Hope Between the Pages is a split-time novel by Pepper Basham.
In 1915, Sadie Blackwell is the resident library servant in charge of the books in the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. A book-lover herself, Sadie enjoyed keeping the library tidy, leaving books guests might like on a library table, and reshelving the books once guests were done with them.
Just a year after George Vanderbilt's passing, Sadie continued in the position her mother held before her.
As a servant, Sadie was supposed to be "invisible," vacating the room when guests came in. But one day, she couldn't get to the door in time and hid. She overheard a British father and son, the Camdens, talking with Mrs. Vanderbilt about books. The son, Oliver, appeared to love books as much as Sadie did. Based on his remarks, she later pulled some books she thought he might like. He responded with a note for the "Library Fairy" whose selections matched his tastes so well.
Not content with a thank you note, Oliver wanted to meet this Library Fairy. She found it difficult to remain invisible from such a pursuit.
In present day Asheville, Clara Blackwell owns a bookstore in Biltmore village, inherited from her father, who recently died. Though she loves her work, the bookstore is faltering a bit since the new big chain bookstore opened nearby. And her uncle Julian, her father's half-brother, is making a nuisance of himself, trying to encourage Clara to sell. On top of all that, Clara is informed by her lawyer that he does not have a deed for the bookstore on file. If she can't find the deed, Clara may lose the bookstore anyway.
In searching for the deed, Clara finds a box of her grandmother's with a couple of notes addressed to a "Library Fairy." The notes led to a series of discoveries about Sadies's life previously unknown to the family.
Both women's journeys take them beyond their predictable environments to step out on faith.
The Biltmore House library is my favorite room in one of my favorite places. I've wished many times that I could go beyond the cordoned-off path on one side of the library and walk into the room. I wouldn't disturb any of the books, but I'd like to scan the titles up close, sit in one of the chairs, and soak up the ambience. However, I imagine if all of us who wanted to did that, we'd probably wear out the furniture and carpet. So you can imagine my delight to find so much of the book connected to Biltmore's library!
The scenes in the rest of the house and the imagined conversations with Mrs. Vanderbilt were fun as well.
And with a librarian and bookstore owner as main characters, the book contained many literary references.
But beyond the bookishness of the stories, I loved the characters and their arcs. Besides the theme of stepping out of faith, being willing to leave the familiar behind, another undercurrent was being seen beyond the surface to what we really are underneath.
A few of my favorite quotes:
Few people are as they appear at first, and it behooves the heart of a Christian to see with gracious eyes our fellow humans, whether of high-bred means or low. After all, I'd been a servant, or the daughter of a servant, my entire life, and certainly hoped, if given the chance, people would see me for more than a quiet worker with nothing of interest to say. I had plenty to say---too much, really, for my occupation (p. 42).
God was there. And here. And all the places in between. Couldn't I trust Him with the horizon as I trusted this ship to carry me . . ? (p. 147).
I'd lived a quiet life as long as I could remember, so solitude didn't frighten me. In fact, I slipped it on like a pair of well-loved shoes (p. 164).
Maybe the definition of romance wasn't some generic ideal dispersed among the romance-reading masses. Perhaps, in real life, romance corresponded to the intimate and individual needs of the two hearts. Unique. A handcrafted, heavenly match (p. 219).
Keep to your Bible and to your fairy tales, sweet girl. One is for your soul and the other is for your daydreams. Both will help you through this, and in both you'll find your story (pp. 245-246).
My father always told me to never outgrow my belief in faith and fairy tales, but fear has a way of darkening one's vision, and so I'd lost of the beauty God displayed through magical stories. Not so much the glass slippers or the poisoned apples, but the deeper truths. The light overcoming darkness. The rewards of perseverance. The beauty that can come through trials of thorns or battles or even sleeping death. I'd forgotten that imagination gives me so much more than the ability to fall into the world of a book. It motivates my dreams, inspires remarkable love, and helps me see beyond this world to a greater one (pp. 249-250).
I'd never considered how some of our greatest losses lead us to choices that God uses for bigger things than we could have ever imagined. Sometimes brokenness and heartache force us into self-seclusion and fear, and sometimes they can propel us into something amazing, if we let them (pp. 251-252).
I think many people would love this book even if they weren't so much interested in the Biltmore House and classic literature.
This book is one in a Doors to the Past series. Each is written by a different author and involves a historic American landmark. I think each may be a split-time novel as well. This is the only book I've read in the series.
This is also the first book of Pepper's that I have read, but it won't be the last, especially knowing she lives in and writes about the Blue Ridge Mountains area of North Carolina.
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