Caffeinated Reviewer | The Road to Resilience by G.L. Gooding

17^th Jul

The Road to Resilience by G. L. Gooding is the second book in the Velma’s Story narrated by Kate Wisniewski. The story is based on the life of Gooding’s mother, Velma Steele, that began with Where Courage Began. Gooding delivers a piece of rural America spanning from 1924 to the 1930s. Beautifully written, I got swept up in Velma’s story once again.

The Road to Resilience
by G.L. Gooding
Series: Velma’s Story #2
Narrator: Kate Wisniewski
Length: 10 hours and 21 minutes
Genres: Historical Fiction
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate

Rating:
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.45x

Based on the life of author G. L. Gooding’s mother, Velma Steele, The Road to Resilience continues the saga first introduced in Where Courage Began. There, the readers met five-year-old Velma, her young siblings, and her suddenly widowed mother Alice.

Now, It’s Christmas Day 1924 and young Velma is still breathless from the dramatic events of the previous night. She remembers with joy participating along with many of her community in rallying around an isolated family in a moment of great need.

As years pass, Velma continues working hard at school and putting in endless hours helping her widowed mother and older sister. Together they support the family during the economic hardships in rural America that foreshadowed the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Uprooted yet again by this national tragedy, the family’s indomitable spirit and endless spunk help sustain them. Along the way, Velma begins to envision a brighter future in spite of continuing hardship.

Then, as a young woman, Velma meets handsome Jack Gooding and in the briefest of time, realizes she has found her one true love. Now equipped with hard earned life skills, she feels confident in facing the vagaries of life with Jack at her side. Together they begin pursuit of shared dreams amid a turbulent world. All too soon, however, her resilience and courage must endure the greatest challenge yet.

A lasting tribute to life in Dallas County, Iowa, The Road to Resilience is book two in the heartwarming series that mirrors the struggles of a generation, shining a special light on the Midwestern love for God, the land, hard work, family, and friendship.

It’s Christmas 1924, and the cusp of the Great Depression and the stock market crash. Times are difficult, Velma’s siblings are grown up, and she finishes her studies before helping her mother. We get to witness Velma experience love and wed. As she sets up her new home, the young couple will face challenges.

Gooding brings the 1900s rural life in Woodward, Perry, and Des Moines, Iowa to life in vivid color. His attention to detail and his mother’s story, which is filled with both joy and loss, pulled me in and held me captive.

The author weaves in historical events and the mundane life of a couple just starting out, from first meals to balancing a budget. We catch up with characters we met in the first book, and meet new ones along the way. I laughed, cried and thought of grandparents, who lived through much of the events in this story and how it affected them.

Kate Wisniewski narrates and has become the voice of Velma from her childhood curiosity to her joys and sorrows. Both her male and female voices are well done, and she enhanced my overall experience with the story. I highly recommend listening. The last book in this trilogy, The Long Journey, releases on audio July 29, 2025.

If you enjoy historical fiction based on people and events in US History, I highly recommend grabbing this slice of Americana.

Amazon* | Audible | Libro.fm

*kindleunlimited

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat.

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