Like a River from Its Course by Kelli Stuart

An epic novel exposing the ugliness of war and the beauty of hope. The city of Kiev was bombed in Hitler's blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union, but the constant siege was only the beginning for her citizens. In this sweeping historical saga, Kelli Stuart takes the reader on a captivating journey into the little--known history of Ukraine's tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives.

Maria Ivanovna is only fourteen when the bombing begins and not much older when she is forced into work at a German labor camp. She must fight to survive and to make her way back to her beloved Ukraine.

Ivan Kyrilovich is falsely mistaken for a Jew and lined up with 34,000 other men, women, and children who are to be shot at the edge of Babi Yar, the "killing ditch." He survives, but not without devastating consequences.

Luda is sixteen when German soldiers rape her. Now pregnant with the child of the enemy, she is abandoned by her father, alone, and in pain. She must learn to trust family and friends again and find her own strength in order to discover the redemption that awaits.

Frederick Hermann is sure in his knowledge that the Fuhrer's plans for domination are right and just. He is driven to succeed by a desire to please a demanding father and by his own blind faith in the ideals of Nazism. Based on true stories gathered from fifteen years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River from Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.

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About The Author

Kelli Stuart is a writer and a storyteller at heart. A graduate of Baylor University with a degree in English Professional Writing, and a minor in the Russian language, Kelli has honed her skills in the written word through editing, ghostwriting, blogging, and traveling the world. Kelli has a gift for languages that puts her at ease in other cultures, allowing her to view this creative life from the vantage point of mothers worldwide.

Kelli is a noted blogger and the writer behind the wildly popular blog Minivans Are Hot.com. She has traveled extensively, constantly honing her craft at weaving words into tales as she experiences life and the world. Kelli has written for, and represented, such brands as 5 Minutes for Mom, Tonic.com, Disney, American Girl, The MOB Society, Extraordinary Mommy, God Size Dreams, Short Fiction Break, and (in)courage. Kelli has also served as editor-in-chief for the St. Louis Bloggers Guild and as a board member for the St. Louis Women in Media.

In 2004, Kelli co-authored the book Dare 2B Wise: Ten Minute Devotions to Inspire Courageous Living (joint published between Focus on the Family and Simon and Schuster) with best selling author and well known speaker Dr. Joe White, director and owner of Kanakuk Kamps. In addition to editing numerous manuscripts, Kelli has worked steadily as a ghostwriter, helping others share their messages with the world.

In 2012, Kelli traveled to Tanzania with Compassion International as part of their blogging team to raise awareness on how the organization is benefiting children worldwide, and in 2014 she self-published the e-book 30 Days to Becoming a Writer.

In 2016, Kelli will release two new books with Kregel Publications. The first, Like A River From Its Course, is a sweeping historical fiction novel set in World War II Soviet Ukraine. This is a story of tragedy and triumph, of family, friends, forgiveness, and love. It is based on true stories that Kelli gathered after over 100 interviews with veterans of the former Soviet Union.

Her second book, Life Creative: Inspiration for Today's Renaissance Mom, is a non-fiction book written to encourage creative Christian moms as they walk the tenuous balance between motherhood and creativity. This book answers the question that so many mothers have when the art gets lost in the daily grind, "Can I still be creative, and be a mom?"

Kelli is a noted speaker, sharing her encouraging message to never give up on dreams and passions with mothers who often feel lost in their mothering tasks. Kelli currently lives in Tampa, Florida with her perpetually patient husband and her four rambunctious children.


My Review

An eye-opening story told in the first person of several different people, people from different countries, trying to survive the evil sent to persecute in the persona of Adolph Hitler.
These are individuals on both sides, Germans and Ukrainians, and we put names to these people and look into their everyday lives. The main German in this story is Frederick Herrmann, son of an Evil man who is trying to become the man his father wants by becoming even more evil. He is killing men, woman and children, and no regard for human life, all to win his father’s approval?
We all know of the atrocities, or at least heard of some, that were committed during WWII in Europe. This story puts faces and we get to know some of them personally, and your heart will break as we journey with them. This is a story of survival, and love, both parental and personal, and strength from God, but who will be alive in the end.
I loved that there was an epilogue in this book, but was surprised, guess I should have known, about how these slaves were treated by their own country when they survived.
A poignant story that will linger with you for a long time, and it should be remembered so that history will not repeat, but we do no seem to learn our lessons, and turn blind eyes to atrocities.
I received this book through Kregel’s Book Blogger Tour, and was not required to give a positive review.