I really enjoyed this story especially when I found out it was based on true people. I am looking forward to reading the next installment in this series to see what happens next to these interesting characters. I really liked Sybil and her sisters. My favorite character was Fremont and his family. They were so down to earth. Sybils Family was odd and had some money. This book definitely shows the different types of people that lived through some of the depression in Oklahoma. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will. ( )

I enjoyed the setting of the book in the 1920's to early 1930's. The author gives readers a nice look at what it was like during the depression era. The story takes place in Oklahoma where my granddad homesteaded. I remember him telling me stories about how hard it was when he worked his farm trying to survive. He lived in a small town where the people knew each other and tried to help each other out.

When I make a promise I try never to break it because my integrity is very important to me. Sibyl adored her father and tried to always please him. I found it fascinating that the book was based on a true story . The author describes a family that has a comfortable living even though the depression was hitting hard. Sybil and her siblings didn't seem to do without and had a carefree live. That all changes as the politics start to take over and her father strays from his commitment to family.

The story is based around a promise that Sybil makes to her father. She makes it not thinking she will ever have to actually follow through with her vow. I found her father to be quite arrogant at times and very judgmental of others. His lack of sympathy for the poor made me angry. He was very demanding and wanted his family to obey him without question. There are flaws in the family structure as Sybil starts to question her father and his political beliefs.

I found myself invested in the story and loved how the author writes a story with transparency and exposes the breakdown of a marriage. When Sybil goes against her father's wishes to marry someone, that seemed to be the beginning of the breakdown in father/daughter relationship. Sybil has always done what her father wanted and to disobey him was unthinkable. Her father does take a detour and completely changes the dynamics of a close family. All he seemed to be worried about what his reputation.

The highlight for me in the story was Fremont. What he lacked financially, he made up for with his deep faith. I loved reading how his and Sybil's relationship developed and how he helped her find her way back to God. The story talks about greed, family, power and how important it is to listen to God. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. ( )

The author has set this story back in the 1930’s, a time in America when things were very hard, people out of work and no jobs to be found, bread lines, etc. She has also set this story in Oklahoma, and we experience some of the dust bowl, along with the depression.
The main characters come from both sides of the fence, money and poverty, and compassion for their fellow man seems to draw them together.
The promise to break in the title felt like good and evil, and it plays well with this story, rich in history, and full of real life.
We do get choices in life, and we read how life is played out here, with the choices, and some that really surprised me, and all I can say is we reap what we sow, and as such will eventually meet the consequences of our actions.
I loved how this story played out, although I was cringing at times, the pages flew, and at the end I loved the Author’s Notes, you really do not want to miss them!

I received this book through the Celebrate Lit, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

The 1930s is not a time period with which I am very well acquainted. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, but I haven’t read many books set during this decade. The fact that Kathryn Spurgeon’s “A Promise to Break” is based on a true story enhanced my appreciation for this book, and because it is written in the first person, it truly felt like stepping back almost 90 years into the past. Something that struck me almost immediately was how much things have actually remained the same. Issues that our society and our country is now contending with may seem new, but in reality they are longstanding. Sybil Trimble’s father is an advocate for Socialism, and yet as a well-to-do bank auditor, he is more inclined to talk and not to action. He is not willing to sacrifice anything himself but thinks that he has all of the answers to society’s ills. As Sybil remarks, “Papa, not God, decided what was right or wrong for our family. And right and wrong always depended on his mood that particular day.”

As the oldest child and her father’s protégé, Sybil follows a path already set forth for her. It is not until she meets Fremont, a poor young man and a hobo, that she begins to see beyond the close confines of her sheltered life. Spurgeon does well in demonstrating the conflict within Sybil as her upbringing collides with Fremont’s worldview. Up until this point, she has lived under her father’s thumb, and her goal in life is to please him: “I would do anything to make Papa proud. Anything… I promised I would help Papa change the world. I could never break that promise—Papa was my hero.” As her eyes begin to open to the world outside of her own comfortable home, she finds herself questioning her future and what she truly believes. Sybil’s spiritual journey likewise progresses, and her questions and doubts are very credible coming from someone of her upbringing and class. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 9:24, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When we have everything we need to live securely, it is easy to rely upon ourselves and forget that the Lord is the one who blesses us and provides for us. The journey to accepting and trusting God may be filled with bumps and detours, as is Sybil’s, but what a spectacular treasure awaits for the heart of the faithful!

Anyone who enjoys reading historical memoirs and books about the 1930s, the disparity between rich and poor, and flawed but endearing and sympathetic characters will appreciate Kathryn Spurgeon’s debut, “A Promise to Break.” There were some grammatical errors throughout, but none of them detracted from the story itself, which contains an appealing mixture of faith, family, heartache, and triumph.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Sibyl Trimble has a difficult choice before her. She comes from a wealthy family, made a promise to her father to follow in his footsteps and change the world, and has experienced little during the Great Depression besides luxury. However, when she meets charming hobo Fremont Pope, her perspective changes and she begins to understand that maybe holding to the promise she made her father is not the best way to make a difference.

Sibyl’s story in A Promise to Break reflects the experience Kathryn Spurgeon’s grandmother had in 1930s Oklahoma. Caught between love and duty, family and faith, wealth and poverty, her challenges were no easy task to overcome, but Spurgeon brings her to life with great detail. Her story is fascinating.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. ( )