Book Review: The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett

An ideal sanctuary and a dream come true–that’s what Margaret Lane feels as she takes in God’s gorgeous handiwork in Mount Rainer National Park. It’s 1927 and the National Park Service is in its youth when Margie, an avid naturalist, lands a coveted position alongside the park rangers living and working in the unrivaled splendor of Mount Rainier’s long shadow.
 
But Chief Ranger Ford Brayden is still haunted by his father’s death on the mountain, and the ranger takes his work managing the park and its crowd of visitors seriously. The job of watching over an idealistic senator’s daughter with few practical survival skills seems a waste of resources.
 
When Margie’s former fiancé sets his mind on developing the Paradise Inn and its surroundings into a tourist playground, the plans might put more than the park’s pristine beauty in danger. What will Margie and Ford sacrifice to preserve the splendor and simplicity of the wilderness they both love?
 
Karen Barnett’s vintage national parks novels bring to vivid life President Theodore Roosevelt’s vision for protected lands, when he wrote in Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter: “There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods, the Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Three Tetons; and our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred.”

What I Loved: This was the first Karen Barnett book I have read, and I loved every minute of it. I found her characters well developed. The plot flow was spot on. There were times when I couldn’t see any way out for the characters because she had perfectly painted them in the corner. There was a great spiritual message here about trusting Christ with lost loved ones. But I think the part that stood out the most was the setting. I could easily visualize the park. It makes me want to go hiking, but she’s firmly talked me out of ever climbing a mountain!! I can’t wait to see where Barnett takes us next in this series.

Rating and Recommendation: I recommend The Road to Paradise to anyone who enjoys Christian historical fiction or if you’re looking for something with an outdoor setting. I’m giving it 5 stars.

~I received a copy from Blogging for Books. I was not compensated for this review. All thoughts are my own.