Dean Hughes' So Much of Life Ahead is the tenth book in what amounts to two, five-book series that follow the lives of the fictional Thomas family. The first series, Children of the Promise, detailed the Thomas' lives during World War II. The second series, Hearts of the Children, follows the descendents of those from the first five novels through the 60's and 70's. The ten volume work started out with a bang, but, like so many series/sequels, lost a bit of its steam toward the end.

The Hearts of the Children series follows Gene (a Vietnam War vet), Kathy (a civil rights activist), Diane (a single mother with an abusive ex-husband), and Hans (an East German in trouble with the government). Hughes effectively places all of his characters in historical events throughout both series, and I can imagine that this is what makes his readers keep coming back for more. His characterization is authentic, and the information about historical events is detailed and educational. Hughes is able to develop characters that move away from the LDS faith enough to make them real and believable.

His previous books in both series left me eagerly awaiting the next release. However, the historical content is slim in So Much of Life Ahead, and the characters are all brought back to the church in a slightly unbelievable, nicely wrapped (albeit somewhat imperfect) package. This book left me feeling a bit disappointed simply because it wasn't as edgy as the earlier novels and dealt with far less history. However, what redeems it is that Hughes was able to establish a love in me for his characters early on. I simply could not abandon them and so I read on, as should others who have grown to know Gene, Kathy, Diane, and Hans.

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Penny Fritzler
December 6, 2005