Home » Historical Fiction (Page 5)
Category Archives: Historical Fiction
The Paris Daughter–a story of art, women, and children in WWII
The Paris Daughter
by Kristin Harmel
World War II brings death, horror, and destruction to the civilians of Paris in this tension filled story of three women who have to make difficult decisions. They are never relieved of the agony of questioning their own judgements and actions: what would a good mother do?
Elise is the belittled wife of a famous painter whose actions put his family in danger. Juliette has the perfect charmed family life until the bombs begin to fall. Ruth Levy is a widowed mother whose Jewish religion and heritage endangers her children. As you read this novel, you will get to know these women and see how each reacts to hardships and trials. You can decide for yourself what it takes to be a good mother and whether any of these ladies are good mothers.
Alongside the main plot in The Paris Daughter, there is another that emerges; it interweaves and is essential to the first. It deals with artists at the time, how they interacted and how they were affected by the war. Elise was a wood sculptor and a painter. Art helped her through the emotional trauma of the war. Art also helped Juliette’s daughter deal with her mother’s increasing mental distress. Alongside these therapeutic benefits, we also witness the personal devastation that occurs when Elise returns home to discover her apartment has been looted of the valuable artwork she and her husband had created.
There are hints along the way as to what may have occurred personally during the war to these families. Eventually the characters and the reader learn the truth, and with the truth there is a way forward. Some of the characters are despicable, while others are noble and honorable. Some crumble morally under the stresses.
This book was a page turner for me, but was also a novel I found upsetting. The depiction of the characters is realistic so watching bad things happen to them was hard. As this book is set in World War II, not everyone is going to have a happily ever after. It is a book I recommend if you enjoy historical fiction, particularly about WWII.
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
Notes: In the author’s notes she responds to questions about why she is drawn to history as her subject matter: “My reasons are numerous, but perhaps the most important one is that if we don’t learn from history, we run the risk of repeating it. Too often in recent years, those of us who read frequently about World War II have seen shadows of that long-ago war in current events and it’s difficult seeing versions of past horrors happening again.”
Publication: June 6, 2023—Gallery Books
Memorable Lines:
Later, Olivier snored peacefully beside Elise while she wiped tears of despair away. He only seemed to see her these days when he wanted the closeness of her; at all other times, his indifference cut her to the core. She owed Olivier everything, and perhaps that was what made it so difficult when it felt to her, sometimes, that he was trying to erase her.
“This isn’t a decision I make lightly, but being a parent is not about dong what is right for ourselves, is it? It’s about sacrificing all we can, big and small, to give our children their best chance at life.”
“There must be something we can do.” “There is,” Madame Levy said. “You can pray for my children. And you can talk to yours about never turning their back on their fellow man. Maybe one day, we’ll all live in a batter world.”
Cold Sassy Tree–Southern novel
Cold Sassy Tree
by Olive Ann Burns
Cold Sassy, Georgia, is the setting for Cold Sassy Tree, a novel very successfully written by a woman with the point of view of a fourteen year old boy, Will Tweedy. The year is 1906. The town is small and populated with unforgettable characters. Many of the anecdotes are drawn from tales Burns heard as a child. The dialect rings through loud and clear. There is no doubt you are in turn of the century South where the Confederacy is still honored and people are starting to turn to indoor bathrooms, electricity, and telephones.
The patriarch of the central family, Grandpa Blakeslee, is the dominant force in the town. What he says, goes. He owns the store where everyone does business and finds out the latest news. His two son-in-laws work for him in what has become a family business. Will Tweedy has a close relationship with his grandpa and thus is often privy to his decisions before others. When his beloved wife of many years, Granny Blakeslee, passes away, Grandpa surprises everyone by remarrying in three weeks at a time when one year is considered the appropriate mourning period. One of his daughters is worried about what others will think and say, and both daughters are concerned about their inheritance. His new bride and the resulting family conflicts play a major role in the story.
Another theme is the coming of age of Will Tweedy, a young man who is given a lot of responsibility, but still struggles through his early teens getting into a lot of mischief. He engages in some dangerous escapades, has his first kiss, and does a lot of eavesdropping.
A serious thread throughout the book is religion. The town has Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists. Each church has strict rules, and a lot of hypocrisy comes to light as the members can be very judgmental. Grandpa doesn’t fit well into any of these groups, and he has his own ideas about God. Grandpa and Will Tweedy sort through the big theology questions together.
I like Cold Sassy Tree and recommend it. Although it takes place in a former time period, its themes resonate through the ages. They include greed, racial and social divides, jealousy, family, faith, and trust. All of the characters have traits and actions that make them admirable though flawed. The last quarter of the book is darker than the rest, but it ends on notes of hope.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Notes: Sassy Tree refers to a Sassafras Tree.
Publication: 1984—Ticknor & Fields
Memorable Lines:
“Don’t she care at all if folks talk? Hadn’t she done enough already, without acceptin’ an expensive gift like that from a man with a reputation so bad it rides ahead of him?”
“Now, Lightfoot, with yore pa dead ’n’ all, I cain’t keep you no more less’n you go in the mill full time an’ pay yore part. Fast as you learn things, you’ll be a-workin’ both sides of the aisle in no time.” “Will, I begged her and begged her, ‘Please’m, let me git one more year a-schoolin’.’ But she said her chi’ren got two year apiece in school, and it ain’t holped them a bit in the mill. Said if they’d a-been borned with books for brains, they’d be makin’ bottom wages just the same.”
“Two elephants tied out yonder wouldn’t draw customers to the store as good as them artermobiles.” That was the Lord’s truth. Cold Sassy never had been a whirlpool of excitement. If the preacher’s wife’s petticoat showed, the ladies could make that last a week as something to talk about. …It’s easy to see why not even the scarlet of the Cold Sassy tree in autumn could equal our big shiny automobiles as something to rave about, especially with the open invite to come sit in them and take a ride.
The Swiss Nurse–refugees from war
The Swiss Nurse
by Mario Escobar
I am so glad that I had read other books by Mario Escobar, because this work of historical fiction started off roughly for me. I feel sure the fault was my own. I am shamefully unfamiliar with the Spanish Civil War, and I started the book too late in the evening. I persevered the next day, however, and was quickly immersed in a tale of evil hearts and the strength of some good people who worked to help others in dire circumstances.
When Franco and his troops were successful in this war, they were determined to obliterate the Republicans fighting for their freedom and anyone associated with them. The result was a massive exodus of refugees into southern France which was not prepared for the influx and did not welcome them with open arms. The “camps” they provided were sandy beaches with no structures. There was little food and no potable water; the refugees were not allowed outside the camp.
This book is about the refugees in that war which was followed up by the events of World War II and the further torment of innocents by the French Vichy government which was a puppet government of the Nazis, and then by the Nazis themselves. Much of the story describes the horrible conditions of the refugee camps and the strength and boldness of Elisabeth Eidenbenz, a Swiss woman whose focus was orphans in Spain until she was forced relocate to southern France where she opened a hospital taking in pregnant women and giving them a safe place to deliver their babies. The other main character is Isabel, a Spanish lady who married Peter, an American who fought with the Spanish for their liberation. Their lives intersect when Isabel gives birth to her precious daughter Lisa at the Elne Maternity Hospital. With Peter held in various prisons and concentration camps and conscripted into the army for manual labor, Isabel stays to help in the maternity hospital.
The author pulls the reader into the horrible conditions and the faith and courage of characters who stand up for what is right. As a reader, you want everything to turn out great for the sympathetic characters. This is, however, a work of historical fiction, so not everyone has a happy ending. It is important to read works like this so that we are not duped yet again by politicians who promise good things and deliver nothing, creating untenable situations. History like this must not be allowed to repeat itself.
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, Multicultural, Fiction
Notes: Additional material includes: References, Clarifications from History, Timeline, Discussion Questions, and Information about the Author and the Translator
Publication: April 14, 2023—Harper Muse
Memorable Lines:
Gazing off into the distance, their gaunt faces reflected the weary sadness of their souls. Their cheeks were sunken with hunger, and their skin was pallid from exhaustion and malnourishment.
An entire generation had been killed for naught: anonymous heroes on both sides, idealists attracted by the siren songs of their leaders who stayed safe in the rear guard. The only hope was to erase those painful years from their lives and try to start over from scratch.
Argelès-sur-Mer had been both refuge and jail. It had stamped out of us the hope of recovering our lives one day. We were now flea-infested riffraff with bones aching from damp nights spent on hard sand with thin blankets. The starry sky had been our prison roof.
“Sometimes we have to feel our way in the dark in order to find the path, but beyond the fog the sky is still blue, and the sun is still shining.”
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.”
