I just finished reading "A Place to Land" by Kate Motaung. The book started out with the story of the author's mother dying of cancer, and had me emotionally invested right away. My own mom had breast cancer before, and is a survivor, but her story really touched me and had me in tears. I was almost unsure if I could finish reading the book, but I am glad that I did. Kate wrote about how she moved from place to place throughout her life, whether due to divorce or missionary work, and her central theme was that earth is our temporary home. This quote from the book sums up this theme, "For years, I obsessed over the pursuit of home. It always felt just out of reach. Visible, but unattainable. Now I see I had it all wrong. Home in its truest sense - my eternal home- is exactly the opposite. It's attainable but not visible. Attainable only because of Christ's work on the cross and His gift of faith to me. Invisible for a little while longer." I thought the book was heartfelt and worth reading.

Pretty average as far as a contemporary book. Unfortunately there wasn’t anything that actually stood out to me while I read.

I’ve enjoyed following Kate Motaung as the host of the Five Minute Friday linkup. When I saw that her first book was coming out, I couldn’t wait to join the launch team.

Memoir is one of my favorite genres to read. Kate’s memoir is a unique story of faith, grief, and cross-cultural living. Her gentle voice tells a story of looking for home between two continents.

Kate grew up as a child of divorce, just like me. Her stories of feeling torn between two homes are so familiar. I believe adult children of divorce are looking for validation of their hurts, and Kate does so without spewing vengeance on her parents.

But that’s just part of this story. Her search for home began in Michigan, then widened as she served in overseas missions and eventually married a South African man. As one who has not traveled outside the U.S., I appreciated her glimpses of a colorful, beautiful culture far removed from the world I know.

Kate lived in South Africa for over ten years, but her heart jumped back and forth between there and Michigan. Her beloved mother was diagnosed with cancer, and Kate traveled often to visit her family. Since cancer struck her mom when Kate was raising her children, the tug of home in either place was especially strong.

Kate’s testimony of faith is woven throughout the story. Her story is proof that faith grows through testing and trials. Even though her mother dies, I finished the book with a sense of calm, knowing that all Christians will be reunited in heaven someday. I can’t wait to meet her beautiful mother there.

This book is a helpful read for a woman dealing with grief, especially if a loved one is dying of cancer. It is also a good read for a woman who is straddling two different cultures, no matter what that looks like. A Place to Land is a peaceful read that I have been privileged to enjoy.

Thank you to Discovery House for a free preview copy of this wonderful book.

An inspirational easy read. It had me teary within a short period of time. Enjoyed it very much. True blessings.
Thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Kate Motaung's memoir is a poignant account of life and death when God is at the center fold of it. With a complete utter lack of pretension, Motaung is honest, insightful and self-reflective. Her writing style was beautiful and free flowing. Every experience illustrated in this memoir had a spiritual insight that followed, an insight that the reader can hold on to and follow. Overall, this memoir was unlike any I had read before and the accompanying scripture to each chapter will give the memoir lasting relevance.

Having been a follower of Kate's blog for over two years and having read parts of her story there, I was eagerly awaiting the release of this book, and I was not disappointed!
A Place To Land is a beautifully written memoir tracing Kate's journey through several of life's changes- her parents' divorce, her move from the US to South Africa, marriage, motherhood, and her mother's battle with cancer.
While several of the topics are heavy (and I would advise having some tissues close at hand!), the book is also uplifting and full of hope. I appreciated the honesty with which Kate told some of the more difficult parts of her story. There were several fascinating insights about South African culture, and she describes things so vividly that at times I felt I was on the journey along with her.
I read the book much more quickly than I intended to as there was always the temptation to read "just one more chapter" but it is also one that I will go back to and savour.
The book explores the concept of home, looking at what home is, and where we find our security amidst the changes of life. Ultimately it points to the hope Christians have of an eternal home in heaven.
I would highly recommend this book!
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This just ended up not my type of story or writing. The world is, thankfully, full of people with different interests and tastes, and I suspect many of them will love it.

A Place to Land is a touching memoir of a woman's childhood in Michigan, bouncing back and forth between her parents' homes. Religion played a major role in her life and she traveled frequently for mission trips, including South Africa, where she married and had a family. Much of the book deals with her mother's decade long battle with cancer. I enjoyed her descriptions of South Africa. A good book to read about grappling with life transitions.

Last summer, I had the privilege of attending the Five-Minute Friday retreat and meeting Kate in person. Her warm smile and soft-spoken ways hide a universal story of longing to belong that Kate tells with raw honesty and beauty.

Her quest for belonging began at the tender age of seven, when her parents divorced. The dual households created within her a disconnect-a feeling of belonging neither here, nor there. The sense of not knowing where (or what) to claim as home followed her through high school, college, and a move to South Africa for a stint in a mission field.

This memoir takes the reader over new roads with familiar signposts. As Kate shares her story, the reader will identify with her longing to belong and appreciate the way she gently shares her faith. Kate invites the reader into her life and her story in an attempt to show how she found her place to belong.

Those seeking--whether they seek an answer to their questions about God, a way to find meaning in a loved--one's cancer journey, or a deeper relationship with their Savior-will find hope and inspiration in this story. Kate's word crafting will leave readers wishing they had an excuse to visit (and maybe even live) in Cape Town, South Africa.