4 out of 4 stars
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Where did she come from? What did she want? What did she gain? What did she lose? In Looking for Lydia; Looking for God, author Dean Robertson and the ladies of her weekly Bible study ask, answer, and debate these four questions as they study the women of the Bible and examine themselves. Their questions and answers are poignant, joyful, and heartbreaking at times. I easily rated this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is incredibly well-written, extensively researched, and clearly comes straight from the author's heart.
The elderly women of the Lydia Roper Home in Norfolk, Virginia have all lived colorful and complicated lives and are now spending their twilight years in a group home, meeting together on Wednesday mornings for Bible study. Author Dean Robertson explains that while she intended to write about these wonderful and complex ladies, she could not ignore their patroness, Mrs. Lydia Roper herself. Since their home was a gift from Lydia, and named after her, surely there was a rich and beautiful story there as well. All the information the home itself gives is a rough outline of a Civil War bride who moves from Pennsylvania with her carpetbagger husband to start a new life in Virginia. As Dean keeps digging, she asks of Lydia the same questions she asks of the women of the Bible. Where did she come from? What did she want? What did she gain? What did she lose?
Looking for Lydia really encompasses two distinct stories that intertwine; the current ladies of the Lydia Roper Home and their Bible study, and the search for Lydia Roper and the story she does (or does not) reveal. There are several photographs included in the book that give the reader a very clear picture of certain characters of the story and their homes, as well as historical art that ties in well with the Bible study. The attention to detail in the research and reporting of this story was very impressive and seeing the author pour her heart on the page was my favorite part of the book.
While the research of actually looking for Lydia was impressive, the Bible study itself was doubly so. Dean Robertson wasn't leading the ladies of the Lydia Roper home in some feel-good, let's-only-talk-about-happy-things study. These women dove into the Bible and dove deeply, often asking far more questions than were answered. Some of the women didn’t hear or see well, one could hardly walk, and another fell asleep often, but they were all consistently there, wanting to learn from Dean and from each other. While reading about the Lydia Roper ladies and their search for God, I was able to do some searching myself. The author references many sections of scripture, and I was glad to have my own Bible handy to dive deeper too. Due to the meaty nature of the Bible study, this book certainly isn't a quick read or one to take lightly.
I think Looking for Lydia; Looking for God could appeal to a wide variety of readers. Lovers of post-Civil War history or the rebuilding of the South would be interested in all the history of the Lydia Roper Home and the Roper family. Theologians and Bible aficionados would greatly enjoy Dean Robertson’s study of the women of the Bible. Because this book asks so many weighty and important questions, I think it could also be a great choice for a book club and ignite some interesting discussions.
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Looking for Lydia; Looking for God
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