A Heart for Home

Written by Lauraine Snelling
Review by Cindy Vallar

In 1904, an epidemic rages through the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Dr. Astrid Bjorklund travels from her beloved Blessing, North Dakota, at the behest of her colleague, Dr. Red Hawk, to minister to his people. While there she befriends two women, who eventually return with her to Blessing to learn additional nursing skills.

Joshua Landsverk eagerly awaits Astrid’s return, but he can’t reconcile himself to her devotion to her physician’s practice or her willingness to aid the Indians. This forces Astrid to break off their relationship. Heartbroken, she immerses herself in tending to her family, friends, and strangers, but those who love her contrive to widen her horizons and find her a new beau, while also reminding her of the importance of faith.

Readers familiar with Snelling’s previous books about Blessing will find this a heartwarming tale, but I felt like an outsider looking in. The blurb touts it as Astrid’s story, but the constant shifting of viewpoints among four characters and the myriad subplots that have little to do with Astrid make it difficult to connect with any of them.