Ain’t No Valley

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Ain’t No Valley
By Sharon Ewell Foster

Not normally a historical fiction reader, nor aware of Christian fiction yet, I became an instant fan of Sharon Ewell Foster after reading her award-winning debut novel Passing by Samaria. The second novel Ain’t No River was a laugh out loud contemporary read that sealed Foster as one of my favorite authors. Last year I was delighted to read Ain’t No Mountain as Foster introduced several new colorful characters and brought back a few from Ain’t No River. Who knew a trilogy was in the works!

In Ain’t No Valley, Foster introduces a few new characters and brings together several characters from the previous two novels. With a contemporary setting, readers will recognize a few biblical stories like Ruth, the prodigal son, and the wedding feast. How does Foster manage to bring so many characters together? Well, a California wedding creates the perfect event.

In Ain’t No Mountain, Moor and Mary met via an online internet service. The couple falls in love and with few resources, they call on family and friends to help them put together their special day. Mary calls on her best friends Latrice, Thelma and Naomi to be bridesmaid. Naomi unfortunately is going through a crisis and seems to have lost it according to her friends.

Naomi is not the only one going through a crisis. Foster introduces a new character named Anthony, Moor’s friend and former co-worker. Like Naomi, Anthony finds himself jobless and at the crossroads of his life. In the midst of the chaotic wedding preparations, Naomi and Anthony seem oblivious. They are not oblivious to the odd, but God-loving people who have become apart of their lives. While way outside their comfort zones, both of them make life changing decisions.

As the wedding date draws closer, the apprehension builds. The bulk of the wedding preparations are taking place in North Carolina where MeeMaw (Ain’t No River) is designing an elaborate wedding dress for Mary. An unlikely person is preparing the wedding cake to the horror of many and the travel arrangements seem to go down hill as the choice of transportation becomes a yellow school bus. The cross country ride from North Carolina to California is no doubt the most memorable and laugh-out loud reading I have done all year.

SharonEwellFoster.com Wow! There is so much going on in this novel. It is truly an incredible reading experience. Always weaving in God’s word without being preachy, Ain’t No Valley is a must read especially if you read the previous two books, Ain’t No River and Ain’t No Mountain. I’m sure anyone can pick up with reading Ain’t No Valley without having read the first two. Foster does a great job of tying in how everyone fits into the story. If you have read the other two, reading this novel will make you feel like you are reuniting with family and friends.