncommon in many people's speech, it still hurts my heart when I see it used.
Any faith messages were generic, not specifically Christian. Sadly, the story includes the main character and her sister both living with men before marriage. No sign of it being wrong in the book. Again, not uncommon in the world, but I wish some message of God's view of this had been included rather than treating it as just the norm. Down 1/2 star.
This can be a stand alone book, but the background from the other books that include Dell and her foster family could help.
***
A street seller gives Julia a rose, which she puts in a drawer and then forgets.
Julia Costello has landed a job as Guidance Counselor at Huntington, an upscale performing arts school in Kansas City. Julia was once a ballerina who was caught in a cycle of binge and purge, hopelessly convinced that "the real me wasn't good enough, that I needed to be a little thinner, a little more talented, a little more successful". She now lives at home with her parents.
Dell Jordan is adopted, and is trying desperately to "fill the role of the ideal daughter: talented, smart, helpful, loving, not conflicted in any way, not failing in anything. Especially her classes at school."
Circumstances bring these two together, and the results are heartwarming. As they find each other and begin to see others, they face challenges in a school that is only a facade hiding myriad problems.
Ladybugs seem to be everywhere in the school. They wind their way down the ceilings, bunch up in the corner, inhabit the offices. A touching and wonderful metaphor for the school, the teachers, the students.
In the end, a lady at the cleaners gives Julia a rose.
***
I didn't realize there was 2 more books to this wonderful series, until I was adding my last review to book 3. Very familiar with foster homes, good and bad...
Kinship aside though, Julia, Dell, Cameron, Kate, even Julia's parents, popped off the page. They each got the exact page time they needed to distinguish themselves and make a real impact on the story. Plus, Lisa united each small, everyday life scene into that mosaic style of writing I love, whether she was taking us through the halls of Julia's prep school or the aisles of Target or a JumpKids meeting. Drenched in Light has a great Cynthia Ruchti or Amy Lynne Green flavor, but a tone and atmosphere all its own.
The character arc Julia goes through is both down to earth and gritty, yet with an undercurrent of hope and even a little romance. Yet even the romance feels refreshingly realistic. I loved the friendship and banter between Cameron and Julia. In fact, I'd have loved Cameron as a math teacher when I was a student; with him at the helm, I might've aced math. :) But even more, I loved how eventually, Julia was able to admit to both Cameron and herself what was hard, what hurt, what she was still questioning and working through. It lent Drenched in Light some needed depth, and kept it from being a tired "save our students" retread.
In fact, I grew to love Dell and Julia's other students simply because they neither need nor want to be "saved." Granted, they are in trouble. In fact, Lisa did a great job of writing a polished prep school with a dark underbelly. (Particular kudos for the ladybug symbolism, which exists without hitting readers over the head). But Dell, the Jumpkids, and the other students also go through life with plenty of optimism, determination, grit, and intelligence--when, if, and how they are allowed to express those. That's why the Save Ms. C campaign reads true to life, not hokey. It's why Dell's writing is so integral to the book, and why she is a true "voice of wisdom," not a mouthpiece for the author. When she communicates, "Don't assume anything, and those who do are idiots," it's because she's lived the experience.
Drenched in Light is not a typical Christian fiction book. Except for Brother Baker and a brief mention of church, it's not "Christian," period. It's not even a typical secular book. It is, however, uplifting and well worth a read, or a reread or two. It scored a place on my keeper shelf and likely will on yours.
***
This Summary/Review was copied from other sources and is used only as a reminder of what the book was about for my personal interest. Any Personal Notations are for my recollection only.
***
SUMMARY: Once a gifted ballet dancer, Julia Costell buckled under the demands of a professional dance career, and has landed with a thud in an unglamorous job as a guidance counselor at a performing arts high school. Living back home with her parents and feeling lost, she is afraid she’ll never soar again…until the day young Dell Jordan is sent to her office, carrying an essay.
In Dell’s writing, Julia sees luminous sparks of hope. But as she fights to forge a brighter future for one disadvantaged student, she is drawn into startling undercurrents of conflict and denial within the academy. Only when she is tested in ways she never could have imagined does she begin to discover where real meaning and fulfillment lie—and realize that even though her life has seemed off course, she’s been on the right path all along.
REVIEW: Book 4 continues the story of Dell as she moves to Harrington School for the Performing Arts. Julia Costell is the counseling in the junior high section.
Both have a past that haunts them and keeps them from discovering who they really are and the strengths that they have. Working with one another, they develop a relationship that helps each of them understand their past and move forward to a brighter more hope filled future.
Once again Wingate has filled the storyline with realism, faith and multitudes of gems of wisdom. This book, like book 3, was a little slow to get started and I had to push through the first third or so.
(I have read so many of LW books, I always know it will be worth the wait) :-)
Once the situations really began to develop, then this book is hard to put down. I loved how Julia found the strength to stand up for what she thought was the best for the students and the right thing for her when she discovered the problem hiding behind the doors of the exclusive school for the performing arts and how she was able to relate to it due to her own background. She realized then that perhaps God had led her through the hard times in order to understand more fully what these students were dealing with. Keiler once again makes an appearance and his past helped Julia understand hers more fully and he was another great gift to Dell along with Barry. The minor roles of Grandmae and Mim were magical touches that added sweetness to the story. Overall, another wonderful read from this series.
***
This was such an amazing book. It was not historical fiction, not a romance, not suspense, mystery, fantasy nor comedy. It was simply a story. One my mother would call human interest. And a wonderful one.
From an early age Julia was a gifted dancer. She performed for the Kansas City Metro Ballet...until her obsession to stay willow thin and her eating disorder derailed her career.
A new job as guidance counselor for a middle school of arts, the very one that made her feel so inferior that bulimia became a way of life, is giving her a new focus.
Her desire was to help a young, gifted, withdrawn student who was on the verge of flunking out. Dell was a foster child from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. Different from all the other Harrington students with affluent backgrounds, Dell felt no one wanted her there except her foster parents who realized her gift and felt the school would encourage it.
Julia helped to lift Dell out of the downward spiral by spending time with her as well as getting to know her new family. What she didn’t realize was all the healing wasn’t just for Dell. Julia's life that was once killing her is becoming filled with purpose, no longer dominated by self-doubt and shame.
I was drawn to many characters. Julia and Dell were very complicated, but one can’t help caring deeply to both with their self doubts and extreme love for their families. They both had huge hearts.
About Dell:
“She’s angry—not at you, but in a righteous kind of way. With all the things that have happened in her life, that’s the one thing that has always been missing. She quietly tolerates injustice, like she deserves it. She’s never raged against the machine, against the things that are wrong and unfair, and now she’s finally doing that. She’s learning what it feels like to stand up and be counted.”
i took exception with one exclamation, taking God's name in vane. Although not uncommon in many people's speech, it still hurts my heart when I see it used.
Any faith messages were generic, not specifically Christian. Sadly, the story includes the main character and her sister both living with men before marriage. No sign of it being wrong in the book. Again, not uncommon in the world, but I wish some message of God's view of this had been included rather than treating it as just the norm. Down 1/2 star.
This can be a stand alone book, but the background from the other books that include Dell and her foster family could help.
***
A street seller gives Julia a rose, which she puts in a drawer and then forgets.
Julia Costello has landed a job as Guidance Counselor at Huntington, an upscale performing arts school in Kansas City. Julia was once a ballerina who was caught in a cycle of binge and purge, hopelessly convinced that "the real me wasn't good enough, that I needed to be a little thinner, a little more talented, a little more successful". She now lives at home with her parents.
Dell Jordan is adopted, and is trying desperately to "fill the role of the ideal daughter: talented, smart, helpful, loving, not conflicted in any way, not failing in anything. Especially her classes at school."
Circumstances bring these two together, and the results are heartwarming. As they find each other and begin to see others, they face challenges in a school that is only a facade hiding myriad problems.
Ladybugs seem to be everywhere in the school. They wind their way down the ceilings, bunch up in the corner, inhabit the offices. A touching and wonderful metaphor for the school, the teachers, the students.
In the end, a lady at the cleaners gives Julia a rose.
***
I didn't realize there was 2 more books to this wonderful series, until I was adding my last review to book 3. Very familiar with foster homes, good and bad...
Kinship aside though, Julia, Dell, Cameron, Kate, even Julia's parents, popped off the page. They each got the exact page time they needed to distinguish themselves and make a real impact on the story. Plus, Lisa united each small, everyday life scene into that mosaic style of writing I love, whether she was taking us through the halls of Julia's prep school or the aisles of Target or a JumpKids meeting. Drenched in Light has a great Cynthia Ruchti or Amy Lynne Green flavor, but a tone and atmosphere all its own.
The character arc Julia goes through is both down to earth and gritty, yet with an undercurrent of hope and even a little romance. Yet even the romance feels refreshingly realistic. I loved the friendship and banter between Cameron and Julia. In fact, I'd have loved Cameron as a math teacher when I was a student; with him at the helm, I might've aced math. :) But even more, I loved how eventually, Julia was able to admit to both Cameron and herself what was hard, what hurt, what she was still questioning and working through. It lent Drenched in Light some needed depth, and kept it from being a tired "save our students" retread.
In fact, I grew to love Dell and Julia's other students simply because they neither need nor want to be "saved." Granted, they are in trouble. In fact, Lisa did a great job of writing a polished prep school with a dark underbelly. (Particular kudos for the ladybug symbolism, which exists without hitting readers over the head). But Dell, the Jumpkids, and the other students also go through life with plenty of optimism, determination, grit, and intelligence--when, if, and how they are allowed to express those. That's why the Save Ms. C campaign reads true to life, not hokey. It's why Dell's writing is so integral to the book, and why she is a true "voice of wisdom," not a mouthpiece for the author. When she communicates, "Don't assume anything, and those who do are idiots," it's because she's lived the experience.
Drenched in Light is not a typical Christian fiction book. Except for Brother Baker and a brief mention of church, it's not "Christian," period. It's not even a typical secular book. It is, however, uplifting and well worth a read, or a reread or two. It scored a place on my keeper shelf and likely will on yours.
***
January 1, 2016
SUMMARY: Once a gifted ballet dancer, Julia Costell buckled under the demands of a professional dance career, and has landed with a thud in an unglamorous job as a guidance counselor at a performing arts high school. Living back home with her parents and feeling lost, she is afraid she’ll never soar again…until the day young Dell Jordan is sent to her office, carrying an essay.
In Dell’s writing, Julia sees luminous sparks of hope. But as she fights to forge a brighter future for one disadvantaged student, she is drawn into startling undercurrents of conflict and denial within the academy. Only when she is tested in ways she never could have imagined does she begin to discover where real meaning and fulfillment lie—and realize that even though her life has seemed off course, she’s been on the right path all along.
REVIEW: Book 4 continues the story of Dell as she moves to Harrington School for the Performing Arts. Julia Costell is the counseling in the junior high section. Both have a past that haunts them and keeps them from discovering who they really are and the strengths that they have. Working with one another, they develop a relationship that helps each of them understand their past and move forward to a brighter more hope filled future. Once again Wingate has filled the storyline with realism, faith and multitudes of gems of wisdom. This book, like book 3, was a little slow to get started and I had to push through the first third or so. Once the situations really began to develop, then this book is hard to put down. I loved how Julia found the strength to stand up for what she thought was the best for the students and the right thing for her when she discovered the problem hiding behind the doors of the exclusive school for the performing arts and how she was able to relate to it due to her own background. She realized then that perhaps God had led her through the hard times in order to understand more fully what these students were dealing with. Keiler once again makes an appearance and his past helped Julia understand hers more fully and he was another great gift to Dell along with Barry. The minor roles of Grandmae and Mim were magical touches that added sweetness to the story. Overall, another wonderful read from this series.
FAVORITE QUOTES: (Too many great ones to include them all!)
"Grandma Rose always said that two folks might go along the same path, but how they walk it depends a lot on the shoes they're in. If we all had the same shoes, we'd understand each other better."
"...what is...is. There's no point in think in should-bes. It only causes misery."
"In the end, your life comes down to your own conscience.....Only you can choose where you will bend and where you will stand firm."
"God can make good ends from bad motives."
"Wedding bouquets should be made with evergreen, to symbolize a love that grows in every season."
"Everything that happened in the past months, every pain turn and surprising twist, now seemed worth it. Suddenly they were not disjointed events, but pearls on a string, each painstakingly selected, all perfectly matched to create something wonderful. A life. My life. Not the one I'd planned, yet something larger than I could have ever imagined."
In Dell’s writing, Julia sees luminous sparks of hope. But as she fights to forge a brighter future for one disadvantaged student, she is drawn into startling undercurrents of conflict and denial within the academy. Only when she is tested in ways she never could have imagined does she begin to discover where real meaning and fulfillment lie—and realize that even though her life has seemed off course, she’s been on the right path all along.
REVIEW: Book 4 continues the story of Dell as she moves to Harrington School for the Performing Arts. Julia Costell is the counseling in the junior high section. Both have a past that haunts them and keeps them from discovering who they really are and the strengths that they have. Working with one another, they develop a relationship that helps each of them understand their past and move forward to a brighter more hope filled future. Once again Wingate has filled the storyline with realism, faith and multitudes of gems of wisdom. This book, like book 3, was a little slow to get started and I had to push through the first third or so. Once the situations really began to develop, then this book is hard to put down. I loved how Julia found the strength to stand up for what she thought was the best for the students and the right thing for her when she discovered the problem hiding behind the doors of the exclusive school for the performing arts and how she was able to relate to it due to her own background. She realized then that perhaps God had led her through the hard times in order to understand more fully what these students were dealing with. Keiler once again makes an appearance and his past helped Julia understand hers more fully and he was another great gift to Dell along with Barry. The minor roles of Grandmae and Mim were magical touches that added sweetness to the story. Overall, another wonderful read from this series.
FAVORITE QUOTES: (Too many great ones to include them all!)
"Grandma Rose always said that two folks might go along the same path, but how they walk it depends a lot on the shoes they're in. If we all had the same shoes, we'd understand each other better."
"...what is...is. There's no point in think in should-bes. It only causes misery."
"In the end, your life comes down to your own conscience.....Only you can choose where you will bend and where you will stand firm."
"God can make good ends from bad motives."
"Wedding bouquets should be made with evergreen, to symbolize a love that grows in every season."
"Everything that happened in the past months, every pain turn and surprising twist, now seemed worth it. Suddenly they were not disjointed events, but pearls on a string, each painstakingly selected, all perfectly matched to create something wonderful. A life. My life. Not the one I'd planned, yet something larger than I could have ever imagined."
August 8, 2020
Another good one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This one is about a once ago professional dancer who is now recovering from an eating disorder. She’s living with her parents so they can monitor her eating and behavior and life is just hard. She’s severed relationships to cover up her disorder and now here she is. She lands a job as a school counselor at a performing arts school and begins to find her purpose again helping these kids and the problems they face.
Favorite Quotes:
“Yet being extraordinary didn’t stop them from having ordinary problems.”
“When life provides mountains, God provides the strength to climb.”
“When we understand all cultures, we understand all things, and all people, and the world becomes a smaller place. When we think of the world as a small place, we see that there is not so much difference between ourselves and other people. Not so much distance between here and there.”
“Grandma Rose says we cause most of our own misery by thinking in should-be’s. There’s no use in should-be’s, she says. We have to find happiness in what is.”
“What you’re going to find, sooner or later, is that no matter how many ways you try to avoid it, you keep coming back to the same place. And until you deal with the problem, whatever it is, you always will.”
“The light comes from the inside out, and so does the darkness. We choose the things that fill us.”
This one is about a once ago professional dancer who is now recovering from an eating disorder. She’s living with her parents so they can monitor her eating and behavior and life is just hard. She’s severed relationships to cover up her disorder and now here she is. She lands a job as a school counselor at a performing arts school and begins to find her purpose again helping these kids and the problems they face.
Favorite Quotes:
“Yet being extraordinary didn’t stop them from having ordinary problems.”
“When life provides mountains, God provides the strength to climb.”
“When we understand all cultures, we understand all things, and all people, and the world becomes a smaller place. When we think of the world as a small place, we see that there is not so much difference between ourselves and other people. Not so much distance between here and there.”
“Grandma Rose says we cause most of our own misery by thinking in should-be’s. There’s no use in should-be’s, she says. We have to find happiness in what is.”
“What you’re going to find, sooner or later, is that no matter how many ways you try to avoid it, you keep coming back to the same place. And until you deal with the problem, whatever it is, you always will.”
“The light comes from the inside out, and so does the darkness. We choose the things that fill us.”
March 9, 2009
Julia is at a crossroad in her life. Having collapsed during a professional ballet rehearsal due to an eating disorder, she has just left the hospital and returned home to her overbearing parents worried she will relapse. As part of her recovery, she was forced to leave the world of dance and starts a job as a guidance counselor at the same private high school where she was educated as a girl. One day a student is sent to her office with an essay, and thus starts a series of events which leads her to confidence in the new life she is building for herself.
Okay, the premise sounds a little dull, but the book is anything but. What I liked was that the characters were flawed, but very real. The journey we take with Julia is filled with details that all fit together just so, it is plausible and beliveable. The conclusions Julia ultimately draws about her own life are expressed in the book as to really hit home with the reader. The characters are so vivid I was a little sad that the book was ending. Luckily, it appears this is part of a series, so there are two prequels and a sequel, albeit those are more about the student who wrote the essay than our main protagonist here.
Okay, the premise sounds a little dull, but the book is anything but. What I liked was that the characters were flawed, but very real. The journey we take with Julia is filled with details that all fit together just so, it is plausible and beliveable. The conclusions Julia ultimately draws about her own life are expressed in the book as to really hit home with the reader. The characters are so vivid I was a little sad that the book was ending. Luckily, it appears this is part of a series, so there are two prequels and a sequel, albeit those are more about the student who wrote the essay than our main protagonist here.
June 10, 2023
Another beautiful book by Lisa Wingate and in this book series. I loved following Julia as she found new meaning and purpose in her life which in great part, included helping others.
Julia had an earring disorder and when she almost died and her big dancing dreams were put to an end, she fell back on her degree. Julia became the school counselor at her old special arts school. There she met Dell, our friend who was adopted by Karen and James. Through her efforts to help Dell succeed, Julia finds great purpose and happiness. She juggles her job helping kids at school, writing grants, helping with jump kids, and helping with her sister’s quick wedding. She gains greater confidence to stand up for what she knows to be right and for the best interest of her students.
A beautiful, uplifting story.
Julia had an earring disorder and when she almost died and her big dancing dreams were put to an end, she fell back on her degree. Julia became the school counselor at her old special arts school. There she met Dell, our friend who was adopted by Karen and James. Through her efforts to help Dell succeed, Julia finds great purpose and happiness. She juggles her job helping kids at school, writing grants, helping with jump kids, and helping with her sister’s quick wedding. She gains greater confidence to stand up for what she knows to be right and for the best interest of her students.
A beautiful, uplifting story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2020
Another book read to the wife. She loves to be read to, she always has. Reading is one of the few things that we can do together after her stroke.
This book is a continuation of book 3. Dell is in foster care of James and Karen and in Kansas City, in a school for musically gifted children. She is befriended by a guidance counselor that works thru problems of her own as well as helping Dell with hers. in the end, both Dell and the guidance counselor .... Well, you will need to read the book for yourself,it is a well written emotional story.
When asked how many stars, Diana held up five fingers. So five stars it is.
This book is a continuation of book 3. Dell is in foster care of James and Karen and in Kansas City, in a school for musically gifted children. She is befriended by a guidance counselor that works thru problems of her own as well as helping Dell with hers. in the end, both Dell and the guidance counselor .... Well, you will need to read the book for yourself,it is a well written emotional story.
When asked how many stars, Diana held up five fingers. So five stars it is.
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