Lilac Spring

By Ruth Axtell Morren

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Full-grown and fashionable after two years at school and her travels abroad, Cherish Winslow returns to her father’s shipbuilding business determined to prove that despite being a lady, she can assist his company. She is also determined to show her father’s handsome apprentice, Silas van der Zee, that she has become a desirable and lovable woman.

Silas does love Cherish, but is torn between propriety of their respective classes, and his passion for his childhood friend. When Mr. Winslow catches them in a stolen kiss, their love for one another is ultimately tested. Guided by their faith, Cherish and Silas must overcome the struggles that keep them apart.

Morren’s descriptions of life in 19th-century Maine are vivid and realistic. Silas and Cherish are both lively, engaging characters trying to follow their hearts and their beliefs. It is interesting to watch them grow in their faith and trust in God while fighting for their love. Although it has a predictable plot, Lilac Spring is a gentle, sweet story, spiced with just the right amount of inspiration and romance.