This Promised Land by Cathy Gohlke

This Promised Land by Cathy Gohlke
Series: Stand Alone Novel
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction (April 8, 2025)

REVIEW BY KELLY J. GOSHORN

In This Promised Land, award-winning author Cathy Gohlke delivers a deeply moving, multi-generational story of family, forgiveness, and the restorative power of grace. This heartfelt family saga centers around Ginny Pickering Boyden. At age 60, Ginny has lived most of her life estranged from her family. When she receives a surprising letter informing her that her brother Harold has died and she has inherited the family’s Christmas tree farm in New Scrivelsby, Virginia, she returns home intending to sell the farm then move to England to accept a master gardener apprenticeship.

However, her plan is complicated when she learns her nephews believe they are the rightful heirs to the property. Tension mounts when Ginny learns the farm is deeply in debt, complicating her decision of whether or not she should sell the farm. Her profound longing for familial connection draws her into a deeper journey of reconciling past wounds, battling expectations, and discovering what “home” truly means.

The story is primarily set in 1992 New Scrivelsby, Virginia, a charming town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. While not a dual timeline story, there are flashbacks, especially to Ginny’s younger life around WWII and her life as a war bride, which ground the characters’ backstories and reveal motivations and past hurt.

Ginny Pickering Boyden is a compelling heroine—mature, wounded, yet full of yearning for redemption. Her voice carries both wisdom and weariness, shaped by loss, regret, and hard-won resilience. Ginny’s spiritual journey—learning to surrender her own plans and accept God’s—is central to the novel. The supporting cast is also full of richly drawn, multi-dimensional flawed characters that pull the reader into the story.

Gohlke deftly weaves in Christian themes of redemption, forgiveness, and second chances analagous to the parable of the prodigal son. Ginny herself recognizes both the “prodigal,” and the older brother who feels wronged, in her own life story and actions. As the story develops, we see which characters are willing to forgive themself and/or others, and what price that requires.

“Hurt, fear, grief—all make people do and say things that can come out rough. Being trapped in their hurts and fears keeps folks from seeing the good around them, the good in others.”

This Promised Land, Cathy Gohlke

This Promised Land doesn’t shy away from the messy realities of life—trauma, regret, strained relationships—but also offers hope, forgiveness, and the possibility that people, and families, can be reconciled despite long years of separation and misunderstanding. It’s a story of quiet courage—the kind that comes from facing the past, choosing forgiveness, and daring to believe that broken families and broken hearts can bloom again.

I whole-heartedly give this deeply moving, multi-generational story of family, forgiveness, and the restorative power of grace, five well-deserved fish.

I listened to This Promised Land on audiobook. The narrator, Sarah Zimmerman, did an excellent job bringing this story to life. If you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend this production.