Book Review: Just Once by Karen Kingsbury

Just Once, the latest book by Karen Kingsbury describes a romance that comes into one's life only once.   It describes an unique experience and an extraordinary opportunity that come into one's life only once.  Appropriately titled Just Once, Kingsbury describes a love story, set during World War II, between Indiana natives Irvel Holland and Hank Myers.  They are two down to earth and unpretentious characters that readers will feel a kindred spirit with and an empathy for as these two leading characters could be anybody from someone's lineage in present times.

Kingsbury delves into the complexity of life-altering decisions and the challenges that people encounter everyday in their lives.  Kingsbury's periodic references to verses from the Holy Bible give the read a Judeo-Christian slant, which, she explains, pulled people through the devastation of World War II.  Kingsbury's style of writing, like her characters, is down to earth and unpretentious, exposing readers to the charm and pleasantry of existing in a mundane world.  Through the characters, she demonstrates the adjustments that need to be made when one's safety and security is disturbed and threatened.

Kingsbury explores such themes as needing to be honest to one's self, the importance of possessing self-control, discipline, and a conscientiousness of others, as well as having faith that life leads one to where one needs to be.  The main characters are almost Hallmark-card-picture-perfect, each sensitive and mindful of one another's feelings.  Such traits can make the reader feel inferior in comparison but Kingsbury gives the characters enough flaws to keep them earth-bound.

Kingsbury grabs the reader's heart through the tale, soliciting her audience to invest in the happiness of the characters.