Now I know I have been horribly negligent. This is the second book I've realized I should have reviewed a long time ago. Why? Because Julie Klassen is one of my favorite contemporary authors. I do not say that lightly. And this book, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall has been out for three quarters of the year and here am I just telling you about it.
In London, in 1815, Margaret Macy is a spoiled young woman waiting for her twenty-fifth birthday so she can inherit the fortune left to her by a great aunt. Knowing this inheritance is coming, Margaret has been determined not to rush into marriage but to wait as long as it may take and marry for love or not at all. In fact, she already refused one man in hopes of attracting his brother.
Her stepfather makes life uncomfortable for her by dismissing her personal maid, having her followed by the butler whenever she goes out, stopping her allowance, refusing her access to family jewels, and bringing his nephew to live in the house. All this she bears while dreaming of better days after she has her inheritance. This all changes the night she overhears her stepfather and his nephew talking over their scheme to get her to marry the nephew. The stepfather encourages the nephew to secure her quickly and she hears him say, "Woo her, flatter her, make love to her. And if all else fails . . . compromise."
Terrified, she rushes to her room to think. Her mother is away and she has no one in the house to turn to for help or advice. She decides to do what Joseph did when Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him. She decides to flee.
Through a number of unexpected events Margaret finds herself in a "hiring fair", which reminds her of slave markets she has read about, hoping to be hired for a position in a house nearby. Before the end of the day she finds herself hired as a housemaid in the home of the two brothers. In order to hide from her stepfather she has disguised herself; she wears a wig, eyeglasses, and changes her voice and speech. Still, she is concerned that someone will recognize her. She has never been inside the house where she will work but she has socialized with the family. She is nervous about being recognized. She is also concerned about her position: what will other servants think of why she was hired for a position for which she is clearly untrained? and, how will she ever learn to do and survive the hard work of a housemaid?
Well, I think that is enough of the story line. The Maid of Fairbourne Hall is an excellently written story with believable characters and an intriguing plot. These help to account for my enjoyment of Julie Klassen's books. Julie adds tantalizing quotes on the first page of each chapter. One example from The Maid of Fairbourne Hall: "Chamber maid wanted who can dress hair, clear starch, read & write, bear moderate confinement, work well at her needle, dress a young lady, is sober & honest & well behaved. Apply Mrs. Lambe, Stall St. ---Bath Chronicle, 1793" These little tidbits from various sources open windows into life in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Additionally, I enjoy every tiny illusion to and quote from Jane Austen's books. Oh, not direct quotes, exactly, but a word here and there. If you like Jane Austen you will love Julie Klassen's books; no doubt about it. Even if you haven't read Jane Austen, Julie's books are well worth reading. Every one of them.
I'm not the only one who thinks so. Julie Klassen recently won the Christy Award in the Historical Romance Category for The Maid of Fairbourne Hall. This is not her first Christy Award.
Happy Reading :-)
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The Outsider, The Seeker, and The Believer
Are you tired of reading books about the Amish? I became so several years ago. A couple of years ago I came across this set of books by Ann Gabhart about the people known as Shakers.
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is just a few miles from where I live and I have been there a number of times. It is a beautiful farm. Of course there are no real Shakers there anymore; they all died years ago. I believe there is a surviving Shaker village somewhere in New York. But I have taken the easier way of learning about life in the past, by reading about it in fiction.
Ann Gabhart lives just a county or two over from here and is ideally situated to research the Shakers by visiting a real Shaker village, even if it is now populated only by "actors" wearing costumes to give visitors something of a feel for the appearance of life in a Shaker Village. Ann calls the "village" Harmony Hill.
The Outsider, The Seeker, and The Believer are three books written by Ann about Shakers at Harmony Hill and what life was like for them. I found the romances to be rather contrived (but then most of them in books are) but still found the stories interesting for the picture they painted of life during the mid-nineteenth century in a Shaker village.
The books are a "series" but the stories are not built on each other so you can read them in any order; or only one if you choose. Each book is peopled with different characters. There are people who visit the village, people who live there for a period of time for one reason or another, and people who have lived there all their lives but choose to leave at some point. The buildings are described, the dress is described, how they live is described and an explanation is given for why they live as they do.
The author tries to show multiple sides of life in a Shaker Village. There is the desire for spiritual holiness. There is the brotherly (and sisterly) love that is the goal of the community. There is the peaceful lifestyle that looks upon all individuals as free and equal. There is also the aspect of judgment and condemnation when a person fails to meet certain standards in his/her behavior or in the attitude others perceive in them. There is the simplicity of life and the joy of work well done. There is also the pain of renouncing all family ties.
These three books are pretty far from being the most stimulating books I've read. The stories and the characters are, in my opinion, a bit shallow; not bad, just not deep. If you like Karen Kingsbury and you like reading about ways of life different than your own, you will probably love these books. I did find them interesting, because I was curious about the Shakers and this was a more interesting way to learn than internet research. They do not merit a second read, for me, however. Nor am I likely to read more of this author's books. In the past I read another series of hers, also because it was written about an area geographically near me; since my evaluation of both sets of books was about the same, there just won't be more of her for me. But, I do recommend these if you are interested in the Shakers.
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is just a few miles from where I live and I have been there a number of times. It is a beautiful farm. Of course there are no real Shakers there anymore; they all died years ago. I believe there is a surviving Shaker village somewhere in New York. But I have taken the easier way of learning about life in the past, by reading about it in fiction.
Ann Gabhart lives just a county or two over from here and is ideally situated to research the Shakers by visiting a real Shaker village, even if it is now populated only by "actors" wearing costumes to give visitors something of a feel for the appearance of life in a Shaker Village. Ann calls the "village" Harmony Hill.
The Outsider, The Seeker, and The Believer are three books written by Ann about Shakers at Harmony Hill and what life was like for them. I found the romances to be rather contrived (but then most of them in books are) but still found the stories interesting for the picture they painted of life during the mid-nineteenth century in a Shaker village.
The books are a "series" but the stories are not built on each other so you can read them in any order; or only one if you choose. Each book is peopled with different characters. There are people who visit the village, people who live there for a period of time for one reason or another, and people who have lived there all their lives but choose to leave at some point. The buildings are described, the dress is described, how they live is described and an explanation is given for why they live as they do.
The author tries to show multiple sides of life in a Shaker Village. There is the desire for spiritual holiness. There is the brotherly (and sisterly) love that is the goal of the community. There is the peaceful lifestyle that looks upon all individuals as free and equal. There is also the aspect of judgment and condemnation when a person fails to meet certain standards in his/her behavior or in the attitude others perceive in them. There is the simplicity of life and the joy of work well done. There is also the pain of renouncing all family ties.
These three books are pretty far from being the most stimulating books I've read. The stories and the characters are, in my opinion, a bit shallow; not bad, just not deep. If you like Karen Kingsbury and you like reading about ways of life different than your own, you will probably love these books. I did find them interesting, because I was curious about the Shakers and this was a more interesting way to learn than internet research. They do not merit a second read, for me, however. Nor am I likely to read more of this author's books. In the past I read another series of hers, also because it was written about an area geographically near me; since my evaluation of both sets of books was about the same, there just won't be more of her for me. But, I do recommend these if you are interested in the Shakers.
'America the Beautiful' by Ben Carson, M.D.
This is Dr. Carson's fifth book. You have probably heard of his first one, Gifted Hands, or you saw the movie by the same title. If you ever feel that the odds are stacked against you, read Gifted Hands and your perspective will change. But today I'm not here to talk about that book or any of his other previous ones. Instead, I want to talk about his latest: America the Beautiful; Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great.
I'm not going to list a lot of details about this book because to do so would be to repeat the facts Dr. Carson presents. Briefly, I will say this. Dr. Carson takes a look at our "founding fathers" and what they hoped to accomplish in establishing this "free" nation. He shows that they didn't just "happen" upon the idea of a republic; instead, they pulled the principles of a republic out of ancient history and patterned our government on those that had offered freedom and opportunities to anyone who would work hard. He talks about our nation's strengths and its weaknesses. He shows how the freedoms that our forefathers worked and died to provide and preserve for this country are being whittled away by socialism and economic irresponsibility, as well as personal irresponsibility. He compares the good and the bad of socialism and capitalism. He talks about a number of changes that have taken place in our government and our culture, changes that have been detrimental to the republic that was started at such great cost. In spite of many negative issues, Dr. Carson and his wife Candy, who helped with this book, ended on a positive note; a note of hope for the future.
The topic of this book is, to me, dry and hard to keep in focus. However, Dr. Carson held my attention fully. I like the fact that he presented this "dry" information in a way that brought it to life to me. Trust me when I say that any author who can keep me wanting to read a civics book is an author who has made the topic understandable. This is a man who is extremely intelligent yet writes in a simple, easy to understand way and gets his points across clearly. Anyone can repeat big words and sound bites in a way that makes him appear intelligent. Dr. Carson shows that he knows his U.S. history and civics thoroughly; he is able to explain it in simple, layman's terms and do so in a way that makes it interesting to one who isn't particularly fond of the topic.
Another thing I really like about Dr. Carson and this book is the fact that he is open and honest about himself and his background. He is a black man who grew up in a neighborhood and a time in history when virtually everyone around him expected a government hand-out for anything they wanted. He speaks openly about growing up poor and being a "victim" or prejudice. By all accounts this man should be quite liberal, politically. And he did go that way initially. But he continues by telling how he used his brain; he began to look around himself and evaluate what he saw. And he thought about what he saw and heard. He came to appreciate the fact that he lived in a country where a "poor black boy" could receive a free (public school) education and then attend a college (Yale) that most Americans can't even dream of attending. He changed his point of view from that of most of his peers.
America the Beautiful; Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great is a book filled with facts about our nation's history, culture, and government. It is information every American should know and value. Ben and Candy Carson have made challenging facts interesting and understandable. They have done this, in part, by interspersing the civics lesson with anecdotal stories from his life, presenting a true "rags to riches" story as one example of the greatness of America.
Happy Reading :-)
I'm not going to list a lot of details about this book because to do so would be to repeat the facts Dr. Carson presents. Briefly, I will say this. Dr. Carson takes a look at our "founding fathers" and what they hoped to accomplish in establishing this "free" nation. He shows that they didn't just "happen" upon the idea of a republic; instead, they pulled the principles of a republic out of ancient history and patterned our government on those that had offered freedom and opportunities to anyone who would work hard. He talks about our nation's strengths and its weaknesses. He shows how the freedoms that our forefathers worked and died to provide and preserve for this country are being whittled away by socialism and economic irresponsibility, as well as personal irresponsibility. He compares the good and the bad of socialism and capitalism. He talks about a number of changes that have taken place in our government and our culture, changes that have been detrimental to the republic that was started at such great cost. In spite of many negative issues, Dr. Carson and his wife Candy, who helped with this book, ended on a positive note; a note of hope for the future.
The topic of this book is, to me, dry and hard to keep in focus. However, Dr. Carson held my attention fully. I like the fact that he presented this "dry" information in a way that brought it to life to me. Trust me when I say that any author who can keep me wanting to read a civics book is an author who has made the topic understandable. This is a man who is extremely intelligent yet writes in a simple, easy to understand way and gets his points across clearly. Anyone can repeat big words and sound bites in a way that makes him appear intelligent. Dr. Carson shows that he knows his U.S. history and civics thoroughly; he is able to explain it in simple, layman's terms and do so in a way that makes it interesting to one who isn't particularly fond of the topic.
Another thing I really like about Dr. Carson and this book is the fact that he is open and honest about himself and his background. He is a black man who grew up in a neighborhood and a time in history when virtually everyone around him expected a government hand-out for anything they wanted. He speaks openly about growing up poor and being a "victim" or prejudice. By all accounts this man should be quite liberal, politically. And he did go that way initially. But he continues by telling how he used his brain; he began to look around himself and evaluate what he saw. And he thought about what he saw and heard. He came to appreciate the fact that he lived in a country where a "poor black boy" could receive a free (public school) education and then attend a college (Yale) that most Americans can't even dream of attending. He changed his point of view from that of most of his peers.
America the Beautiful; Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great is a book filled with facts about our nation's history, culture, and government. It is information every American should know and value. Ben and Candy Carson have made challenging facts interesting and understandable. They have done this, in part, by interspersing the civics lesson with anecdotal stories from his life, presenting a true "rags to riches" story as one example of the greatness of America.
Happy Reading :-)
Robert Whitlow's new book is 'The Choice'
It has been a long time since I posted on this blog. Too long. It isn't that I haven't been reading; I have. I just haven't taken time to come and write reviews of the books. I am going to try to post more frequently. Please feel free to share this with your book-loving friends.
I believe I have mentioned that Robert Whitlow is one of my favorite fiction authors. His latest book, The Choice was no disappointment. You might guess from the title that the story may have something to do with abortion. And you would be correct. Sandy, a young high school student in Georgia, gets pregnant in 1974. To make the situation more complicated, she is from a Christian home and is a leader in her class at school. Not the typical unwed mother of the time and location.
This story is like the proverbial onion with layers upon layers. There isn't just one choice to be made by this young woman, but multiple ones. The first, of course, is whether to have an abortion or give birth. After the initial choice for life instead of death for her baby, there are other choices to be made: to marry or not to marry, what to do about finishing high school, where to give birth, what about her future, to keep and raise her baby or put it up for adoption? All complicated questions with complicated solutions.
All of these decisions are made and it sounds like a pretty boring, typical story line. And it might be if it ended with the above paragraph. But that is only the beginning. There was an old woman in a convenience store who approached Sandy and made some very bold predictions. The LEAST of the predictions was that Sandy would have twin boys. How could this stranger know Sandy was pregnant when the pregnancy wasn't even showing yet? Was she carrying twins? And, if so, what was Sandy to do about the rest of what the woman said, the really bazaar part of the prediction?
Then the story jumps forward thirty-ish years and the girl turned woman who thought her decisions were all behind her suddenly finds herself with decisions she never dreamed she would face. Some of these decisions are a direct result of one or more decisions she made years ago. Others are more of an indirect result, due to the person she has become through facing those long-ago hard choices. Things happen that seem impossible, especially considering the precautions Sandy took to prevent disaster. If her long-ago precautions weren't adequate to prevent the disaster, what could she do? Did she suffer all she did just to come to the point of more, deeper suffering? That possibility was too horrible to be true.
If I am being too vague it is because I don't want to give any hint of the several surprises in this book. I love it when an author surprises me. The best books are the ones you read all the way to the end without guessing how it will end. Several times I thought I knew how this would end. I was wrong. Again, Robert Whitlow has surprised me; not once but multiple times.
I wish I could discuss this book (and others) with people who love books as much as I do. For various reasons that isn't practical. However, if you read The Choice I would enjoy hearing what you think of it.
Happy Reading :-)
I believe I have mentioned that Robert Whitlow is one of my favorite fiction authors. His latest book, The Choice was no disappointment. You might guess from the title that the story may have something to do with abortion. And you would be correct. Sandy, a young high school student in Georgia, gets pregnant in 1974. To make the situation more complicated, she is from a Christian home and is a leader in her class at school. Not the typical unwed mother of the time and location.
This story is like the proverbial onion with layers upon layers. There isn't just one choice to be made by this young woman, but multiple ones. The first, of course, is whether to have an abortion or give birth. After the initial choice for life instead of death for her baby, there are other choices to be made: to marry or not to marry, what to do about finishing high school, where to give birth, what about her future, to keep and raise her baby or put it up for adoption? All complicated questions with complicated solutions.
All of these decisions are made and it sounds like a pretty boring, typical story line. And it might be if it ended with the above paragraph. But that is only the beginning. There was an old woman in a convenience store who approached Sandy and made some very bold predictions. The LEAST of the predictions was that Sandy would have twin boys. How could this stranger know Sandy was pregnant when the pregnancy wasn't even showing yet? Was she carrying twins? And, if so, what was Sandy to do about the rest of what the woman said, the really bazaar part of the prediction?
Then the story jumps forward thirty-ish years and the girl turned woman who thought her decisions were all behind her suddenly finds herself with decisions she never dreamed she would face. Some of these decisions are a direct result of one or more decisions she made years ago. Others are more of an indirect result, due to the person she has become through facing those long-ago hard choices. Things happen that seem impossible, especially considering the precautions Sandy took to prevent disaster. If her long-ago precautions weren't adequate to prevent the disaster, what could she do? Did she suffer all she did just to come to the point of more, deeper suffering? That possibility was too horrible to be true.
If I am being too vague it is because I don't want to give any hint of the several surprises in this book. I love it when an author surprises me. The best books are the ones you read all the way to the end without guessing how it will end. Several times I thought I knew how this would end. I was wrong. Again, Robert Whitlow has surprised me; not once but multiple times.
I wish I could discuss this book (and others) with people who love books as much as I do. For various reasons that isn't practical. However, if you read The Choice I would enjoy hearing what you think of it.
Happy Reading :-)
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