My rating: 5/5
“Religion might be just as you said but faith and a relationship with God is where true enlightenment occurs” (Henry, All the Day Long).
All the Day Long by Embassie Susberry is a phenomenal story that encapsulates themes of love, grief, forgiveness, and faith. This triumphant tale is incredibly memorable, with an intriguing plot ensured to keep the reader engulfed from the first page to the very end.
Book one in a four-book series, All the Day Long encompasses romance and mystery, with intricate family dynamics and friendships. Written with intermittent flashbacks and with multiple story lines, Susberry created a plot that covers a timeframe from 1936 to the story’s present day in the 1940’s. The story is written with dual first-person perspectives by the two protagonists of the story, Petula Ann Taggart and Henry Jones Dabney-Sinclair. Having both grown up in a tiny rural town in Mississippi and raised with completely different family dynamics and social economic statuses, Henry and Tula become unlikely associates, who suddenly find themselves in an improbable situation as they encounter each other on the same train traveling to Texas. Henry has reluctantly joined the army in hopes of distancing himself from the strained relationship along with his undesirable expectations. A mystery surfaces when he suddenly receives a letter from an unknown sender attempting to blackmail him concerning an incident that happened several years before, involving him and a group of close friends he met while in college. The letters inspire the friends to reconnect with the hopes of reconciling their bond.
Having been raised in a large family, passed from one aunt to the next, due to the frequent absence of her mother, who was a performer on a chorus line and an unknown father, Tula craves purpose and stability. The mysteriously devastating murder of her mother propels her to live with an aunt in Texas, to assist with the opening of a newly established USO for nearby soldiers. Tula finds herself living with her aunt in a household with others whom she considers prime suspects in the murder of her mother and decidedly attempts to discover her mother’s murderer. The budding friendship between the socially awkward and isolated Henry with the vivacious Tula will be pivotal and impactful as they both find themselves growing in their faith while dealing with elements of intriguing mystery.
“All you’ve got to do is read your Bible and pray. Keep your focus on God. Think on Him and His words all day long. Go about your business and trust God to do the rest” (Ella Mae, All the Day Long).
Along with an enthralling plot that was adequately paced, with impeccable character development, Susberry encompassed Christian content within the narrative rather masterfully. The Christian element was intricately woven within the story in a way that did not generate a sense of contention to the reader. There was ample mentioning of Jesus, biblical references, and Christian theology that encouraged forgiveness, deliverance, and hope in the characters and situations in the story.
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4:16).
This is the first book that I read by author Embassie Susberry and it will certainly not be the last. The author is not as widely known as she should be, for she is a talented writer who creates riveting and meaningful stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend this to others.
Check it out on Amazon! #CommissionsEarned
