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Mountain Magic: A Family’s Legacy of Faith by Alice Boggs Lentz, illustrated by David Griffin, with a foreword by Ruth Bell Graham
“If you have been to the mountains, you will enjoy this book in a special way. If you haven’t, this book will make you want to come.” — Ruth Bell Graham
Many years ago, during a sweltering summer in the city, Grandmother urged the family to escape to the mountains for a cool and refreshing retreat. There were seven of them—Alice, her parents, Grandmother, and her three brothers. They boarded a train and began their long journey out of the suffocating city and into the majestic mountains, feeling as if they were on their way to heaven.
Grandmother’s house was a charming home with eight rooms and a clawfoot bathtub that always seemed to have crickets in it. The children spent their days wading in the brook, crossing the water on stepping stones without getting wet, dancing in the rain, climbing trees, and soaking in the beauty of God’s creation.
That summer marked the beginning of a cherished family tradition. Year after year, the family returned, though eventually, they traded the train for Daddy’s 1937 Pontiac. As time passed, Grandmother was no longer with them, but the tradition endured. One by one, the children grew up and brought their own sweethearts, spouses, and children, continuing the legacy of summer retreats filled with God’s beauty, hymns sung on the porch, and the deep, abiding love of family.
The oil-on-canvas-style illustrations, reminiscent of Thomas Kinkade, are a perfect medium for the lush mountain images and heartfelt story. The writing is lovely, and the story fills a little place in my heart.