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Return to Harmony
Jodie and Bethan grow up in the small Southern town of Harmony and share experiences and trials as the closest of friends, until their friendship is dissolved in what seems to be an unreconcilable manner
223 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 1996
154 people are currently reading
739 people want to read
About the author
Janette Oke
356 books3,394 followersJanette Oke is a Canadian author known for her inspirational fiction, often set in a pioneer era and focused on female protagonists. Her debut novel, Love Comes Softly (1979), became the foundation for a successful series, followed by over 75 other novels. The first book in her Canadian West series, When Calls the Heart (1983), inspired the popular television series of the same name.
Born in Champion, Alberta, to farmers Fred and Amy (née Ruggles) Steeves during the Great Depression, Oke went on to graduate from Mountain View Bible College in Didsbury, Alberta, where she met her future husband, Edward Oke, who later became the president of the college. The couple has four children, including a daughter who has collaborated with Janette on several books.
A committed Evangelical Christian, Oke has authored numerous works exploring themes of faith. She has received various accolades for her contributions to Christian fiction, including the 1992 President's Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award.
Born in Champion, Alberta, to farmers Fred and Amy (née Ruggles) Steeves during the Great Depression, Oke went on to graduate from Mountain View Bible College in Didsbury, Alberta, where she met her future husband, Edward Oke, who later became the president of the college. The couple has four children, including a daughter who has collaborated with Janette on several books.
A committed Evangelical Christian, Oke has authored numerous works exploring themes of faith. She has received various accolades for her contributions to Christian fiction, including the 1992 President's Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
January 20, 2016
I absolutely LOVED this book!! Definitely a new one on my list of favorites. The characters were all so sweet and even though the ending totally crushed me, (I was hoping something different would happen!) it wrapped everything up really well and it was just amazing!
January 23, 2025
What a sweet, heart warming book! It follows two friends, Jodie and Bethan, throughout childhood in 1915, and through the following years and into early adulthood. The main themes are faith, friendship, trials and healing. It really centers around what happens when we choose to push God away because of and in our pain, and how closed off we become, preventing healing from taking place. But when we lean into God and trust Him in the pain, we heal while going through it, and instead of becoming stagnant we grow. Really enjoyed this one!
April 23, 2020
It's been a long while since I've read this and I only remembered really vague details. I was expecting a cheesy romance but actually it wasn't! This one focused more on the friendship of two girls and how they grew up and dealt with some really hard issues. I really enjoyed this one! I wish it wouldn't have ended where it did... I wanted more resolution with a certain relationship. 😂
June 11, 2017
3.5-4 stars.
What kind of ending was that?!
What kind of ending was that?!
January 12, 2021
As girls in the Southern town of Harmony, Jodie and Bethan form an unlikely friendship. Jodie dreams of going off to college in a big city someday while Bethan wants nothing more than to stay in her hometown and become a wife and mother. As the two best friends begin to transition from girlhood to womanhood, they run into a disagreement that forms a terrible rift in their relationship in Return to Harmony by authors Janette Oke and Davis Bunn.
I've read this historical fiction novel at least three times over the past twenty years or so, this first collaboration between two of my favorite ChristFic authors.
As I enjoyed this easily digestible novel when I was younger, I returned to it out of curiosity. But I didn't quite enjoy it this time. Some aspects of it are oversweet, including Bethan, who's too timid, gentle, and near-perfect for me to find her compelling. While the story paints her as the innocent "good guy" in her rift with Jodie, I now feel that Bethan's actions are somewhat out of pocket, and the faith conflict at the crux of it is oversimplified.
That's partly due to the rushed nature of the story as it flies through the years once the characters reach new adulthood. Several events that should be important lack sufficient development and originality, and the conclusion is mostly open-ended for Jodie, with no sequel to follow. Honestly, I think this novel bears some of the mark of this genre's earlier years, where it seemed that oftentimes, the most important thing wasn't necessarily to tell a solid story but to share a "come to Jesus" message.
Even so, the revisit here was good for me and my own development, and I'm happy to say the co-writing of these two authors gets better with later books.
I've read this historical fiction novel at least three times over the past twenty years or so, this first collaboration between two of my favorite ChristFic authors.
As I enjoyed this easily digestible novel when I was younger, I returned to it out of curiosity. But I didn't quite enjoy it this time. Some aspects of it are oversweet, including Bethan, who's too timid, gentle, and near-perfect for me to find her compelling. While the story paints her as the innocent "good guy" in her rift with Jodie, I now feel that Bethan's actions are somewhat out of pocket, and the faith conflict at the crux of it is oversimplified.
That's partly due to the rushed nature of the story as it flies through the years once the characters reach new adulthood. Several events that should be important lack sufficient development and originality, and the conclusion is mostly open-ended for Jodie, with no sequel to follow. Honestly, I think this novel bears some of the mark of this genre's earlier years, where it seemed that oftentimes, the most important thing wasn't necessarily to tell a solid story but to share a "come to Jesus" message.
Even so, the revisit here was good for me and my own development, and I'm happy to say the co-writing of these two authors gets better with later books.
December 26, 2023
This is probably weird to say coming from a nineteen year old male, but I'm a big fan of Janette Oke. From the Canadian West to The Women of the West to When Hope Calls, I love her books.
This is the third collaboration with T. Davis Bunn that I've read from her and the first of the collaborations written.
It's a lovely book about two best friends and their experiences with the troubles of life, but it's too short. Almost every chapter is set weeks to months or even years after the previous one. The trials the characters go through come and go fairly quickly, and, in certain instances, importance is given to things that hold no bearings on the rest of the story. For example, the young soldier in chapter seven. Although that scene is a highlight of the book for me, it has no significance on the plot. Another problem I have is the story doesn't really kick into gear until halfway through. And since this book is only 223 pages, it always feels like there's something missing.
I honestly think that this story needed to be longer with more fleshed out character arcs and longer time spent in both stages of the story. (The teen years and the adult years.) Whether that means it needed to be told in multiple books or a much longer, thicker novel, I can't say. But the story does end too quickly. There are a few character threads that are left hanging at the end, which really bothers me. I wanted a specific interaction between two of the characters that was heavily implied to happen, but the book ended before it could.
Overall, it's still a good book with interesting characters, plot surprises, and emotional scenes, but it suffers from being too short.
This is the third collaboration with T. Davis Bunn that I've read from her and the first of the collaborations written.
It's a lovely book about two best friends and their experiences with the troubles of life, but it's too short. Almost every chapter is set weeks to months or even years after the previous one. The trials the characters go through come and go fairly quickly, and, in certain instances, importance is given to things that hold no bearings on the rest of the story. For example, the young soldier in chapter seven. Although that scene is a highlight of the book for me, it has no significance on the plot. Another problem I have is the story doesn't really kick into gear until halfway through. And since this book is only 223 pages, it always feels like there's something missing.
I honestly think that this story needed to be longer with more fleshed out character arcs and longer time spent in both stages of the story. (The teen years and the adult years.) Whether that means it needed to be told in multiple books or a much longer, thicker novel, I can't say. But the story does end too quickly. There are a few character threads that are left hanging at the end, which really bothers me. I wanted a specific interaction between two of the characters that was heavily implied to happen, but the book ended before it could.
Overall, it's still a good book with interesting characters, plot surprises, and emotional scenes, but it suffers from being too short.
January 23, 2024
I don't know why I left this unread on my shelf for so long. It was very good. I was drawn right into the story from chapter one. The characters were well-developed and there was growth in them despite all the hurdles the authors threw their way.
I highly recommend this one.
4.5 Stars
Content: death of a parent
I highly recommend this one.
4.5 Stars
Content: death of a parent
January 22, 2025
I absolutely loved Janette Oake's books, as an adolescent.. whenever I reread one, I'm reminded why. They're brimming with heart! This is a small town story of 2 girls growing up, friends with very different personalities . Lovely! #BrighterWinter prompts: 2 books by same author, and book about neighbors
July 6, 2016
T. Davis Bunn and Janette Oke are 2 of my favorite authors, so when I found this book I had to get it. Having read some of their other collaborations, I had high hopes for this one and it didn't disappoint. The storyline flowed smoothly, the transitions were well-placed, and the characters are engaging. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys either of these authors.
September 21, 2021
I must say I do really like this book. The story is engaging, sometimes funny sometimes not. Some points in the story, however, seem off based for the Christian basis of the title. Not in a worldly or secular way but more in the nuances of Christian behavior and moral balances. It works out but it did and does bug me how some situations unfolded. The could also be attributed to the age in which the story is set, so my opinion on that is subjective.
Elsewise, its well worth reading and you won't regret it in my opinion. It has that classic Janette Oke flair with a bit more light-heartedness from T. Davis Bunn. I enjoyed it and I think you will too.
Elsewise, its well worth reading and you won't regret it in my opinion. It has that classic Janette Oke flair with a bit more light-heartedness from T. Davis Bunn. I enjoyed it and I think you will too.
April 10, 2020
The first collaborative effort for T Davis Bunn and Janette Oke after the met several times at book fairs, the book combines their styles and effects seamlessly to produce a beautiful story of two little girls growing up in the early 1900s. The book indicates a strong spiritual life in family and community but sees the girls through struggles temporal and spiritual. A wonderful coming of age story for young Christians.
January 9, 2024
I absolutely adored the friendship within this book and the importance of it that was so clearly displayed throughout. This book is only receiving three stars because 1) the ending felt too quickly wrapped up, almost haphazardly so, & 2) I feel that I won’t remember this story for more than a week after having finished it. I definitely understand why one would love this book, but it simply didn’t work for me.
January 11, 2020
Return to Harmony by Janette Oke and Davis Bunn
Series: No
Format: Large Print
Stars: 2
Recommend: No
Would Reread: No
The story and charterers were ok but at time it almost felt like a Little House on the Prairie episode.
I give honest reviews and all my opinions are my own.
For more of my reviews go to Heavenly High Seas Books
https://heavenlyhighseasbooks.blogspo...
Series: No
Format: Large Print
Stars: 2
Recommend: No
Would Reread: No
The story and charterers were ok but at time it almost felt like a Little House on the Prairie episode.
I give honest reviews and all my opinions are my own.
For more of my reviews go to Heavenly High Seas Books
https://heavenlyhighseasbooks.blogspo...
November 22, 2020
What a Blessing!
A wonderful story filled with the challenges that we all experience here on earth that are buffered by having a very best friend to encourage and hold us up. This friendship is undergirded by faith and loyalty that explores the phenomenon that no matter what trials and pain we go through we will not be crushed because of our regeneration through Christ.
A wonderful story filled with the challenges that we all experience here on earth that are buffered by having a very best friend to encourage and hold us up. This friendship is undergirded by faith and loyalty that explores the phenomenon that no matter what trials and pain we go through we will not be crushed because of our regeneration through Christ.
January 22, 2024
This one was hard to give a rating to since the storyline was good and the characters really were brought to life by Oke, but it could have been better. I did feel like it was a bit slow in getting started (to me the first 1/3 of the book could have been made into a prologue) and then rushed at the end and some things were just under-developed.
November 6, 2018
Anytime I come across this in thrift stores, I buy it and pass it on to young ladies. A good book about childhood friendship, praying for friends that have gone astray, and keeping a sweet spirit about it.
August 12, 2020
Great Story!
It is a romance and everything works fine in the end, but there was enough tragedy to keep it from being sappy. Love Davis Bunn. He hasn’t yet written a book I don’t like.
It is a romance and everything works fine in the end, but there was enough tragedy to keep it from being sappy. Love Davis Bunn. He hasn’t yet written a book I don’t like.
February 7, 2021
Learning Forgiveness
It was a lifetime story of two girl friends growing up, learning about life and love! Both had separate paths to take but still managed to find each other when it mattered the most! One taught the other one how to forgive and get on with her life and reach for her life’s goals!
It was a lifetime story of two girl friends growing up, learning about life and love! Both had separate paths to take but still managed to find each other when it mattered the most! One taught the other one how to forgive and get on with her life and reach for her life’s goals!
July 2, 2022
Oh how I love these authors together!
This is a lovely, wonderful, inspiring and impossible-to-put-down book! I absolutely loved the characters and the story line. The main characters are beautifully drawn. The ending was perfect though I do wish for a sequel!
Read this book!!
This is a lovely, wonderful, inspiring and impossible-to-put-down book! I absolutely loved the characters and the story line. The main characters are beautifully drawn. The ending was perfect though I do wish for a sequel!
Read this book!!
June 13, 2023
Jodie and Bethan are two unlikely friends who form a bond over a lifetime. This coming of age book follows them on their journey of friendship, heartache, struggles and even their belief in God. Great book and well narrated.
January 29, 2018
Great read
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was very interesting since I'm not far from harmony pa. Wish it was a series.
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was very interesting since I'm not far from harmony pa. Wish it was a series.
July 2, 2018
A nice inspiring story, but not much depth to it. It was what I expected and what I needed at the time. A sweet, easy read.
November 25, 2019
The lives of two girls as they grow and change and experience life. I enjoyed this book.
April 2, 2020
It's just really mellow and nothing really happens.
mountain-loop
April 28, 20202 hardcover, 1 trade
September 20, 2020
Return to Harmony
A very good inspirational story about a young woman that has been hurt and blamed God until she returned home for her friends wedding and returned to God
A very good inspirational story about a young woman that has been hurt and blamed God until she returned home for her friends wedding and returned to God
October 2, 2020
Good Christian story
Very good story. Anything written by Janet oke is fantastic! I have read her books for many years. Thank you!
Very good story. Anything written by Janet oke is fantastic! I have read her books for many years. Thank you!
November 30, 2020
Enjoyable
Great story of friendship, faith and enduring hardship and loss and joyful new beginnings. Story flows nicely and the characters feel like someone I'd like to know.
Great story of friendship, faith and enduring hardship and loss and joyful new beginnings. Story flows nicely and the characters feel like someone I'd like to know.
December 16, 2020
Jodie is a complex character. Loved how she questioned her faith throughout the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews