Resurrection In May by Lisa Samson

Book Description:  May Seymour graduated from college with the world at her feet and no idea what to do with it.  A mission trip to Rwanda brought her a sense of purpose in loving others. So when the genocide began she chose to remain in the village, which was subsequently slaughtered. Only May survived.

May journeyed to heal on the farm of Claudius Borne, a sweet, innocent old man who understood plants and animals far better than people.

Years later, having not stepped a foot off Claudius' farm, May learns an old college flame, now a death-row inmate, is refusing to appeal his sentence. Can she convince him to grab hold of life once again? Their surprising friendship turns the tables, for the prisoner, Eli Campbell, has a deeper faith from which to draw than she. Eli slowly begins to pull May from her cloistered existence. With the help of Eli, their tiny town, and ultimately a renewal of faith, May comes to life once again.

My Review:   Resurrection In May is not a book to read if you are looking for a sweet, love story.  May's life parallels that of a soul seeker who divines to know more of God and seeks to do right but seems to encounter loss at every turn.  Lisa Sampson portrays May's time as a missionary helper in Rwanda as the truth of what may have happened. May works with a Catholic mission and helps the Father.  The Father becomes somewhat of a surrogate father to May and helps her see God in many ways.  Then the war begins.  The army comes to the village . . . the evil of the killings in Rwanda were written as too real . . . by heart broke and grieved with all the blood and loss of life.  This part of the story was almost too much for me and yet it was written in a "soft format."  

I read the story because it caught my attention and I wanted to find out about May's life, how Claudius would influence May and of how Eli's life would be portrayed.  

Too be honest I didn't really enjoy this story or truly like it.  It's just not my cup of tea, so to speak.  But yet, Lisa Samson wrote a a well though out plot. For this I give the book 4 stars.  However, this story may be right up your alley and you may enjoy reading about the Rwanda war, a girl trying to find her place in this world, an old man's thoughtful journey to help a lost young woman and a young man's grief of youthful misdeeds.  

*I reviewed this book for Thomas Nelson Publishing/BookSneeze*