thy father's will

Stoic and commanding, Joseph Marvick is a wealthy businessman and respected leader in the Norwegian immigrant community of Story City, Iowa. He supports the Norwegian Lutheran Church, believes men control their destinies by the choices they make, and lives by the values of respect, resourcefulness, and responsibility. Confident in his judgment, he controls the lives of his children, who love, honor, and obey him, trusting he will ensure their prosperity, health, and happiness. When decisions he imposes on his only son Severt and favorite daughter Ida have unintended, harmful consequences, Joseph spares nothing in his attempts to save them. A widower, Joseph faces his fallibility alone and, at the end, condemns himself. In death, as in life, his will is done.
Based on true events that occurred between 1907 and 1918, Thy Father’s Will is a heartbreaking story of family love, control, and guilt, of lives forever altered by the damaging consequences of decisions made for all the right reasons.
  • "Thy Father's Will is a treasure. Author Kirsten Jacobson Stasney vividly recaptures the private world of the Joseph Marvick family, one privileged with wealth, travel and higher education at the turn of the century. Marked by their youthful passions and a devoted father, it is a true account of young lives transformed from happiness to tragedy. A riveting narrative for any generation."
    Marjorie Hart, Author of New York Times Bestsetter, Summer at Tiffany
  • "life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards.."
    Soren Kirkegaard

about

Born in Ames, Iowa, Kirsten is the great-granddaughter of Joseph Marvick and granddaughter of Anna Marvick Jacobson. Like her great-grandfather, Kirsten pursued a career in business.
Thy Father’s Will was Kirsten’s first novel. Inspired by a letter written by her great-aunt Charlotte, Thy Father’s Will is a work of fiction based on the final years of Kirsten’s great-grandfather’s life. Using family letters, newspapers, probate files and other historical records, Kirsten unearthed real people, pieced together actual events and researched the historical period, and from that skeleton of history, imagined personalities, conversations and interactions.

book and order details

where to order
Kirkhouse publishers
amazon

Book details
SIze: 6 x 9ISBN: 978-1933794150Pages: 242 perfect bound Publication date: February 12, 2009 Price: $18.00Printed in the United States of AmericaPublished by Kirk House Publishers

reader Reviews


Goodreads
"I love to read at night. The problem is that sometimes a book is so compelling that I have to keep on reading long after I should have been asleep. Thy Father's Will by Kirsten Jacobson Stasney is just such a book. Stasney is the graddaughter of Anna Marvick Jacobson and the great-granddaughter of Joseph Marvick. Joseph Marvick is a good man, a wealthy businessman and respected church leader in Story City Iowa during the early 1900s. A widower, he relies on his sister and then his older daughters to run his home. They are a happy family who love, respect and obey their father. Joseph makes good decisions for his family such as where they should go to school and who they should marry. He does a very good job of leading his children to lives of prosperity, health and happiness until the one day he makes a bad decision. The results of that decision causes the death of his only son, changes the future of his daughters and sends his favourite daughter, the one who reminds him most of his late wife, to a life of drudgery and abuse. Joseph tries so hard to repair the damage he has done. He can't forgive himself for the consequences of his decisions even though he made them for all the right reasons. The story is riveting, sometimes heartbreaking and the end was a big shock to me. The author has taken the time to research her family and the time they lived in to make the backgrounds interesting and informative and to help us understand a little better. If you are looking for an excellent read, look no further."
Pam H
Amazon
"The characters were compelling! The characters are highly engaging in this surprisingly endearing story of a Norwegian Family's struggle to thrive in a society that is drastically changing. It deals with cultural identity as well as social norms that don't often exist anymore. I LOVED it! It was a great way to try to imagine my own relatives as they made their way through the Midwest and St. Olaf. Um Ya Ya!"
Margit L
Amazon
" Excellent reading and gripping story Family history with lessons how not to parent. Had trouble putting the book down. Highly readable and I am not even Norwegian."
Helen C

perfect for your book club

Click here for Reading Group Discussion Questions for Thy Father's Will. I suggest you finish reading the book before reviewing the reading group questions, as they reveal important aspects of the plot of the book, as well as the ending.