Under the Weeping Willow: Jenny Knipfer

April 04, 2022

Under the Weeping Willow: Jenny Knipfer

Welcome to the Book’s Delight. We are happy to host, Under the Weeping Willow by author Jenny Kniper. We have a great excerpt for you to whet your appetite.

The Details:

Book Title: Under the Weeping Willow

Series: (Sheltering Trees: Book Two)

Author: Jenny Knipfer

Publication Date: 21st October 2021

Publisher: Jenny Knipfer—Author

Page Length: 346 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Split Timeline Fiction

Trigger Warnings: Postpartum depression, attempted suicide, Alzheimer's

Watch the Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=patS8iHnN7A&t=2s

The Blurb

A HISTORICAL NOVEL ABOUT A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER AND THE SECRET SHAPING THEIR ROCKY RELATIONSHIP

1918:

Just as Robin Holcomb settles into married life with her husband, Willis, on his aunt and uncle’s farm in Wisconsin, WWI calls Willis away. With an unknown future and a child on the way, Robin makes the best of life among people she barely knows.

After the birth of her child, Robin struggles with depression and battles to overcome her inner demons before despair and hopelessness drive her to attempt to take her own life. Will Robin survive her dive into postpartum depression, let alone see Willis again?

1983:

Enid Fenton clears out her Mother’s house and puts the family farm up for sale, trying to not be consumed by guilt for installing her mother into the county nursing home.

Reading through some of her mother’s diary entries, Enid uncovers a secret that helps her make sense of the unnamed point of division that has always soured their relationship.

Can Enid reconcile with her mother before the ravages of Alzheimer’s claim her?

Readers of historical fiction, Christian historical fiction, literary fiction, and women’s fiction will be moved as this novel takes them from the depths of a person’s psyche and grief to the pinnacle of long-hoped-for peace.

Praise:

“Knipfer has created a story that crosses many genres and will appeal to those who love poignant epics about complex characters, engrossing plots, relatable situations, and a satisfying ending.” Tammy Ruggles for Readers’ Favorite, five-star review

“A sensitive and well-crafted drama unpacking issues of mental health, layers of grief, societal expectations, and the instability of memory, this novel is touching on the surface, but subtly and profoundly layered with meaning.” Self-Publishing Review ★★★★★

"A heart-rending, emotionally packed love story between a mother and daughter, Under the Weeping Willow is a journey of loss and brokenness coupled with forgiveness and healing. This time-split novel captured my heart and didn't release it until the final page. Beautiful and haunting, Robin and Enid's story swept me to another era. These characters lived, and I loved watching them find their way to each other. Keep the tissues handy. You don't want to miss this story!" ~Candace West, Selah award finalist and author of the Valley Creek Redemption series

The Excerpt:

Almost as if by reflex, I pluck the diary I’ve been reading off the desk and open to the page I’ve marked with a ribbon. Seating myself in Mom’s gold rocker again, I begin to read.

May 12th, 1977

Today a general fog clings to my thinking. I feel sluggish. I tried to read for a while, but the words kept floating away. The volume was a book of my favorite poems by Shakespeare. A few of the old English words gave me trouble. I should have known what they meant, but for some reason—I didn’t. No point of reference appeared in my mind when my eyes roved over them. I ended up looking them up in the dictionary but couldn't remember how to spell the darn things, so I had to keep checking in the poem book. Whilst and hitherto were two of the culprits.

After reading their meanings, they made sense again. But what worries me is why I forgot in the first place. This forgetting seems more than mere old age. Things that I’ve known for years sometimes disappear and leave a gaping hole where a memory should be.

Do I talk to Enie about this, or do I wait until she notices and talks to me? I’m afraid, by that time, I may forget something truly important. What if I forget who I am? Will I even be me then? Maybe I won’t care.

I remember that dark time after Enid’s birth. I forgot who I was, or I became someone else. Either way the end result was the same: I was not myself. Thank God I have never been that person again. I think His presence in my life has something to do with not retreating down such a rabbit hole. I wager some aspect of my physiology wasn’t balanced, but whatever initiated it, He helped me through it.

As I tended my assigned section of the flower garden at the asylum, so he tended to my damaged mind.

Will he tend me again?

God, I am holding to the promise that You never leave or forsake us. Whatever unknown path is ahead, I pray that You will walk it with me.

Buy Links:

Available on #KindleUnlimited

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Under-Weeping-Willow-Sheltering-Trees-ebook/dp/B09BXBTCJW

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Under-Weeping-Willow-Sheltering-Trees-ebook/dp/B09BXBTCJW

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Under-Weeping-Willow-Sheltering-Trees-ebook/dp/B09BXBTCJW

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Under-Weeping-Willow-Sheltering-Trees-ebook/dp/B09BXBTCJW

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-the-weeping-willow-jenny-knipfer/1140213690

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/under-the-weeping-willow/jenny-knipfer/sara-litchfield/9781733320283

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/under-the-weeping-willow-9781733320283/9781733320283

Meet the Author:

Jenny lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Ken, and their pet Yorkie, Ruby. She is also a mom and loves being a grandma. She enjoys many creative pursuits but finds writing the most fulfilling.

Spending many years as a librarian in a local public library, Jenny recently switched to using her skills as a floral designer in a retail flower shop. She is now retired from work due to disability. Her education background stems from psychology, music, and cultural missions.

All of Jenny’s books have earned five-star reviews from Readers’ Favorite, a book review and award contest company. She holds membership in the: Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, Wisconsin Writers Association, Christian Indie Publishing Association, and Independent Book Publishers Association.

Jenny’s favorite place to relax is by the western shore of Lake Superior, where her novel series, By The Light of the Moon, is set.

She deems a cup of tea and a good book an essential part of every day. When not writing, Jenny can be found reading, tending to her many houseplants, or piecing quilt blocks at her sewing machine.

Her new historical fiction, four-part series entitled, Sheltering Trees, is set in the area Jenny grew up in, where she currently lives, and places along Minnesota’s Northern Shore, where she loves to visit. She is currently writing a four-part novella series entitled: Botanical Seasons.

Keep current with Jenny by visiting her website at https://jennyknipfer.com. Ways to connect with Jenny via social media, newsletter, and various book sites can be found on her website.