Product Description
The Worthams and Hammonds are as close as two families could be, sharing almost everything on their Depression-era Illinois farms. So when a raging fire breaks out and threatens to destroy the Hammond farm, both families are affected by the tragedy. But how did the fire start? Several of the kids know the truth, but no one is talking. As the families try to overcome aching loss, misplaced blame, troubled relationships, and an upsetting secret, they once again find t… More >>
Brandie Martin
July 30, 2010 at 10:24 pm
after really enjoying the first three books in this series, I expected more than this terribly insipid work. It seemed rushed, poorly thought out and I was extremely disappointed.
Rating: 2 / 5
E. D. Ames
July 31, 2010 at 12:04 am
I read the entire series and highly recommend it to others. I shared my books with my mother who lived through that era and she said it was well done. Also shared it with my aunt who found it to be a good series. In fact none of us could put the books down until we read them all.
Rating: 5 / 5
Anonymous
July 31, 2010 at 2:47 am
After the fire almost destroyed all they had, the Hammonds and the Worthams pulled through with the help pf each other. At night a fire broke out at the Hammond’s farm. The Samuel and Robert Wortham rushed to help out. In an attempt to save his animals, one of the Hammond boys ran into the barn. Samuel ran in after him and managed to save his life, but not with out almost killing himself. After managing to put the fire out the whole family of Hammonds plus the others went over to the Wortham’s house to house for the night. Rorey Hammond, who actually started the fire with her not supposed to be boyfriend by knocking over a lantern while dancing, blamed Franky, her older brother who wasn’t very bright, because her boyfriend, Lester Turrey, said to. As a result, everyone believed Rorey until Sarah told the family about Rorey’s secret plans with Lester Turrey. Meanwhile, Samuel wasn’t getting better because he suffered from a head concussion, a huge gash in his foot, and possibly broken ribs. In the end everything works for the good and Samuel is fun in no time and the Hammond family pulled together even closer. Rorey’s Secret was an exceptional book and worth the read.
On reason why this book was so good was because it was very emotional. Some examples from the book are when, one, Franky’s dad always got mad at him for no reason and would punish him unfairly and yell at him constantly. Two, Sarah yelled at Rorey until she confessed it was her that started the fire. This was emotional because Sarah and Rorey had been friends for seven years and know Sarah had to set things straight. Three, in the end of the book Samuel’s mother, who had a bad reputation of being a drunk, came to visit the family for the first time.
Another reason was because the book was full of suspense. One example was when Samuel ran into the barn and came out unconscious and Julia Wortham, his wife, was extremely worried. Another was when Rorey miss treated her brother, Franky, after he followed her to one of her meetings with Lester by placing the blame on him for the fire. The last example was when Rorey and Mr. Hammond didn’t talk to or come over to the Wortham’s even though all his kids were there.
The last reason why this book was so good was because it had interesting characters that told the story from their point of view. One of those characters was Julia Wortham. She was a worried wife and a good hostest. In the book the thing that makes the most interesting was when had over 20 people at her house and they all need special attention. She managed to see to it all but she got next to nothing in hours of sleep and got up the next day ready to the same thing. The other character was Sarah Wortham, Julia’s daughter. She was the only one besides her mom who believed him when he said he didn’t start the fire, Because Sarah had inside information, she was the one who figured out that Rorey started the fire. The last character is Franky Hammond; the kid who everyone believed started the fire. He was a boy who dropped out of school on account of that he had trouble reading and doing math and other things. He worked with Samuel and was taught by Julia, who was like his second mother. Because he had the learning disability, everyone didn’t like him and blamed all their trouble on him.
The most important reason why I liked this book was because it was very moving. It was moving to the fact that God could pull all of them through something like that and end in a good note. One reason why was so moving was because everyone had already been through one crisis and hadn’t completely gotten through it when they had the fire. Another reason was because Samuel’s mother came back to apologize for the way she acted from when he was little and turned her life to the Lord. I recommend this book in the highest regards.
H.Wissmann
Rating: 5 / 5
Jann Williams
July 31, 2010 at 4:01 am
It is not often that I write a review but Ms Kelly’s books are such a comfortable read. I love her style and rarely see it in other books. I found her quite by accident in a used book store. After reading the book I quickly went to [...] and ordered all of her books. I am just about to begin my last one “Rachel’s Prayers”. None has been anything but a wonderful read. Following the Wortham’s & Hammond’s families has been interesting. Watching the kids grow older in each book, following them through many trials and tribulations. Ms Kelly has a great way of allowing us to see into their lives and how they deal with life in general. Julia and Samuel are wonderful people and she makes them come alive for the reader. When a writer has that ability, they have my interest. I look forward to many more wonderful books from Ms Kelly.
Rating: 5 / 5
Maxine E. Hare
July 31, 2010 at 4:45 am
This story demonstrates how important it is to talk to someone about your hurts. By keeping the hurt inside, Rorey hurt herself more than anyone. But those who loved her kept praying for her and trying to encourage her and guiding her in the right direction. It also shows the power of prayer. And love shows throughout this story. I loved this entire series and would love to see more of them. This is a must for my church library, which is where I put it.
Rating: 5 / 5