However Long the Day
KJ Kelly
Artempo Publishing (2025)
ISBN: 978-1734745825
Reviewed by Ashley Hooker for Reader Views (09/2025)
However Long the Day by KJ Kelly is a story about dignity, courage, humility, and the resilience of two women who would do anything for their families. Lorna is living in a mining town with her husband and children. Life is difficult, and she dreams of moving away. Each day is filled with worry and angst as her husband leaves for the mines. Her daughter Grace has met the man she is going to marry. The wedding happens, and they settle into their home and jobs. Grace and her husband Joseph take a trip to see Joseph’s parents. The events that unravel while visiting will change Grace’s and her mother, Lorna’s, lives.
Kelly’s novel is a work of literary excellence. Her story is set between the two World Wars. She gives vivid descriptions of the society life in a mining town. She also makes readers aware of the danger miners and their families lived in each day. Her description of a mine explosion in the first chapters is a wake-up call to how quickly our lives can change. Kelly goes further, sharing the family’s feelings about a brother going to war for his country and the darkness of the Great Depression in our country.
Readers will fall in love with Kelly’s characters. Lorna and her daughter Grace are two women from two generations living parallel lives. Both experience how quickly one can be heartbroken and looking into the eyes of uncertainty. The message readers will get is that no matter what you are facing, there is always something you can do. Lorna and Grace are examples of humility and hard work. No matter what comes to them, they show us that while it may not be pretty in the moment, life can change. There are blessings in the chaos.
One cannot say enough about the relatability the story of However Long the Day presents. There are moments in the story where you will likely think, “I completely understand that.” One of my favorite scenes was when Grace is at her father-in-law, Anton’s house for Christmas. Her children received undergarments, while the other grandchild received toys. I would have thought Kelly had taken a chapter from my life, as I was the grandchild who received undergarments for Christmas while my cousins received toys.
KJ Kelly has done her research and brilliantly weaves historical facts into a fictional tale. Her writing is flawless, and readers will not want to put this one down. However Long the Day is a heartfelt story full of grit and determination. It is a beautiful story about the strength of family and a message of hope that we should never give up when times get difficult. If you enjoy historical fiction and heartfelt emotion, this should be your next read.
A very good book on relationships with the up and downs in a mixed family situations. Reading forward to see what happens next! Highly recommend the book.
As KJ Kelly’s second book, it clearly demonstrates the detailed research that she used to give a sense of time and place. Her descriptions helped me to run a film in my head, which is the ultimate goal of every storyteller. As someone who judges a book by whether it has a predictable ending, I must say this one had the element of surprise, and I didn’t know how it would end until the last paragraph. Hope to be hearing more from this author.
This is a beautiful story of family relationships. It is so well written taking you through multi generations of one family and their struggles. It shows the strength of mothers and all they will do for their family/children. The author writes about these characters in such a way that you will feel such a connection to them. The dignity and strength of the two main characters, Lorna and Grace (mother and daughter) and how they overcome all the hardships that come their way in order to provide for their children/family. The relationship between Lorna and her daughter and her grandchildren is beautiful and will move you. This is an amazing story that is a must read.