There are some things that bear repeating, and having recently re-read the Charity’s Diary Trilogy by Elisabeth Allen, I have to say that this series is one of those things.
If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know that Elisabeth of HopeScribbles is no stranger to us here on YLCF. We’ve been blessed more than once by glimpses of her heart shared through the pieces she’s written — and by the Charity series, which God blessed her with talent and understanding to write and which she and Elisheva Publishing so generously allowed us to in turn, share with you in on ylcf.org in a giveaways last year!
As I’ve said before, fiction is something I generally steer away from for various reasons. Most fiction that I’ve been exposed to has felt cheap, shallow, and unedifying. The unrealistic light in which romantic fiction often paints life and love has led many a girl to look for love in the wrong places, or be dissatisfied with life in general — and at times even with true love when it arrives, just because it isn’t like the books said it might be when the first surges of emotion began to fade away.
Charity’s Diaries are different. Like one of my favorite authoresses, Louisa May Alcott, Elisabeth Allen wrote Charity as a real girl who is not perfect, who faces realistic disappointments and heart struggles and fears, just like we all have had at some point in our lives. And like Gretchen, I often read the pages with tears in my eyes as time after time I recognized some of the life, I too, have lived, written into the pieces of Charity’s thoughts in her diary and daily life that are captured in these books.
I am privileged to call Elisabeth a friend, and as I read, I was blessed by the sweet picture of her heart and life that — perhaps unintentionally — is beautifully woven into the words she wrote.
If you haven’t already ordered or read the Charity books, now is the time to put them on your reading lists — read the books not just for the stories they tell, but for the lessons they can teach your heart. To order or complete your set, remember that they are available directly from the publisher or through Amazon by clicking on the links below:
And good news! If you didn’t win a copy during YLCF’s giveaway in November, Elisabeth has graciously agreed to allow another giveaway of these books over on my blog. Head over to “Life, Laughter, & Little Things” and see how you can have a chance to win a copy of one of Charity’s Diaries for yourself during this March of Books!
photo by Jessica Elisabeth
I didn’t know she had books published! Yay! =)
I am loving the first one (over half way through now) and can’t wait to dive into the next two books in the series. Her writing style is so “real life” and lovely. I can definitely identify with Charity. We have some of the same heart struggles.