This Promised Land

Author: Cathy Gohlke
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 368
Release Date: April 8, 2025
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

When she ran away as a young war bride, she was cut off from her family forever . . . or so she believed. Decades later, maybe the only way to move on is to go home.

Ginny Pickering Boyden can’t wait for her last day of work, when she’ll be free to pursue a lifelong ambition through a master gardener apprenticeship. But an unexpected letter brings shocking news: Ginny has inherited her family’s Christmas tree farm, a dream she’d long ago given up.

Facing a past laced with memories and lies she’s tried hard to bury, a furious nephew who thought the land would be his, and a failing farm with a mountain of debt, Ginny returns to New Scrivelsby, Virginia, determined to sell. But when her younger nephew, a Vietnam vet, appears with demons of his own and three young children in tow, Ginny isn’t sure what to do. Too much of their story reminds Ginny of her own. She has little hope, however, that three generations of warring Pickerings can set aside their differences to restore all that’s broken, both on the land and in their hearts.

Set against the beautiful and rugged landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains, This Promised Land is the story of a daughter’s longing to make sense of the past and of the unbreakable bonds that bring prodigals home.

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Reviewer: Lori Parrish

I just don’t understand why and how people can be so mean even after death. Yes, I had sort of the same thing happened to me with my parents too, so I can connect with this story.

I loved each and every one of the people in this story, but my heart went out to mostly the children. Especially Arlo, for being the oldest and trying to keep her siblings together.

I simply couldn’t put this amazing family’s story down. In this one, family’s everything, no matter how it’s put together. I really hated saying goodbye to them.

This is a story of love, healing, and hope at the end of the tunnel. I stayed up late last night to finish it. Y’all might want a box of tissues nearby.

I love this author’s books, but I think this one will be my favorite. Simply because it’s about family. I wanted to leave you all with a thought

“That’s true. God made it possible. He prepared the feast ahead of time—ahead of all of us. We just didn’t realize it. We only needed to walk through the door.”

5 stars for a beautiful love story of trying to keep family together even in the toughest of times and following where God may lead them.

I highly recommend it!

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley and Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.

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Reviewer: Mindy Houng

“We’re made for hard things.”

Cathy Gohlke’s masterpiece starts out with seemingly irreparable family dynamics, broken dreams, terrible losses and grief, and blossoms into a beautifully redemptive tale of family, home, and belonging. 

Set in 1992 in Virginia, Ginny is a weary soul looking forward to retirement and months to be spent abroad with her beloved flowers. Though life has beaten her down, she still has seeds of hope within her heart that are watered and tended by the most unlikely people in her life. I really enjoyed the multi-generational third person voices in the book. Ginny was the central character, but Bethany and Arlo’s unique voices gave depth and layer to the plot.

The men in the book were equally unique. Will, Mark, and Luke brought different angles, emotions, and baggage to the story and made the plot fuller and richer. I particularly enjoyed the faith threads that focused on forgiveness, grace, and mercy.

If you enjoy women’s fiction, this book is definitely for you.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers via Interviews & Reviews and NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

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