Home » Historical Fiction
Category Archives: Historical Fiction
The Fisherman’s Lady–Scottish classic
The Fisherman’s Lady
by George MacDonald
edited by Michael Phillips
First published in 1875, entitled Malcolm, with a sequel arriving in 1877, The Fisherman’s Lady is a challenging read and a classical romance by a prolific writer of many genres. C.S. Lewis claimed MacDonald as his favorite writer saying, “I never wrote a book in which I did not quote George MacDonald.” The language is, of course, of an older age and reflects MacDonald’s background: Scottish minister, and author of fiction and nonfiction, including poetry. Contemporaries include Lewis Carroll, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain.
Much of the dialogue in The Fisherman’s Lady is written with a Scottish brogue adding to the difficulty for the modern reader. Initially, I purchased a Kindle version that included both Malcolm and The Marquis of Lossie. Next, I located a printed version of The Fisherman’s Lady edited by Michael Phillips. He simplified the original by omitting some of the passages, but he also left some of the Scottish dialect for an authentic flavor.
Some readers categorize this novel as having a “gothic style.” It does contain some gothic elements from that Victorian period—a castle; dark, locked rooms; potential hauntings; crumbling stairways; the past affecting the present; twisted family ties; missing people; unusual sounds; and dreams.
The plot starts with sudden impact as it focuses on a corpse. Then, it proceeds slowly as characters are introduced. There are a lot of important figures in the book, and the editor lists them and a note about most of them, along with an area map. The story gains momentum and interest for the reader with lots of hooks leading into the following chapters. The protagonist is Malcolm, a fisherman who lives with his adopted father Duncan, an elderly, blind piper. Malcolm is a happy young man, honest, and a hard worker. He is devoted to the man who raised him whose only fault appears to be a quick temper over an old feud with another family. On the other side of the social strata is the Marquis of Lossie and his daughter, the beautiful Lady Florimel (Flory). Questions hang throughout the book concerning Malcolm’s parentage and that of the “Mad Lair,” a hunchbacked dwarf who has been badly mistreated by his mother.
Malcolm and Flory become friends, but they do not develop a romantic relationship because they both realize that social boundaries make any such bond between them unrealistic. Malcolm, however, would do anything for Flory, desiring to serve her long-term.
There are a few really evil women in this book. The way the upper class treats servants, laborers, the poor, and the disabled is upsetting, but a reflection of the times.
I enjoyed most of the book as far as it went, but I was disappointed in the sudden cut-off of the tale with no satisfactory conclusion for the characters. Most modern tales with sequels tie up the main threads in the first book but provide a motivation to encourage the reader to continue on to find out what happens to the characters in the next stage of their lives. This book contains a major event and then just ends with little attention to the aftershocks. The editor does include a brief paragraph to assure the reader on certain key points, but that statement was not part of the original text.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Historical Romance, Classic
Notes: 1. The first part of a two part set of books about Malcolm.
2. Includes Christian themes and shows characters trying to come to grips with their faith.
3. Clean
4. Includes preface by the editor and three appendices providing historical notes.
5. I have not yet decided if I will read the sequel, The Marquis of Lossie, or not.
Publication: Original in 1875—Henry S. King Publishers in Great Britain, and George Routledge & Sons in New York, and J.B. Lippincott in Philadelphia
This version edited by Michael Phillips in 1982—Bethany House Publishers
Memorable Lines:
Whatever may have been the projected attitude of the marquis, the moment he stood on the piper’s floor, the gentleman in him got the upper hand and his behavior to the old man was not only polite but respectful. At no period in the last twenty years had he been so nigh the kingdom of heaven as he was now when making his peace with the blind piper.
But Lady Florine had never studied anything yet, had never even perceived that anything wanted studying—that is, demanded to be understood. What appeared to her most odd, most inconsistent, was his delight in what she regarded only as the menial and dirty occupation of cleaning lamps and candlesticks; the poetic side of it, rendered tenfold poetic by his blindness, she never saw.
“No, no; never run from a lie. And never say, neither that you didn’t do the things except it be laid straight to your face. Let a lie lay in the dirt. If you pick it up, the dirt’ll stick to you, even if you fling the lie over the dike at the end of the world. No, no! Let a lie lay as you would the devil’s tail!”
The Lion Women of Tehran–power of friendship
The Lion Women of Tehran
By Marjan Kamali
No one can summarize the fascinating story told in The Lion Women of Tehran better than Marjan Kamali who says in her Author’s Note: “I follow the friendship between two girls who come from very different families and stations in life but who forge an indestructible bond when they are seven. Together they share the joys of childhood, the ups and downs of adolescence, the fractures of betrayal when they are young women, and the relief of redemption as their fate takes them across oceans and borders. All along, one of them, Homa, fights tirelessly for Iranian women to be free.”
The Lion Women of Tehran tells the story of multiple regime changes in Iran along with the hope for a better life and the disappointment when each new ruling class results in more hardship for the citizens than the one before. The novel’s setting is a powerful backdrop to this tale of the repression of women. Minor, even accidental, infractions such as a hair that escapes a hijab could result in imprisonment and torture. Men were not immune to jailing by the security police, either, with political prisoners receiving long, harsh jail sentences.
Ellie and Homa meet as children and despite difficulties over the years, they remain friends. These two characters capture the interest of the reader immediately and hold it as the novelist spins out a tale with many twists and turns. A chapter will end with a poignant line that lets you know that something important will happen in the next chapter or with a hook that grabs and won’t let go. I read this page turner quickly because I had to keep reading in hopes of discovering resolution to the various problems. The main final action occurs in 1982, but the author jumps ahead in time to 2022 to a concluding chapter and an epilogue. That technique seems rather abrupt, but it answers many questions satisfactorily without drawing the novel out needlessly with details that would detract from the main themes of the book—friendships that last and the strength of women in the face of adversity.
The chapters are well labeled to show whether the point of view is Homa’s or Ellie’s. Perhaps more importantly, the year and sometimes the month are noted. This notation is significant because there are gaps in the timeline and events are not always sequential in the storytelling.
The Lion Women of Tehran is a powerful work of fiction that deserves a top place in literary discussions. The prose is well-written and the plot is well-crafted. Marjan Kamali brings Iranian culture to life and presents an Iran that is not shared in news reports.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction
Publication: July 2, 2024—Gallery Books
Memorable Lines:
In the middle of the schoolyard with everyone watching, with the lunch break ticking away and stomachs grumbling, with the leaves on the ground fragile and breakable beneath our feet, my old friend wrapped her arms around me. She hugged me as though seven years had not passed…it was she Homa. The girl who was always her full self without apology, without explanation, without shame.
I walk in a city now littered with burning cars and trash cans ablaze, a city boiling in fury, a country desperate for change and freedom. My heart is heavy. I am once again cloaked in grief. As I walk, the voice in my head whispers again. And I cannot help but be chilled from head to toe: If the revolution succeeds, what if what follows is worse?
We are tired. Tired of the many ways we are continually told to shut up and obey. Tired of being worried about constant arrest because a strand or two of our hair might peek out. Because a patch of our skin might show. Tired above all—above all in God’s almighty planet—of being bombed. Night after night after night.
The League of Tribes—Publication Day!
I am delighted to announce the publication of my husband’s first novel. It is available on Amazon as a paperback or in a Kindle version. Visit his website drjohnhiggins.com to learn more about the book and the author and see some of the illustrations included in the book.
Suppose you were by accident of time-space transported 13,000 years into the past of a wilderness area you have been visiting with your son. For a time, your survival depends largely on a small band of Ojibwe natives. In this book, the protagonist, Dr. Jackson, is an advanced engineering professional. At its core the book reimagines the purpose of civilization in a way that seeks to improve the lives of those it encompasses. Realizing ultimately that he can never return home, he gradually adopts his new culture and new family relationships. His final fifteen years are invested in seeding two important changes to help his adopted people in the future. He introduces domestication of the horse, avoiding premature extinction and securing the horse an early and permanent place in the native culture. He travels widely and then develops a durable school to prepare for the eventual arrival of Europeans: their avarice, disease, and advanced technology as well as their more positive characteristics. Can such a small seed in time amount to much effect?
Beneath a Turquoise Sky–educating the Navajos
Beneath a Turquoise Sky
By Kiersti Giron
As Beneath a Turquoise Sky begins, the author introduces Caroline Haynes, a young lady in 1910 in Pennsylvania. After five years of playing the role of mother to her two younger brothers, she feels replaced by her father’s new wife Lillian. Her best friend’s brother, whom she had long adored, moved to China to be a missionary, without Caroline, and later married. Recognizing that she really doesn’t have a home or is needed in Pennsylvania, Caroline follows up on an article in the Home Mission Monthly seeking a teacher for the younger students at the Hebron Navajo Mission. She was drawn to “children in need of schooling, of the light of Jesus.”
When she arrives at the Territory of New Mexico after a long, arduous journey, she is shown to her tiny room attached to the girls’ dormitory and meets the handsome, but rigid, Rev. Willis Abernathy and his aunt Miss Spencer. Both have their own strict ways of running a school which are typical of schools set up for Native Americans at that time. The goal is conversion, but not just spiritual conversion. The white men wanted to get rid of Navajo culture and replace it with European customs all while making it clear that the Navajos are second class people. The motto of some was: “Kill the Indian, save the man.” To this end, the Navajo students were often punished if they spoke their own language. Haircuts were forced on them. Their traditional clothes were taken away, and they were supplied with uniforms.They were assigned Anglo names and removed from their families. The parents were told this was “all for their own good.”
Caroline’s interactions with the students and the other staff is a major part of the story, but just as important is Willis’ relationship with Tse, a Navajo two years younger. They grew up together and were friends for many years, but that all changed and we see it play out as Tse needs a job to help support his parents. Willis gives it to him but treats him in a very condescending way. As was typical of that time period, he seems to have no concept of the value of cultural differences. Tse is a Christian, but because he has reverted to Navajo dress and culture, Willis feels that he has turned his back on God.
Caroline “disobeys” Willis in her efforts to teach the children and give them the emotional support they need. Tse is her “accomplice” and both of them are chastised by Willis.
There are a number of well-executed plot twists that culminate in decisions these characters have to make that will affect their future and the future of the mission. Although I had a hard time liking Willis, I could understand him as a product of his time. That does not excuse most of his behavior, however. The story concludes with many loose ends tied up, but there are still systemic problems that are not worked out regarding how the Navajos and the white men interact with each other. Caroline and Tse are both very likable characters portrayed with some depth. They live out the kindness of Jesus in their everyday lives. Willis thinks he is doing the right things, but is missing the mark in his goals and how he treats others. All of the characters experience growth and positive change, and Tse especially comes to understand how he can honor his Navajo heritage and also be a follower of Jesus.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Christian, Romance
Notes: 1. The book includes a Glossary of Navajo Words, Historical Notes, and Acknowledgements of people and organizations that have contributed to the author’s understanding of the complicated historical and cultural background of this story.
2. Giron states that she has “shown only the milder side” of the trauma children experienced under this “education” system, but it is certainly sufficient to expose the reader to the damage even well meaning individuals caused in imposing Euro-American culture and customs in the name of religion.
Publication: April 14, 2025—Story Architect
Memorable Lines:
Perhaps being set apart did mean rejecting all that was Navajo and taking on the white man’s ways. But where was that ordained in Scripture? Not like the people of ancient Israel were European, after all.
But no, the bilagáanas were always right—government officials, Indian agents, or missionaries. No matter how many broken treaties, broken promises, broken families. Broken children’s hearts.
He sang as he bridled his horse, praising Jesus in his language, letting the tune follow the natural pattern of the tones, as in the chants. It sounded genuinely Navajo, yet the truth of the words lent a wholeness to his tongue he’d never heard before.
A Moment’s Shadow–Danger in Ireland
A Moment’s Shadow
by Anna Lee Huber
Having finished The Cold Light of Day, I was delighted to find that although I had missed getting A Moment’s Shadow as an ARC, my library had copies of this book in various formats. I grabbed the ebook to dive right in. It is even more interesting than the previous book which set the stage for Verity and Sidney Kent’s informal assignments in Ireland. They have several goals. Verity wants to find Alec, her former colleague during the Great War, who seems to have disappeared in Ireland. The pair has also been asked to investigate some missing phosgene cylinders, and they have determined that Verity’s nemesis, Lord Ardmore, who is always two steps ahead of them, is responsible. While they are in Ireland, a jewel thief visits one posh house after another. How he can accomplish these daring heists is baffling, but as Verity and Sidney already move in the social circles of the victims and have a reputation for solving mysteries, they are pulled into the investigation.
As the story progresses, it is difficult to know which side characters are on, and by the end the Kents are not sure which group they identify with. Both sides are committing heinous acts of murder, destruction, and torture. Both sides use deeply embedded spies to accomplish their goals. Verity disguises herself to pass as an Irish worker when needed and then as the socialite she is when that is appropriate to her sleuthing. Other than the social events they attend, nothing is glamorous about their lives in Dublin. Many of the wealthier class have escaped the turmoil by fleeing to their country homes, to England, and even abroad. Verity is “recalled” as some powerful person is unhappy with her inquiries. Since she is not working as a spy anymore, the government doesn’t really have the power or authority to demand her return. The people in charge, however, make it plain that they have been providing her with a measure of safety and can withdraw that protection if she does not return. A Moment’s Shadow has plot action that crescendos at the book’s conclusion with a hook that leaves the reader hanging and ready to devour the next book in the series.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Notes: 1.#8 in the Verity Kent Mystery Series. The author reintroduces characters from #7 and previous books in the series but I think it would be hard to jump in with #8. If you really want to read just the ones dealing with the Irish Revolution, then start with #7 and plan on reading at least two more—#8 and #9.
2. A good plan for reading books #7-9 would be to list the characters and acronyms along with a basic note about each. There are a lot of characters, and you might find it helpful to comment on where you think their alliances lie.
3. The book ends with a teaser chapter from the next book in the series, The Bravest Hour, with a projected publication date of August 25, 2026!
Publication: 2025—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
These sights were always discomforting to me, for instinctively I wanted to cheer on our Tommies, and yet the Crown Forces’ behavior reminded me painfully of the Germans lording over the Belgians when they’d occupied their country during the war.
Everyone was trying to avoid the notice of the Black and Tans, to survive in a place where affordable housing was scarce, sanitation was abominable, and a stray bullet could end your life at any moment.
With all the dry and sunny weather we’d enjoyed in September, it was easy to forget how damp Ireland could be. October elected to remind us of this with a vengeance. It lashed, it bucketed, it showered, it drizzled, it misted—but at all times some sort of precipitation was falling from the sky.
The Teacher of Nomad Land–a child’s survival
The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story
by Daniel Nayeri
This is the story of two Iranian siblings, thirteen year old Babak and eight year old Sana, orphaned and separated during a time when their neutral country is being invaded by forces competing for Iranian oil—British, Soviet, and German. Add to that mix the Poles, the Jews, and the native nomads who don’t recognize any country as delineated on a map. Their various languages play an important role in this story. Babak has two goals—to become a teacher like his father and to take care of and stay with his sister.
Written for children, this is a fast read for adults. Instead of the horrors of concentration camps, The Teacher of Nomad Land focuses on the lives of the children as they to try to find “family” and dig within themselves to find what it takes to survive. In the Traveler, a friend of their father, they discover a kind man who tries to help. There is also a British soldier they bond with. Their lives are complicated by a mysterious man who is seeking a Jewish boy. All three children are put in danger by this situation. Babak’s resourcefulness is successful in dealing with the Soviets who halt the progress of the nomads in transitioning their herds to their winter home thus demonstrating his value to the nomads.
This is an age appropriate book that does not go into detail about concentration camps and home invasions. On the other hand, it does not shy away from the hunger the children suffer and the danger they face from other people. It highlights the communication problems when there are so many languages; and it shows how, despite being part of an army, individual soldiers can be nice to the local population. While Babak, as the older child, has much of the spotlight in this book, Sana also shines in certain situations with her creativity and ability to step up when things go bad. I was impressed by both characters at their positive attitudes, not allowing themselves to be overpowered by a victim mentality even when cold, hungry, tired or aching from long walks or sleeping on the hard ground.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Middle Grades
Notes: 1. Written for children Ages 8-12. Even though the reading level is for that age group, it may be too advanced in terms of understanding the political, geographical, linguistic, and social backgrounds. Discussion with an adult would be helpful for some children.
2. Included some helpful additions: a map, author’s notes about the political setting and the language barrier, and information on the Persian alphabet.
3. The book ends with “Further Reading” which lists nonfiction books for various ages.
Publication: 2025—Levine Querido
Memorable Lines:
“It might have been fair, but it wasn’t right.”
Everything is all at once. Our lives, these moments that change our lives, they all happen so fast.
Teaching is like sitting with a young person and encouraging them to only listen to the good angels in their mind and not the evil ones. But you can’t force them.
The Cold Light of Day–the Irish Revolution
The Cold Light of Day
By Anna Lee Huber
Told in the first person by Verity Kent, the reader is quickly informed that Verity had served as a spy during The Great War with dangerous assignments in Europe. Her husband also did undercover work, but he emerged as a well recognized hero. Despite needing to recover from their war experiences, including Verity’s belief that her husband Sidney had died, they quickly became a power couple invited to the very best homes in Britain. Money never seems to be a limitation for them.
The plot of The Cold Light of Day is tortuously twisted. Neither Verity nor Sidney knows which characters can be trusted as they work through unofficial assignments in Ireland where the two main branches of Irish rebels (Irish Republican Army and Sinn Féin) are resisting British rule. In talking about Irish resentment, she says “The Irish might be considered British citizens, but always second or third class.” The author researched the conflict well and is able to give the reader both sides of the revolution with Britain promising certain rights and then never fulfilling them. Both sides resorted to violence during this period.
The Kents live a double life in Ireland. They assume their natural role as socialites with their peers. Verity is a talented linguist so she also poses as an Irish house cleaner to be able to go places she can not visit as a glamorous Brit. Meanwhile, Sidney mixes with the males, some of whom were undercover or military during the war. They discuss current and past events after a few pints, and Sidney follows up on some of the things they divulge. They also bond over horse racing and riding.
The couple’s focus is on locating some missing phosgene cylinders so that this poisonous gas can not be used against either population. Also missing is Alec who formerly worked with Verity during her undercover years. In the middle of these searches, while trying to not trigger an enemy from either side, Verity is asked to solve the mystery of a young woman who has committed suicide. Even that effort becomes very complicated. When Verity confronts the British officials, she finds them very condescending; but when Nimble, her husband’s “batman” during the war and now his trusted valet, is brutalized and arrested, she stands up to those powerful men and makes them release him. She occasionally falls back on feminine wiles to manipulate men, using tricks she had to employ during the war.
The Cold Light of Day showed me how little I know about Irish history—especially the more recent Irish Revolution. Huber brings to light what people at that time experienced and how and why their loyalties were sometimes influenced by their humanity and often by their upbringing. The British in charge politically and militarily in Ireland were often motivated by greed, power, and career potential. There were many on both sides of the conflict who were willing to give up their lives for what they saw as the right thing to do.
I have read a few books in this well-written series, and I think it has just gotten better as it progressed. The author is skilled at creating believable characters from all classes—villains, heroes, and everyday workers. A thread that runs through the series is the character, actions, and motivations of Lord Ardmore. Almost everything bad can be traced back to his manipulations behind the scenes. I am not a fashionista, but I do like Huber’s descriptions of Verity’s clothes from the disguises as a “care woman” to her exquisite designs that attract both male and female attentions.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #7 in the Verity Kent Mystery series. I would not recommend it as a stand alone as there is so much critical background about the protagonists in the previous books.
Publication: October 24, 2024—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
But for every upstanding soldier there seemed to be another who took pleasure in the task of bullying and belittling those they were supposed to be protecting, not just policing.
Curse these men who had decided cutting women’s hair was a justified action. And curse the society who colluded in the weaponizing of shearing women’s hair by dint of the fact that somehow its length was an indication of virtue.
But while I’d failed to give chase, I had noted one particular thing about Collins’s bicycle. Its chain rattled like old Marley’s shackles from Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. That was something I was certain I would recognize if I heard it again.
A Choice Considered–building a railroad
A Choice Considered
by Tracie Peterson
Narrated by Jeanine Bartel
This work of historical fiction, set in the Wyoming Territory in 1868, as the railroad prepares to move further west, has strong Christian themes. The main characters try to make their choices and actions according to Christian principles. The female protagonist is Melody Doyle, a very sweet young lady devoted to her “Da.” Sadly, her father has never been the same since a railroad accident, but he insists he will move on with the railroad when the time comes. Melody doesn’t want to be separated from her dad but is tired of living in a tent and moving constantly. If she stays in Cheyenne, she could get a job and still see her father frequently through short trips.
Charlie is from a banking family, and his father sends him to Cheyenne to supervise the bank that his brother Jacob opened there. Jacob returned east due to illness leaving the bank in the hands of Jefferson who seems to resent Charlie’s arrival, especially when Charlie begins to examine the bank’s books. Charlie has a heart for education and wants to start a school. However, he does not want to disappoint his very strict father who has high banking expectations for him.
Da agrees to Melody’s staying in Cheyenne if she gets married before he leaves. Known for his gift of discernment, her father will interview and let appropriate young men take Melody on a date.
Charlie doesn’t sign up for this process because he wants the woman he marries to be his friend first.
A Choice Considered follows Melody, Charlie, and Da through the decisions they have to make in their lives, from their spiritual growth through their relationships, and in their professional lives. They all have supportive friends who pray with and for them in their journeys. The interactions of the characters are the basis for the plot and there are good events that will make the reader smile, but there is also a backdrop of impending tragedy.
The narrator of this audiobook, Jeanine Bartel, does a good job with all the voices but especially with the men. During the first part of the book, I found her voice for Melody to be a little too saccharine sweet. I think she was trying to show what a sweet person Melody is. As we moved into the story, I got used to the voice and found it more suiting to the character than I had thought.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Christian
Notes: #2 in the Heart of Cheyenne series. I had read the first and third books in the series. While I enjoyed all three books, I would have been happier reading them in sequence. Out of order, I found myself a little confused; and the third book, of necessity, had some spoilers for the second book.
Publication: July 2, 2024—Bethany House
A Truth Revealed–ambition and revenge
A Truth Revealed
By Tracie Peterson
At age twelve, Laura Evans lost her mother to consumption in 1858. Her father, Granite Evans, who became her long distance hero, immediately sent her to boarding school. After ten years apart, she finally rejoins him in Cheyenne in the Wyoming territory which was a rough area at that time. Does Laura really know the man she has put on a pedestal for so many years? Is he the gracious, generous man the townspeople admire so much? He doesn’t hide his political ambitions, but is there a limit to what he will do to become governor of the territory or even president of the U.S.?
Wilson Porter is a young minister hoping for a government appointment to work with the Indians in the area. Until treaties can be sorted out, Wilson is employed in a local furniture shop using his woodworking skills to provide a living. When his father dies unexpectedly, Wilson encourages his mother and sister to travel to Cheyenne to be closer to him. Sadly, tragedy strikes the family again in several ways. When Wilson is injured, Laura takes him into her father’s home and nurses him back to health. They come to know each other better, but they also learn about an evil side of Cheyenne.
One of the main plot threads is faith in God. Both Laura and Wilson attend church, but Granite refuses. He blames God for his wife’s death. Wilson also has some questions of faith that he has to work through. Meanwhile, Laura finds support from a group of ladies at church who meet weekly to pray and work on handicrafts.
The characters have depth, and the setting seems true to the Cheyenne area during Wyoming’s territorial days. The Christian faith is consistently woven into the story as many of the characters look to God for strength and wisdom. Life is not a smooth path as the characters endure some very difficult challenges. The author has Laura attend a women’s college in Tennessee which actually existed and added realism to the skills and knowledge Laura had that would have been unusual for a woman during that time period. The theme of evil versus good permeates the novel. I enjoyed this book and am planning to return to the series to pick up the second book in the series which focuses on Laura’s friend Melody.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance
Notes: #3 in The Heart of Cheyenne series. The background is fully explained and in good order; it can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone. There is an overlap of characters but there are central protagonists specific to each book.
Publication: November 5, 2024—Bethany House
Memorable Lines:
Rejections from the doctors, church, and family had left Granite hard and angry, and when his beloved wife died, he vowed to make a success of himself in such a way that he could get back at those who had denied her help.
“Evil men will always do evil things, and, yes, there will be times when we suffer the effects, even as God’s beloved children. However, I still believe in His love and goodness.”
“But you know, life is a risk. Every day presents new challenges and heartache. But it also allows for happiness and good gifts. And no matter which come our way, God is there to help us through.”
The Memory of Old Jack–evocative language
The Memory of Old Jack
by Wendell Berry
Author Wendell Berry is loved and even revered by many of his readers. This is the third book I have read by him with my book club. He has written a series of novels describing the land and the people of the fictional Port William community in rural Kentucky from shortly after the Civil War to 1952. As a part of this series, The Memory of Old Jack’s timeline is a little jarring as it jumps repeatedly between Jack on a special September day and the memories he dredges up from a lifetime of experiences. A hard working farmer, he soaked in wisdom about farming and about life from an older neighbor.
My opinion of the character Jack also bounced around as I read about the various events of his life; sometimes I found him admirable and at other times an enigma. He is a rough man, tied to the land he loves so much. He has some regrets about his choices in life, but doesn’t seem to be able to make different choices or fix past mistakes and still stay true to himself.
Perhaps it is because of my own creeping age or the recent deaths of many loved ones, but I found the book very sad. Another member of my book club called it “grim,” and I must agree. It is not sprinkled with uplifting light spots, nothing to raise the heavy veil. There are some supporting characters that I liked, but they did not make up for the melancholy of this tale. Wendell Berry is a good writer in the sense that he effectively writes what I will call poetic prose. A few chapters into The Memory of Old Jack, I was struggling to want to finish this book. I made an attitude changing decision to do a read/listen and that made all the difference. The written language took on a beauty when it became oral.
There is no plot per se; the book moves along from anecdote (in this case memories) to anecdote. Although Berry tells his tale through the main characters, I never found them likable. To like this book, the reader would need to find the characters engaging. For me, it was more a matter of waiting for the next shoe to drop as the story moves to its inevitable conclusion.
The Memory of Old Jack is a vehicle for Berry’s expression of his philosophies about preserving the land and the customs and knowledge necessary for self-sufficiency. Berry was a farmer for forty years in addition to expressing his ideas through environmental activism. A poet, novelist, and essayist, he also worked as a professor. His use of story to promote socio-political thought is reminiscent of the writings of Sinclair Lewis.
This dichotomy of beautiful language in a novel that plods along makes reviewing and ranking it difficult. It deserves five stars, top in my rating system, for eloquent, descriptive language. For elements such as plot and character, I can only award it three stars as a book that I would never read again and am unable to recommend.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Notes: 1. #3 in the Port William Series but all can be read as standalones.
2. Some profanity
3. Narrator Paul Michael of the audio version produced by Christian Audio is good with women’s voices as well as men’s.
Publication: October 8, 1999—Counterpoint
Memorable Lines:
That is what Old Jack has always given him—not help that he did not need but always exactly the help he has needed.
His vision, with the the finality of some physical change, has turned inward. More and more now the world as it is seems to him an apparition or a cloud that drifts, opening and closing, upon the clear, remembered lights and colors of the world as it was. The world as it is serves mostly to remind him, to turn him back along passages sometimes too well known into that other dead, mourned, unchangeable world that still lives in his mind.
…it is hard to keep his mind, ranging around the way it does, from crossing the track of his hard times.Though he would a lot rather let them lie still and be gone, once his mind strikes into his old troubles there is no stopping it; he is in his story then, watching, as he has helplessly done many times before, to see how one spell of trouble and sorrow led to another.
education pathways 