O Amor Permanece na Alegria

This is the fourth film in Hallmark's Love Comes Softly pioneer series based on the Janette Oke book series of the same name and probably one of the most difficult to watch as it deals with mental illness.

Missy's father Clark comes to visit the LaHaye ranch for the first time and in the first 24 hours Missy and Willie's baby daughter passes away. This sends Missy in a downward spiral of depression that has her questioning her faith and worrying about her marriage with Willie, who takes a sheriff position to try to help make ends meet. The sheriff's job proves challenging as the town's mayor values money over people. Meanwhile the Mayor's daughter Collette, who is home on break from her finishing school, sets her sights on Missy and Willie's eldest, Jeff who shares her love of books.

This is a wonderful pioneering family drama that leans into the strong faith of it's characters. Times were tough and this story doesn't shy away from telling some of those tough stories.

Again this was one of the hardest to watch in the series and had a heavy message around usury. I think if you are a fan of the series you will enjoy this film, but be prepared for the difficult content.

I loved the movie. It is a movie for the whole family to watch. As far as for religion, it was great and did not push one religion. All of these movies were wonderful. So don't listen to any negative comments. My family liked from the very first and looking for the writier to produce more for us to purchase. I would like to see more of the family in the movie get together, or for the parents to see their grandchildren. To also see the parents sons grow up and find their wives to marry and continue to make the family grow. The way the father Clark spoke to them and the way his gentle ways with the family was great. All I know I wanted to watch more.

Missie LaHaye is the school teacher and Willie LaHaye is offered the job of sheriff. Clark Davis arrives to visit his daughter Missie. Her daughter Kathy dies. Missie is lost and leaves her job. With the struggling ranch, Willie takes the sheriff job working for ruthless land baron Mayor Sam Doros. His daughter Colette Doros takes a liking to the LaHaye's adopted son Jeff despite her father's disapproval. The LaHayes struggle to overcome their grief. Doros holds a loan on LaHaye friends, the Klines (James Tupper, Brianna Brown) and threatens to evict them.

It's the fourth in the Love series. It's a fair continuation of this TV movie series. The lost offers this movie the opportunity for some great acting possibilities. However, it never elevates beyond its TV movie DNA. The young love of Graham Phillips and Mae Whitman is good. It's a fine foil to the somber tone of the LaHayes. Sam Doros is a good villain but it would be better to get a bigger actor. This works for the most part as a TV movie.

I have read all of the Love Come Softly books. Knowing full well that movies can not use all aspects of the book,but generally they at least have the main point of the book. I was highly disappointed in this movie. The only thing that they have in this movie that is in the book is that Missy's father comes to visit,(although in the book both parents come). That is all. The story line was so twisted and far fetch and yes, sad, from the book, that I just couldn't enjoy it. Even if I didn't read the book it was too sad. I do know that Pioneer life was rough,but the whole movie was a downer. The rating is for having the same family orientation of the film that makes them great.

I got to go to a pre-release screening of "Love's Abiding Joy." I've read all of the books in the series and I have seen the other three movies, so I was excited when I was invited to go see it.

The story was really, really different from the book. I was expecting it to follow the book, but that was disappointing. There were a bunch of stories intermixed about Missy, Willy and their adopted son Jeff.

The acting was pretty good. Personally I liked January Jones better as Missy than the girl that plays her in this one and in Love's Long Journey. I was really glad that Logan Bartholomew returned as Willy- I know that a lot of people were worried that he wouldn't come back.

The music was a little better. A lot of the same themes as the other three movies, but there was a new theme that I liked a lot.

I hope that the next four movies (if they make them) follow the story better than this one did.

Overall this was okay. I did get kind of bored, and it was really sad.