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Under the Tulip Tree–must-read book about slavery
Under the Tulip Tree
by Michelle Shocklee
We have all heard it: it is important for us to know history so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Michelle Shocklee does that in her novel Under the Tulip Tree. We get a view of slavery through the eyes of Lorena (Rena), an aspiring writer, who struggles to pursue her career in a male dominated society. She is sixteen when the stock market crashes and her privileged life changes forever. Seven years later she accepts a job with the Federal Writer’s Project (FWP) and meets Frankie who at 101 years old has a horrendous story to tell about what life was like for her and for others who were slaves.
The impact of someone being owned by another person is a concept that is hard for Rena to get her head around. The atrocities that Frankie shares are heartbreaking—even more so when you realize these things are drawn from actual events as told to FWP workers who were employed by the government to interview former slaves and record their stories for posterity.
What makes this story especially impactful is that Rena is telling this story from the viewpoint of a young White woman during the Great Depression. Although slaves had been freed, Blacks still did not enjoy equal rights. From sitting at the back of the bus, to lower pay, to being treated as dirty and ignorant, Blacks suffered from discrimination. Some Whites treated Blacks that way just because they could—acts of control and power. Some Whites treated Blacks that way because they were raised with that mindset, a deep cultural fear and hatred of someone who was different or because their own families had been mistreated by the Feds during and after the Civil War.
Rena’s father was a banker who fell apart after the crash. With her grandmother’s help, her family stayed afloat with both Rena and her mother getting jobs. Employment outside the home was something that was not acceptable for “their kind.” Rena’s mother was especially class conscious and worried about what her gossiping neighbors and former friends would say about Rena consorting with Blacks in Hell’s Half Acre where Frankie lived in a well-kept, small home boasting a beautiful floral garden and an outhouse.
As Frankie tells her story to Rena, the reader is quickly tied into the cruelty of the drama taking place in the book, and it becomes a page turner. It is harder to connect with Rena, but she grows as a person and becomes someone with the potential to do good. You can’t tell a story like this without pondering how a good God can allow bad things to happen. Frankie understandably harbors a lot of hate in her heart, but God works gently on her by bringing Illa, a Quaker woman, and Sam, a former slave, into her life, each encouraging, challenging and helping her.
Shocklee is a masterful storyteller, evoking empathy for 7 year old Frankie and embedding her into the heart of the reader. She shares the difficulties Frankie endured throughout her life without bearing down on graphic details. The author also dives into the “contraband” camp where Frankie lived for three years, still nominally a slave but under the protection of the Federal soldiers. Then she paints a picture of the horrors of war and its aftermath. As we learn about this part of history, we also see how citizens, both Black and White, were faring during the Great Depression. There are several surprising events at the end of this tale that help to bring closure for the characters and the reader.
There is a strong spiritual theme in Under the Tulip Tree. Frankie’s mother, Mammy, is a Christian believer, and although separated from each other early in Frankie’s life, Frankie never forgets her mother’s faith. Another important theme is literacy. Slaves were not allowed to learn to read. It was clear to the masters that slaves who could read could not be controlled as easily. Therefore books were forbidden. Frankie initially wanted very much to read, but the consequences were too great, robbing her of that desire. Standing up for what is right, for the downtrodden, for yourself against the power of the group in control is also a recurrent theme. All of these and many others remain ideas we wrestle with in our current society. On the positive side, we see the strength to be found in literacy, in trusting in God despite the circumstances, in the power in the Word of God, and in love for others—even our enemies.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Christian
Notes: 1. My personal thoughts in response to Under the Tulip Tree:
—The problem is not addressed in this book; but, sadly, slavery/human trafficking is widespread all over the world today. It is a major problem in the U.S.
—We make quick assumptions every day about other people based on where they come from, how they look and talk, and so many other factors. People, Black and White, did that in the book, and we still do it today.
- Original stories collected by WPA are available online from several sources. One is sponsored by Rice University: https://libguides.rice.edu/c.php?g=1231494&p=9012494
- Discussion questions are included in the back of the book.
Publication: 2020—Tyndale
Memorable Lines:
[Rena]: “People like me, like my family, we don’t know much about what slaves experienced. I’ve never heard of children being beaten with no one held accountable, or being forced into labor at the age of seven. Even though slavery isn’t legal anymore, I believe it’s important to remember the past as it truly was, not as we wish it to be.”
[Frankie]: “Helplessness washed over me, and I hated myself for it. Ever since the day I was sold away from Mammy, I’d despised helplessness. When overseers beat me and chased me down like an animal, I’d been helpless. When men used my body for their own pleasure and babies died, I’d been helpless to prevent it from happening. But the one thing I’d fought to maintain control over was my emotions. No one could force me to love or hate. They were mine to decide. I wasn’t about to allow this white woman to steal that away from me, no matter her attentive ministrations.”
[Sam]: “Don’t you see, Frankie? The day I landed on Miz Annabelle’s doorstep changed my life. I thought I found freedom when I ran away from my master, but it weren’t mine. Not yet. Freedom comes in knowing the truth of God. He loves each of us the same. He loves you, Frankie.”
Little House in the Big Woods–worth a reread
Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
illustrated by Garth Williams
Would you like to start off 2024 with an easy book that is a quick read? Do you ever wish you could go back to a simpler time? Reading or rereading Little House in the Big Woods might be the perfect beginning for your new year. I think you’ll quickly discover, however, that although the simple times could be joyous, they were not always easy. Most things were accomplished by hand with handmade tools.
Going into town was a rare adventure to purchase the few things that could not be made but were necessary to accomplish other tasks. Gunpowder was needed for hunting to feed the family. Cloth was essential to make clothes for the family—with stitching by hand.
Items were produced by the family that we would never in 2024 consider making ourselves. After the grain harvest, straw was braided and used to make hats for everyone in the family. Every part of an animal was used for food or something utilitarian. The skills to do these things were passed down or learned for the sake of survival. There was fun and artistry to their lives as well. For example, making butter was a lengthy process with the finished product completed in a butter mold which the father (Pa) had carved with flourishes.
Laura Ingalls Wilder shares the partially fictional story of her pioneer family in their log cabin in Pepin, Wisconsin in the early 1870’s. The setting is so well described that the reader can imagine what it was really like for the main character in the story, Laura, to live during that time period. There was a lot of hard work for Ma and Pa, and they were quite isolated from any neighbors. When friends and family got together to share work, they also made a fun occasion out of the event. Although there was no church near them, the family had a ritual of Saturday night baths. They would dress in their best clothes reserved just for Sundays. Ma and Pa would read from the Bible, and they would eat cold foods. The girls had to sit quietly for most of the day. The author shares the experiences she had that were dependent on the changes of the seasons. Their lives were driven by the seasons, spending summer and fall preparing food for the winter.
Wilder gives detailed descriptions of nature and the land where they lived. She was a gifted writer and her way with words makes the reader want to keep forward motion with the story just to revel in the words. She sprinkles in stories that Pa told to Laura and her sister Mary. He was a good storyteller, singer and fiddle player. Pa and Ma were consistent and loving parents with high expectations for moral values and work ethics.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Children, Fiction. This series is generally listed as intended for children, but many adults enjoy them as well. Actually, as a culture we are so far removed from the technology and methods of work of the 1800’s that there would need to be a lot of discussion for children to understand the story.
Notes: #1 in the Little House series which has 9 books and many spin-off stories.
Publication: 1932—Harper Collins
1953—beautiful illustrations by Garth Williams
were added
Memorable Lines:
The attic was a lovely place to play. The large, round, colored pumpkins made beautiful chairs and tables. The red peppers and the onions dangled overhead. The hams and the venison hung in their paper wrappings, and all the bunches of dried herbs, the spicy herbs for cooking and the bitter herbs for medicine, gave the place a dusty-spicy smell.
They were cosy and comfortable in their little house made of logs, with the snow drifted around it and the wind crying because it could not get in by the fire.
All day the icicles fell one by one from the eaves with soft smashing and crackling sounds in the snowbanks beneath. The trees shook their wet, black branches, and chunks of snow fell down.
The Last Party at Silverton Hall–historical and contemporary story lines
The Last Party at Silverton Hall
by Rachel Burton
Isobel inherits a large five-bedroom mansion from her grandmother Vivien. She is guilt ridden over not visiting her grandmother as much as she could have. After all, Vivien had raised Isobel, keeping her in their beloved Silverton Bay and out of British boarding schools when Isobel’s parents moved to America.
This is a family riddled with secrets. Isabel’s mother Gina and Gina’s mother Vivien never seem to have gotten along, and Isabel is not sure why. She never knew her grandfather Max, but he is a powerful presence in The Last Party at Silverton Hall. Many people in the town were aware of the family’s secrets which amazingly they guarded for years.
This work of historical fiction is told in a dual timeline. In this way the backstory of the family is gradually introduced as Isobel discovers it for herself by talking with long-time residents and unearthing pertinent documents.
Isobel is helped in her search for the truth by an old flame Nick with whom she shared an unforgettable kiss eighteen years prior, Neither is currently married and neither has achieved their original career goals. Nick, a trained physician, has a knack for restoring and flipping houses, and he offers his skills to Isobel as her large house is badly in need of a variety of repairs and renovations.
As secrets come to light, Nick and Isobel confront the past and prepare themselves for a future that they hope will include both of them and Silverton Bay.
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: Historical Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Publication: March 2, 2023—Aria
Memorable Lines:
“Life never works out the way we think it will when we’re young. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be proud of what we achieve. Just because things turn out differently doesn’t mean they aren’t worthwhile.”
Secrets have a habit of being revealed, she knew that. But at the same time, when they were, they could blow a life into pieces.
Perhaps we all feel as though we have all the time in the world, and then, when that time inevitably runs out, it takes us by surprise.
The Sound of Light–Denmark in WWII
The Sound of Light
by Sarah Sudin
Through the fictional characters of Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt and Dr. Else Jensen, a physicist working in the lab of the famed Niels Bohr, Sarah Sudin tells the story of the German occupation of tiny Denmark. Initially, freedoms are not as restricted by the Nazis as in the rest of occupied Europe, but many Danes resist through sabotage, work slowdowns, and underground newspapers. Henrik assumes several identities and uses them to hide covert activities; he also uses his skills as an Olympic rower to transfer messages from Denmark to Britain. Else, while fighting her personal battles of discrimination as a female in a traditionally male field, becomes involved in helping the underground cause.
There are a lot of subplots and threads that are woven into this story. Henrik is working as a laborer in his estranged father’s shipyard. Henrik portrays himself as barely literate instead of the well-educated nobleman he is. He and Else live in the same boarding house but are unable to share their identities or secrets with each other because of the confidential nature of the underground. The final straw for the Danes is when the Germans begin to round up Jews for deportation. Many Danish citizens quickly rise up to protect their Jewish friends and neighbors. I will leave it to the author to share what happens to the Jews and to Henrik and Else as they grapple with the question of whether it is “right to do wrong (i.e. to break the law) to do right.”
I highly recommend The Sound of Light. I didn’t feel like I needed to be an expert on Danish history to appreciate the story. I did learn a lot about Denmark’s wartime experiences. The book is fast-paced, and there is good character development. It contains a good plot, scenes tense with intrigue, and a Christian viewpoint on good versus evil.
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: Historical Fiction, Christian, Romance
Notes: Includes historical notes by the author, pronunciation guide and glossary, and discussion questions.
Publication: February 7, 2023—Revell
Memorable Lines:
Henrik, on the other hand, hadn’t endured Far’s anger. He’d absorbed it, every biting word. For fourteen years, he’d absorbed the anger, and it had fermented inside, loathsome and noxious, until at last, in one moment of clarity, he’d turned from his father and all he stood for.
She was one small individual in a sea of people. But if each person did just one thing to help, a lot of good could be done.
On the deck, the captain sprinkled powder, a mixture of dried blood and cocaine, developed by a Swedish scientist. If the Germans brought police dogs on board, the compound would deaden the dogs’ sense of smell so they couldn’t detect the passengers below.
The Rose and the Thistle–laird of the manor
The Rose and the Thistle
by Laura Frantz
How many times have there been royal overthrows in England and other parts of the British Isles? More than I can keep straight. Therefore, the first part of The Rose and the Thistle was a little confusing to me as I took the author’s brief historical note and tried to integrate the facts into the story she told. The historical backdrop is the Rising or rebellion in 1715 when the Jacobites, supporters of the now exiled Stuart dynasty, tried to reclaim the throne from the German George I. Add in to that strife a generous serving of discord of a religious nature (Catholic Scots vs. Protestant English), and you have quite a mess.
Lady Blythe Hedley of Northumbria has been living in the French courts during some of this conflict. When events turn more dangerous, her father, the Duke of Northumbria, sends her to take refuge at her godfather’s house. He is the laird of Wedderburn Castle and father of many sons. The Hedleys are Jacobites so Lady Blythe’s presence must be kept secret to protect her and them.
Marriage is a critical issue for women to ensure their safety and position in society and to men to safeguard their family wealth, maintaining it and hopefully increasing it. Thus, courting, relationships, and marriage are critical social, political, and financial concerns.
A few chapters into the book, I began really enjoying the characters and plot. My lack of familiarity with the political intrigue worked itself out as the historical context found its place as a backdrop to several romances in the novel. The protagonists are Lady Blythe, a Countess; and Everard, Lord Fast, who inherits all of his father’s assets on becoming the Earl of Wedderburn. There are many reasons for the pair to have conflicts and watching how they are resolved is fascinating. They are both characters of faith who find more commonalities than differences in their faiths.
Orin is a favorite character, an eight year old who is much loved by his family but has grown up motherless. He is very intelligent and yet whimsical. Once Lady Blythe is given the freedom to roam the castle and grounds, she and Orin take to each other immediately. Blythe and Everard’s mutual love for Orin is a factor in their growing admiration for each other.
The plot is full of romance and social jousting. Royal court and military politics play an important role. The book also includes servants in the household, positions taken by women who find themselves unmarried and without any family wealth, and the tenants who work the estate’s coal mines.
Hawking, horseback riding, inns, and traveling in the early 1700’s are part of the story as is imprisonment in the tower, owning family jewels, and having staffed, but little used, residences scattered around the country. I enjoyed The Rose and the Thistle and recommend it for those who like clean historical fiction.
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: Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian, Religion,
Notes: 1. A clean historical fiction; a romance that is a standalone.
2. Includes a Glossary of Scottish words.
Publication: January 3, 2023—Revell
Memorable Lines:
“What news have you of the king o’er the water?” Everard could not keep his mockery at bay. “That the French court is in a chaos similar to that in Genesis before the creation of the world.”
Nay, when all was said and done, Blythe would never forget the way the new laird tenderly bent down and lifted his little brother, whose tears streaked his pale face, into his strong arms and carried him all the way home.
She waved her fan about again with practiced ease. Women and fans were not unlike men with swords, he decided. Hers seemed a blatant tool for coquetry.
A Lineage of Grace–5 novellas point to Jesus
A Lineage of Grace
by Francine Rivers
In the patriarchal societies of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, there are many stories of men and their relationships with God, but there are also stories of women who played an important role in history. In the fictional stories of A Lineage of Grace, Francine Rivers chose out five women who are noted in the Bible for their lives and actions as well as their place in the earthly lineage of Jesus Christ, the Messiah or Savior, who came to Earth as a man to save people from their sins, restoring them to relationship with God.
Rivers has written five novellas which are available singly or as an anthology. Scripture is woven all through the book, but at the end of each novella there is a discussion guide that includes the specific Scripture passages from which the story is drawn. The plot is found in the Bible and is the backbone of the tale which Rivers fleshes out using knowledge of the history of the area and the culture of the times.
Unveiled is the story of Tamar, a young Canaanite married to an abusive husband. Her father-in-law, the Israelite Judah, is consumed with guilt over his actions towards his brother Joseph. Much of the story deals with Tamar’s need to have a son and the various devious means used to accomplish that goal.
Unashamed is the second story and one that is more familiar to many readers. It focuses on Rahab, a harlot, who is instrumental in Joshua’s successful destruction of Jericho. The author expertly fleshes out the character of Rahab. We see how she might have come to be in this position as well as her strength, intellect, and the trust she placed in the living God of the Israelites as opposed to the idols her family worshipped.
Unshaken is another familiar story, that of Ruth the Moabitess. When Ruth, her mother-in-law Naomi, and her sister-in-law all found themselves widowed, she decided to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem and trust in the God of Israel. She kept them from starvation and in the process God led her to a kinsman who continued the lineage.
Unspoken relates a version of a complicated plot set in motion by King David’s lusting after Bathsheba, another man’s wife. The Biblical story itself has soap opera drama to it and could be a morality tale about the consequences of sin. Rivers makes the characters come to life with assumed fictional motivations and background, all believable and appropriate to David’s status as King and what we know from the Bible about the people who surrounded him. Despite their sins, when David and Bathsheba sought forgiveness, God gave it to them, but they did suffer consequences. The story continues on past the initial drama through the rest of David’s life and the transfer of power to his son Solomon.
Unafraid is the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus. As a young teenager she showed courage, strength, and trust in God in her response to an angel telling her that, unmarried, she would become pregnant through the Holy Spirit with the Son of God. Betrothed to Joseph, she could have been disgraced and executed according to Jewish law. She endured an uncomfortable donkey trip to Bethlehem in her last month of pregnancy and gave birth to her first child in a stable without the help of a midwife.
This novella takes us through many of the events she witnessed as Jesus began his ministry all the way through his devastatingly horrible crucifixion to his glorious resurrection. Rivers writes what she thinks Mary’s inner struggles must have been and the way she always pointed attention to Jesus and not to herself. In fact, although Jesus made sure she was cared for after his death by his disciple John, he never elevated her as worthy of worship and she never sought such a role.
I enjoyed A Lineage of Grace which is thought provoking. The author made the characters of the Bible come alive and although separate in time and distance, I could see the links between the stories as they all lead to Jesus. The genealogies in the Bible can get tedious, especially if you are trying to pronounce some of those names! The core of this book is found in genealogies, but it comes alive as you look in depth at the bigger picture. Indeed, it’s all about the great Three in One: God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Christian
Notes: My book club read this over five weekly meetings, and it worked well over a busy summer when members could drop in and out without losing the meaning of a longer work.
Publication: 2009—Tyndale House
Memorable Lines:
Unveiled—Was Bathshua blind to what she caused in this household? She constantly pitted son against father and son against son. She argued with Judah over everything—and in front of her sons—teaching them to rebel and follow their own desires rather than do what was best for the family. It was no wonder her mother-in-law was miserable! And everyone was miserable right along with her.
Unashamed—Jericho looked as though a hand had come down from heaven and flattened it against the earth. The walls and towers were scattered stones that had collapsed and rolled outward. Screams still rent the air as smoke and fire rose.
Unshaken—After Mahlon’s death, she decided she would never again allow her mind to dwell on things beyond her control. The future was one of these things. She would face whatever came and do the best with whatever life God gave her.
Unspoken—Yet, crouched at the door was a greater enemy than those who camped around Israel. And a greater battle was coming—one that could tear a nation to pieces. The battle would not take place in the mountains, valleys or plains of Israel. It would take place in the wilderness of the human heart.
Unafraid—“Hasn’t God always chosen things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise? Maybe God chose a peasant girl to be his mother and a carpenter to be his earthly father because the Messiah is meant for all our people, not just those who dwell in the fine houses of the provinces or the palaces of Jerusalem.”
Before We Were Yours–stealing and selling children
Before We Were Yours
by Lisa Wingate
This tale is based on actual events at the Memphis Tennessee Children’s Home Society in 1939 where Georgia Tann collected babies and sold them to adoptive parents. Sometimes she had police round them up from the streets. Other times she scammed unsuspecting parents when the groggy mothers of newborns were asked to sign papers which in fact turned the babies over to the state.
In this story, Rill (later renamed May), is 12 years old and given responsibility for her siblings when her mother has to go to the hospital for a difficult delivery. Scary men show up to their shanty boat telling the children lies and forcing them to go to the children’s home where as “swamp rats” they were treated despicably.
This is a dual timeline book, and the protagonist in the present time is Avery, a lawyer from the prominent Stafford political family in South Carolina. She is being groomed to take over her father’s political office if he succumbs to cancer.
In a chance meeting, May takes Avery’s bracelet, a dragonfly bracelet that is a family heirloom given to Avery by her Grandma Judy. In recovering the jewelry, Avery discovers a mysterious connection. Despite Judy’s gradually succumbing to Alzheimer’s, Avery pursues the relationship between the two women.
Before We Were Yours reveals a very sad series of events in U.S. history. Georgia Tann was a ruthless woman who took advantage of poor families during the Depression as well as families hurting from childlessness. The book is complex but Lisa Wingate tells the story with compassion. She researched her topic well and created a fictional tale that is substantiated by reported events and melds the facts into a compelling story.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction
Notes: Random House has an online book club kit that has resources that any reader would find beneficial, whether reading the book individually or with a group.
Publication: 2017—Ballentine
Memorable Lines:
She stops short of repeating the woman’s naughty words. Camellia’s eaten enough soap to clean up the inside of a whale in her ten years. She’s practically been raised on it. It’s a wonder bubbles don’t pour out her ears.
There’s no denying that Magnolia Manor is more upscale than the nursing home May Crandall lives in, but both places face the same underlying challenge—how to provide dignity, care, and comfort as life turns difficult corners.
“A woman’s past need not predict her future. She can dance to new music if she chooses. Her own music. To hear the tune, she must only stop talking. To herself, I mean. We’re always trying to persuade ourselves of things.”
Bookclubbed to Death–story within a story
Bookclubbed to Death
by V. M. Burns
Samantha “Sam” Washington owns Market Street Mysteries Bookshop on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Her grandmother Nana Jo helps out at the bookstore and with the mysteries in which Sam manages to get enmeshed. Nana Jo lives in a retirement community and has a cadre of friends who always want to help out too. Sam’s sidekicks are her two toy poodles Snickers and Oreo. Her fiancé Frank is retired from secretive government agencies and still has contacts that prove to be invaluable when Sam needs to prove her innocence after a murder victim is found in her store.
Sam is also a writer awaiting publication of her first book. She needs a distraction when the investigation becomes overwhelming. Then she involves herself with manuscripts that are in process. They are historical fiction pieces; the novels she writes mirror her real-life problems and help her think them through. In this case we read her book about King George VI who needs Lady Elizabeth’s help in unraveling a murder mystery at Windsor Castle. Just as in Sam’s real-life mystery, Lady Elizabeth surrounds herself with trusted volunteers and assigns them jobs. Then Lady Elizabeth puts the clues together to discover opportunity, motivation, method, and the killer.
In the present day murder, Sam has to deal with Delia Marshall, an important reviewer who could ruin Sam’s writing career. Sam agrees to allow Delia and her book club, the Mystery Mavens, the use of her bookstore for their meeting when the library is closed for repairs after a tornado. At first Sam caters to Delia’s unreasonable requests, but eventually stands firms. She soon discovers that Delia is quite unpopular, and it becomes necessary for her to find out why.
The author’s technique of echoing the theme and plot of one story within another is interesting. It is not my favorite way of storytelling, but the author does it well. It will appeal to lovers of cozy mysteries, historical fiction, royalty, and dual timeline as Bookclubbed to Death combines all into one work of fiction.
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: Mystery
Notes: #8 in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery Series, but could be read as a standalone. I have only read one other in the series, #6, so you can see that the author does a good job in providing any needed details.
Publication: December 27, 2022—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
“But rather than using her brains to help others, she used hers to sleuth out secrets. Everyone has secrets they’d rather weren’t made public. Delia found out what they were and figured out how to use them to her benefit.”
“You inspired me. You came into that room like a … giant. You weren’t afraid of Delia. You knew she could destroy your career, but you still burst into that room and challenged her. You weren’t afraid of Delia Marshall. That’s when I gained courage. I knew I needed to do something.”
… writing allowed my subconscious to sort through the clues and figure out things my conscious mind couldn’t, then I needed to write. I needed all of the help I could get.
The Book of Lost Friends–unforgettable
The Book of Lost Friends
by Lisa Wingate
Slavery and the Civil War tore families apart—especially Black families. Some of their stories appeared in the newspaper Southwestern Christian Advocate as desperate appeals to locate or discover news of long lost family members. Pastors were encouraged to read them to their congregations, and optimism sprang up in the hearts of many former slaves as they hoped and prayed to be united many years later with family who in countless cases were only a name passed down from parent to child. I can’t imagine the pain parents suffered at having their children ripped away from them and sold often never to be heard from again. The Black slaves were people, but they were regarded as disposable property.
The Book of Lost Friends begins with the story of Hannie Gossett who misses her family desperately. Unable to read or write, she has all of their names recorded in her memory. In 1875, Hannie and Tati who raised her are close to completing a ten year period of working a piece of land that belongs to her former slave owners. Just as the contract’s transfer should be completed, the former master disappears and the contract is put in jeopardy. Hannie begins a journey with great risks to find him. A black woman traveling alone is a dangerous undertaking, and her departure could annul the very contract she is trying to locate.
This novel has a dual timeline. Every other chapter alternates to tell the story of Benny Silva, a young teacher who has a past with secrets but a heart to make a difference for her students growing up in poverty in Augustine, Louisiana, in 1987. Constantly bombarded with negative messages about their worth, these students go to a different school from those who have more prosperous parents. The school building is in bad shape, the students’ attendance and behavior are abysmal, and parent support is almost non-existent.
When Benny discovers and obtains access to a private library of books, she thinks she may have found a motivator for her students. She wins support from some local women the students respect, and the teens become excited about a school project.
As both timelines move forward, it is difficult for the reader to leave one timeline to see where the story is going in the other timeline. In a good dual timeline novel, the reader is equally interested in both timelines and in discovering where they cross or overlap. Lisa Wingate is an expert at storytelling and at weaving her tales together. There are many other fascinating characters, and The Book of Lost Friends quickly became a book I didn’t want to put down. It is so well told that I could put myself in the story imagining vividly the struggles of the former slaves and of the students captive to poverty and dysfunctional families.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction
Notes: 1. All of the Hannie chapters include a letter to the editor of the Lost Friends column so you can read for yourself this part of history.
2. At the author’s website, lisawingate.com there are valuable resources listed under the heading “for book clubs” that include discussion questions and pictures and information the author gathered by visiting plantations and national parks. There are also links to pertinent interviews and podcasts as well as a database that has been created based on the Lost Friends letters.
Publication: 2020—Ballantine Books (Random House)
Memorable Lines:
Few things are more life affirming than watching an idea that was fledgling and frail in its infancy, seemingly destined for birth and death in almost the same breath, stretch its lungs and curl its fingers around the threads of life, and hang on with a determination that can’t be understood, only felt.
The thing about so many of the kids here—country kids, town kids, a sad majority of these kids—is that their norm is constant drama, constant escalation. Conversations start, grow louder, get ugly, get personal. Insults fly and then lead to pushing, shoving, hair pulling, scratching, throwing punches, you name it…All too often children in Augustine grow up in a pressure cooker.
When you’re a kid in a tough family situation, you’re painfully vulnerable to trying to fill the void with peers. As much as I’m in favor of young love in theory, I’m also aware of the potential fallout. I can’t help feeling that Lil’ Ray and LaJuna need a teenage relationship about as much as I need five-inch stilettos.
Beneath His Silence–guilt and forgiveness
Beneath His Silence
by Hannah Linder
“Gothic-Style Regency Romance” encapsulates Hannah Linder’s new historical fiction novel Beneath His Silence. The beginning of this romance did not appeal to me at all with its mishmash of characters, settings, and mysterious motives. The first part of the book is confusing but gradually straightens itself out into a reasonable plot that continues to tease the reader with questions of who did what to whom and why. With the main male character, Lord Henry Sedgewick, consumed by guilt and admitting his crime, the reader must persevere along with the female protagonist, Ella Pemberton, who struggles to find the truth and control her emotions.
My favorite character is Lord Sedgewick’s son Peter, a loved and lovable lad. Ella assumes a new name and identity and becomes his governess to get into the household and avenge the deaths of her sister and her father.
The ending of the book is packed with action, danger, and heroics. Mysteries and love are revealed, but not without a cost. There are several romantic overtures to Lord Sedgewick who is a widower. The characters’ actions conform to the requirements of the times for the various classes and genders and stand out in stark contrast to expectations for the twenty-first century. The themes of the book revolve around a relationship with God, guilt, and forgiveness. Despite my initial misgivings, I did stay up late to finish what became a page turner.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication: November 1, 2022—Barbour Publishing
Memorable Lines:
There’d been no laughter for a long time…But maybe now things would be better. If Miss Woodhart could offer the boy love, if her presence could bring him laughter, if truth of his own mother could forever be kept from his ears…Maybe Peter could escape the punishment. The punishment Henry had brought on them both.
Was this how all inferiors felt? How demeaning to be treated as if one’s presence was not noticed. Had she ever treated anyone thus at Abbingston? Ah, yes. She most certainly had. Not out of meanness, of course, but rather from a lack of thought or consciousness. She resolved to do better in the future.
“I can believe that God created the world,” she whispered, “but how can I believe He is the author of such dreadful circumstances?” “I cannot convince you, Miss Woodhart, nor can I make you believe.” The evening shadows deepened around them. “I can only testify of Him. I am afraid the rest is something you must discover yourself.”
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