The Divine Proverb of Streusel + Giveaway

Shaken by her parents’ divorce and discouraged by the growing chasm between herself and her serious boyfriend, Nikki Werner seeks solace at her uncle’s farm in a small Missouri hamlet. She’ll spend the summer there, picking up the pieces of her shattered present so she can plan a better future. But what awaits her at the ancestral farm is a past she barely knows.

Among her late grandmother’s belongings, Nikki finds an old notebook filled with handwritten German recipes and wise sayings pulled from the book of Proverbs. With each recipe she makes, she invites locals to the family table to hear their stories about the town’s history, her ancestors–and her estranged father.

What started as a cathartic way to connect to her heritage soon becomes the means through which she learns how the women before her endured–with the help of their cooking prowess. Nikki realizes how delicious streusel with a healthy dollop of faith can serve as a guide to heal wounds of the past.

My Review:

Argh! This is one of those books that’s impossible to do justice to in a review because there are so many talking points only that would mean spoilers so…let’s see if I can get as creative as the title (which makes sense once you’ve read the book!)

Sara Brunsvold’s second novel is just as captivating as her first. I love the way she puts words and phrases together in a way that transforms the characters into living people that I grow attached to. And the significant faith threads are both down-to-earth as well as weighted with words that leave characters (and readers) pondering personal ‘aha’ moments.

“The good news is God’s not afraid of an attitude. That divine whack will come in due course — to all the skulls that need it.”

That quote is courtesy of Aunt Emma who we only meet through emails and phone calls, but she sure knows how to make an impression! And though this is largely Nikki’s story, there’s a subplot involving her Uncle Wes who is a man after my own heart. A humble man who doesn’t realize that he’s actually a spiritual giant.

If I had to assign a theme to this novel…well, hard to pinpoint just one. I’d say finding joy in endurance, for sure. And definitely the complexities of forgiveness. The importance of family and how each generation makes way for the next whether positive or negative…often a mashup of both.

But for all that there’s drama, ‘The Divine Proverb of Streusel’ is a quiet, nurturing story too. The kind a reader wants to sink into and savour. The kind that has the power to make a difference — in fictional lives and real ones.

Simply stunning!

Oh — and a side note: this book includes decadent German recipes involving lots and lots of butter. 🙂

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Divine Proverb of Streusel , leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday February 24 2024.

32 thoughts on “The Divine Proverb of Streusel + Giveaway”

  5. “The Divine Proverb of Streusel” sounds FABULOUS! If the quote is any indication, I’m going to love this story. I am betting it’s a prepare to read in one sitting type book too. :) Can’t wait for the opportunity to read it.

    You know the recipes are going to be scrumptious. You just know lots of butter means YUMMY!

    Thank you for your review, adding to my TBR list and for the chance to win a copy!

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  6. Kav, I’m reading this book now and loving it too. So much wisdom in it. Still count me in on the giveaway, please. Would love to win a copy for my church library or to give as a gift. So glad you’re offering this one! 🙂

    ckbarker at gmail dot come

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  7. This book sounds like a delight to read. Thanks so much for the review, the recipes are just another added bonus to this book. This author is new to me.

    Thanks so much for the chance to win and read it.

    cenyatwoathotmaildotcom

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  8. I had put off reading her debut novel for over a year and then finally, at the urging of two reading buddies, I got the audio book and listened to it on a trip. OH. MY. I did not want to stop listening!!! If this one is anything like the first one in its intensity and captivating storytelling, then I MUST read it!!!

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  9. Loved your review. I read this one and loved it too, at least equally as good as her first book. I’ll be watching for her next one too.

    I don’t have my own copy yet so would love to enter the giveaway. 

    Thanks.  Sandyavery at comcast dot net

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    1. Eeeeeppp!!! You have some wonderful reading hours ahead of you, Patty! I agree — it’s wonderful to have a new author in the CF market and one who includes faith in her stories. Happy Reading!

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  13. *Not an Entry*

    I got this beauty from a “Book swap” (you send a reader a book in their chosen genre and/or a most wanted book and vice versa) that an author set up recently….and it’s next on my TBR pile!!

    Lovely review, Kav, makes me even more excited to read it very shortly 😊💖

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  14. Still having problems, Kav! Here’s my comment: Lovely review, Kav! That makes me want to read this even more! I’ve heard so many great things about this book. Thanks for the chance to win! whthomas13 at yahoo dot com

    Do you have any suggestions as to why I can’t comment normally? Below is what it says when I try to comment. I don’t remember ever having a password for WordPress, and when I try to reset my password it has a weird email address. ACK!! I wish I wasn’t so tech-challenged! Winnie

    You are being asked to login because is used by an account you are not logged into now. By logging in you’ll post the following comment to The Divine Proverb of Streusel + Giveaway:

    Lovely review, Kav! That makes me want to read this even more! I’ve heard so many great things about this book. Thanks for the chance to win!

    whthomas13 at yahoo dot com

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    1. Word Press did this to me a while back and I continue to have to sign in every day where I didn’t before. When you created a WordPress account, you had to create a password, but, since it saved your log in you haven’t had to use it which isn’t helpful now. You’ll have to log in again with your email address, but there should be a ‘forgot your password’ prompt beneath the password field and you can click on that and WP will email you with a new password. Then you can go and login and will be able to comment as per usual. My computer asks me if I want to save the password and I say yes so now, each morning I just have to go to the log in page and click once and it fills in my password and I’m good to go. Phew — hope that makes sense.

      Because I’m the blog creator, this next bit might not be the same for you — so if anyone else feels like chiming in to help Winnie, please feel free to do so. It’s just that I find access to the login page my least favourite part of WP. I have to move my mouse around on the screen a bit and a very small, narrow while bar will appear at the very lower left of my monitor. Mine says ‘Customize, Edit, Stats, and then has three dots … I click on the dots and get a pop up menu with the Login option. Not sure if yours will have the same or just say Log In in the little white bar. Hope, I haven’t made this more confusing for you!

      Good luck, Winnie! (on the giveaway and conquering persnickety WordPress!)

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