Book Review: "The Brushtroke Legacy" by Lauraine Snelling

Paintbrush Connection

Ragni is fed up with her advertising job in Chicago. She's also frustrated that her dad has Alzheimer's making life for her mother extremely difficult. She also has to put up with her older sister complaining about her teenage niece going through a rebellious period. When her spa vacation is cut short due her mother wanting her to look at some old family property in North Dakota, Ragni and her niece Erika set out on a road trip. Their relationship gets off to a rocky start due their differences as they grew apart. When they get to the house, it's in shambles and they have to work together to try to fix out. Out of their normal elements, the two soon find remnants of their ancestor Nilda who left her artistic touch around the house and in both of them. The story flips between Ragni's story and Nilda's, who was a housekeeper who came with her daughter to work for a man out west.

This was good compelling story. I love all of Lauraine Snelling books and this one disappoint. Ragni is your everday career woman who needs to take a break from work. Erika is the rebellious teenager who wants everyone to leave her alone. The two are forced to get along and it is interesting to see how their relationship changes throughout the story. I liked the going back and forth between Ragni's and Nilda's stories. Nilda's story reminded me Janette Oke's Love Come Softly. Very sweet and frontier-like. The only thing I wondered was it didn't seem like Ragni knew about Nilda's story. I didn't see her reading a diary or hearing old stories from her mother. So I don't' know if Ragni and Erika knew the whole story about why she lived in the house. The two though are reconnected with each other and their own selves after seeing their ancestor's paintings. It was cool to read about Ragni's inspirations and urges to want to paint. I really enjoyed this book. Who knew North Dakota could be such a scenic and adventurous place?

The Brushstroke Legacy by Lauraine Snelling is published by Waterbrook (2006)