It would be a grand adventure to whimsical Norah, to see the sights of Switzerland and get to know her fiancé’s mother. She readily promised. Switzerland quickly became the mystery and making of Norah Falconer. Her first days are enchanting and lively, yet as the days go on, trials and triumphs mingle in the growing mystery of the dark chateau across the lake.

A crying child. A vanishing grounds keeper. A missing landlord. And an unknown visitor who is searching for someone. Will Norah be able to piece together the puzzle and solve the mystery? Will her heart delight it in when she does?

Meanwhile, the war abroad will impact Norah’s and Roger’s relationship. When all is said and done, how will the secrets of the chateau by the lake affect those it has entangled?

The Chateau by the Lake is a fascinating book by Amy LeFeurve. (Amy is one of my favorite authoresses!) She cleverly mixes romance, faith, daily life, mystery, music, and peril in this tale.

At over 300 pages and containing some deeper spiritual truths, ladies and gentlemen of ages 17+ will be most likely to thoroughly enjoy this riveting tale! But, I wouldn’t put it past a homeschooling parent to read it aloud and let the whole family learn and enjoy it together!

The Chateau by the Lake is another book which I will not mind reading again, although I shall now know every twist and turn of the story. I truly enjoy the voice of these classic stories with such noble characters and straight-forward, yet oddly eloquent speech.

Once you have gotten halfway through this book it is much too interesting and distressing to put down until you must because there are no pages left to turn. There is some mild war drama when following Roger’s story, but I did not find it to be very intense.

I connected with Norah right away and Roger Randolph (her fiancé) was good, too. One surprising character is Lettice, who seems a rather cynical, worldly friend, but as Christ becomes a greater interest to her, Lettice becomes more attractive as a person. Her friendship, clear head, and practical faith makes her a valuable addition to the cast.

While Lettice’s faith is practical, Norah’s is emotional. She is often swayed by the moods of nature around her, and she finds her faith affected by these moods. Norah’s journey of faith in God takes her from this back-and-forth to stability by adding character, knowledge, and service to her life. All-in-all, she rounds out well.

Her imaginative way of seeing and feeling things, though, works in her favor for the theme of the book: “So we fix our eyes no on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). The story shows how fixing one’s mind on things above can lead to actions of great faith.

As she grows in relationship with God, Norah says, thinks, and writes many beautiful analogies of what God does in the world and in our souls. Roger called them “parables.” These analogies may be missed by a younger audience. They round out the scenery, feel of the book, and its theme when you can grasp them.

I’m raising a Hallelu Yah! I praise You, Heavenly Father, for the enormous blessings we have in Christ through faith. Through the Spirit, we have power to see eternal things and live our lives so as to reap everlasting rewards. And You, our Creator, are at work in the world to reveal Your divine power and nature, even through Your people. Hallelu Yah!

Let’s go to Switzerland and discover a Gospel-centered mystery with love, jealousy, faith, and peril, shall we?