Finding Anna Christine Schaub Bethany, Oct 2005, $12.99 ISBN: 0764200593
In October of 1871 the inferno rages with the Chicago business district destroyed. Horatio Gates Spafford informs his partner Henry McDaid, that their law partnership has gone the way of the fire as the flames engulf their office. Horatio tells the man he considers his brother, that they must get their wives and children to safety. When he reaches Lincoln Park to meet his family there, Horatio is stunned by the destruction, and assumes that he sent his family to their deaths, but soon finds his wife Anna alive and she tells him the children are home safe and sound.
The fire that destroyed much of Chicago and devastated his legal business also scarred Anna, who cannot even get out of bed to care for their children. Horatio wants to help those in need, but fails to see his spouse's needs. He turns to God and real estate to help the downtrodden, while she has doubts about a deity that would cause biblical destruction. Over the next two years, their relationship further erodes, until they agree to go on a European vacation with their four daughters, seeking redemption through God and healing with each other starting with the hymn he writes, "It Is Well With My Soul."
FINDING ANNA is a terrific inspirational historical biographical fiction novel, that digs deep into the Chicago Fire, especially the aftermath, through a wonderful ensemble cast, though the Spaffords are the prime players. Readers will appreciate the depth of the tale as Anna suffers from battle fatigue syndrome, and her disillusionment with God while Horatio feels he has found his calling, but fails to apply his good deeds at home. Readers will cherish the first "Music of the Heart" tale and look forward to more such stories behind the Hymns.
Harriet Klausner