Wednesday 16 November 2016
Review: Manga Classics: Sense and Sensibility - Adapted by Stacy King, Art by Po Tse
Manga Classics: Sense and Sensibility, adapted by Stacy King and illustrated by Po Tse, covers the general story arc of Jane Austen's story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. The sisters must navigate through the waters of change when the death of their father forces them to relocate in a smaller home away from the estate that they grew up in. Elinor exhibits a temperament that reflects more "sense" than emotion, while Marianne is more romantically inclined and prone to flights of feeling rather than exclusively being governed by sense. Perhaps it would be better to say that Marianne would rather follow her heart than necessarily do the sensible thing. When I was first acquainted with Austen's original novel, it took me a while to figure out that her use of the word, "sensibility," had more to do with emotions, rather than rational thought. Anyways, the sisters' temperaments guide their thoughts and behavior when prospective suitors appear, and both are not immune to the pain and turmoil that results when their lives do not unfold as they hope.
It took a couple of hours for me to read the book in one sitting, and I enjoyed reading this version. I didn't want to leave the book until it was finished.
Besides the story itself, I enjoyed reading the commentary that was provided on the novel's themes about sensible thought versus emotional reaction. Stacy King mentions that every character had to balance sense with sensibility in their choices. This wasn't something that I had considered before when I read the original novel in the past; I had only considered the choices for Elinor and Marianne, but it makes sense that the other characters also had to wrestle with their own choices. It was also interesting to read about the social habits of the 19th century, especially about how men and women met, and about what acceptable behaviour was. Explanations are given to explain how Marianne's behaviour was so scandalous, for she had violated a number of social rules of propriety.
It was also interesting to look at the Character Design Sketchbook that appeared in a couple of pages at the back (the left side of the book, because, after all, this is truly a manga book which reads from right to left). Po Tse's commentary about how he drew the various characters to reflect certain character traits increased my appreciation of this adaptation while reading it.
Sense and Sensibility is the third adaptation that I've read from Manga Classics, (Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre being the other two,) and I've come to the opinion that this series is a good gateway to get younger readers interested in reading classical literature. For Janeites, apparently, there is also a Manga Classics version of Emma which I haven't read yet, but will be glad to put on my "to read" list. I would dearly love to see other adaptations of Jane Austen's work in the future, particularly for Persuasion, and Mansfield Park.
According to Manga Classics' Facebook page, an adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo will be coming soon, so I'll be keeping my eyes open for that in 2017.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Manga Classics: Sense and Sensibility" by Stacy King and Po Tse from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Thursday 10 November 2016
Review: Manga Classics: Jane Eyre - Adapted by Crystal S. Chan, Art by SunNeko Lee
I first read Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre many years ago when I was in grade 12. There was a lot of excitement in the female portion of the class; we were getting a chance to read Romantic literature in English and Mr. Rochester was supposed to be a sigh worthy figure. For some reason, our class didn't get very far with the novel. I think that we were assigned to read it over spring break, and we may have been required to write an essay. However, I don't recall that our class went very deep into studying this novel, probably because of time constraints to make sure that we covered the prescribed curriculum before June arrived.
This is my memory of reading Jane Eyre: it was a dry reading experience for me. The diction might have bogged me down. I seem to recall that there were about two to three pages devoted to a description of a painting. My teenage mind probably stalled upon reading that, wondering why so much space was devoted to that and not to the romance. However, I can't confirm that this is true or if I mixed that fact up with some other novel that I may have read at around that time, because I have not read Jane Eyre since. I also have to confess that I'm not a big fan of any of the Bronte sisters, because one of them dissed Jane Austen's writing. Yes, I'm more for Team Austen than for Team Bronte.
Anyways, Manga Classics will be releasing their own version of Jane Eyre, adapted by Crystal S. Chan, with the art drawn by SunNeko Lee. This graphic novel captured my interest as it described the story of Jane Eyre, a plucky and strong minded orphan who grows up to become a governess for the ward of her employer, Mr. Rochester, who eventually becomes her love interest. However, there are strange and bizarre happenings at Thornfield Hall, the home of Mr. Rochester, which may interfere with their romance.
Most of what I know of Jane Eyre is from two visual adaptations, a BBC series starring Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke, and a movie starring Samantha Morton and Ciaran Hinds. It's almost embarrassing to admit that I'm comparing the content of the Manga Classics version against the movies that I watched years ago. The graphic novel contains a few pages of commentary about adapting the novel to manga format; some changes were made in the order of the narrative to build suspense at the end of each chapter, and also to strengthen the cohesiveness of the story through foreshadowing. There was a small section about how the manga adaptation was better able to convincingly execute a particular plot point than the television or movie versions (where Mr. Rochester disguises himself as a female gypsy). I had read those notes before reading the manga, and had almost forgotten to check if it was very obvious that a man was trying to masquerade as a woman, so I'll agree that manga is probably more able to carry that deception off.
I'm not a manga expert, but most of the art work appeared to be in the shoujo style. There were probably only a couple of frames in the narrative that contained the chibi style. The dark and brooding mood of the novel might not lend itself to levity and light heartedness that suits chibi drawings. For a plain female, Jane appears to be pretty and cute, but my understanding is that the appearance of plain heroines in any manga story is non-existent. Mr. Rochester looks sufficiently mature, and he's got great hair!
Would I recommend reading this version? I would say, "Yes," for the following reasons: my daughter expressed an interest in reading this version when she saw what I was reading. Who wouldn't want their kids to have a interest in reading classic literature, even though it is adapted? Also, after reading this, I'm thinking about giving Bronte's original version another look. Not even watching the movies was able to move me enough to want to take the novel up again, but this version has stirred up my interest.
Disclaimer: In exchange for a review, I received from NetGalley an e-copy of "Manga Classics: Jane Eyre," by Crystal S. Chan and SunNeko Lee. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
This is my memory of reading Jane Eyre: it was a dry reading experience for me. The diction might have bogged me down. I seem to recall that there were about two to three pages devoted to a description of a painting. My teenage mind probably stalled upon reading that, wondering why so much space was devoted to that and not to the romance. However, I can't confirm that this is true or if I mixed that fact up with some other novel that I may have read at around that time, because I have not read Jane Eyre since. I also have to confess that I'm not a big fan of any of the Bronte sisters, because one of them dissed Jane Austen's writing. Yes, I'm more for Team Austen than for Team Bronte.
Anyways, Manga Classics will be releasing their own version of Jane Eyre, adapted by Crystal S. Chan, with the art drawn by SunNeko Lee. This graphic novel captured my interest as it described the story of Jane Eyre, a plucky and strong minded orphan who grows up to become a governess for the ward of her employer, Mr. Rochester, who eventually becomes her love interest. However, there are strange and bizarre happenings at Thornfield Hall, the home of Mr. Rochester, which may interfere with their romance.
Most of what I know of Jane Eyre is from two visual adaptations, a BBC series starring Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke, and a movie starring Samantha Morton and Ciaran Hinds. It's almost embarrassing to admit that I'm comparing the content of the Manga Classics version against the movies that I watched years ago. The graphic novel contains a few pages of commentary about adapting the novel to manga format; some changes were made in the order of the narrative to build suspense at the end of each chapter, and also to strengthen the cohesiveness of the story through foreshadowing. There was a small section about how the manga adaptation was better able to convincingly execute a particular plot point than the television or movie versions (where Mr. Rochester disguises himself as a female gypsy). I had read those notes before reading the manga, and had almost forgotten to check if it was very obvious that a man was trying to masquerade as a woman, so I'll agree that manga is probably more able to carry that deception off.
I'm not a manga expert, but most of the art work appeared to be in the shoujo style. There were probably only a couple of frames in the narrative that contained the chibi style. The dark and brooding mood of the novel might not lend itself to levity and light heartedness that suits chibi drawings. For a plain female, Jane appears to be pretty and cute, but my understanding is that the appearance of plain heroines in any manga story is non-existent. Mr. Rochester looks sufficiently mature, and he's got great hair!
Would I recommend reading this version? I would say, "Yes," for the following reasons: my daughter expressed an interest in reading this version when she saw what I was reading. Who wouldn't want their kids to have a interest in reading classic literature, even though it is adapted? Also, after reading this, I'm thinking about giving Bronte's original version another look. Not even watching the movies was able to move me enough to want to take the novel up again, but this version has stirred up my interest.
Disclaimer: In exchange for a review, I received from NetGalley an e-copy of "Manga Classics: Jane Eyre," by Crystal S. Chan and SunNeko Lee. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Sunday 30 October 2016
Review: Beneath a Golden Veil by Melanie Dobson
Beneath a Golden Veil, by Melanie Dobson, was a book that stuck with me for days after I read it. The story is set in the years before the American Civil War, and is about slavery, its injustices, and how it divided people, even within the same family. In 1854, Alden Payne is a law student at Harvard, but comes from a prominent family in Virginia. His family intends for him to take over the family plantation after he finishes his studies, but Alden's heart isn't into operating the plantation, especially when it requires the servitude of slaves for it to remain successful and prosperous.
On a trip back home before his final year of study, Alden stops by to visit his married sister, Eliza, before heading off to the family's ancestral home. Eliza hands over a slave boy named Isaac, telling Alden that the boy is a gift for their father. Alden arrives home with Isaac in the middle of a manhunt for an escaped slave, Benjamin, who Alden had always considered to be like a brother. When Alden discovers that his father murdered Benjamin for his repeated insubordination, and that Benjamin was actually his half brother, he decides to run away from the plantation and takes Isaac along with him. He intends to set Isaac free by taking him to Canada, before resuming his studies in Harvard, but Isaac's master, Alden's brother-in-law, Victor, catches up to them. Instead of running up to the Canadian border, Alden decides that he and Isaac will board a ship to California and finish his legal studies by apprenticing with a lawyer who had already travelled West to establish a legal office in Sacramento.
Isabelle Labrie, a young woman with secrets in her past, operates a hotel in Sacramento. California, at this time, is a free state, although any slave owners who are passing through could still keep their slaves. Her hotel occasionally becomes a hiding spot for slaves who are trying to make their way to Canada. It is here where she meets Alden and Isaac, who are posing as master and slave, even though Alden abhors slavery. They do this in order to prevent Isaac from being kidnapped; there is a history of freed slaves being abducted and sold back into slavery. Alden is taken with the beautiful Isabelle, but she despises him because she thinks that he is a slave owner. He can't reveal what his true intentions are for Isaac without endangering them both, but trouble dogs them in the form of Victor, who has been following them with the intent of reclaiming Isaac as a slave. However, Victor is not only a problem for Isaac; he poses a threat to Isabelle too.
Beneath a Golden Veil touches on the issues about slavery, freedom, and the need to treat every human being with dignity and respect regardless of their skin colour. The novel speaks about dark things that humans can do against each other, and ultimately, against God. The lives and relationships of several of the characters, whether they were protagonists or antagonists, were messed up. However, there was also hope for those who put their hope in the Lord, both in the present world, and in the world to come.
Also, in the novel, the author tells us through the characters that it doesn't matter what people think because the past shouldn't define us if we are children of God. I think that this is such a precious truth. Our identities, as children of God, are based on God's Word and on Jesus' sacrifice for us; it is not based on what happened to us in the past, or by anything that we have done. (John 1:12 Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God...).
There are discussion questions in the back of the book that I found thought provoking, particularly the one that asked, "The issue of slavery divided the United States of America in the 1800s. What moral issues today divide our communities? How do you fight for what you believe is right?"
The novel is a bit weightier than your average historical romance; however, there is also a happy ending. As I mentioned before, Beneath a Golden Veil made quite an impression on me over its themes and ideas which have stayed with me for days after I finished the book.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Beneath a Golden Veil" by Melanie Dobson from Net Galley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
On a trip back home before his final year of study, Alden stops by to visit his married sister, Eliza, before heading off to the family's ancestral home. Eliza hands over a slave boy named Isaac, telling Alden that the boy is a gift for their father. Alden arrives home with Isaac in the middle of a manhunt for an escaped slave, Benjamin, who Alden had always considered to be like a brother. When Alden discovers that his father murdered Benjamin for his repeated insubordination, and that Benjamin was actually his half brother, he decides to run away from the plantation and takes Isaac along with him. He intends to set Isaac free by taking him to Canada, before resuming his studies in Harvard, but Isaac's master, Alden's brother-in-law, Victor, catches up to them. Instead of running up to the Canadian border, Alden decides that he and Isaac will board a ship to California and finish his legal studies by apprenticing with a lawyer who had already travelled West to establish a legal office in Sacramento.
Isabelle Labrie, a young woman with secrets in her past, operates a hotel in Sacramento. California, at this time, is a free state, although any slave owners who are passing through could still keep their slaves. Her hotel occasionally becomes a hiding spot for slaves who are trying to make their way to Canada. It is here where she meets Alden and Isaac, who are posing as master and slave, even though Alden abhors slavery. They do this in order to prevent Isaac from being kidnapped; there is a history of freed slaves being abducted and sold back into slavery. Alden is taken with the beautiful Isabelle, but she despises him because she thinks that he is a slave owner. He can't reveal what his true intentions are for Isaac without endangering them both, but trouble dogs them in the form of Victor, who has been following them with the intent of reclaiming Isaac as a slave. However, Victor is not only a problem for Isaac; he poses a threat to Isabelle too.
Beneath a Golden Veil touches on the issues about slavery, freedom, and the need to treat every human being with dignity and respect regardless of their skin colour. The novel speaks about dark things that humans can do against each other, and ultimately, against God. The lives and relationships of several of the characters, whether they were protagonists or antagonists, were messed up. However, there was also hope for those who put their hope in the Lord, both in the present world, and in the world to come.
Also, in the novel, the author tells us through the characters that it doesn't matter what people think because the past shouldn't define us if we are children of God. I think that this is such a precious truth. Our identities, as children of God, are based on God's Word and on Jesus' sacrifice for us; it is not based on what happened to us in the past, or by anything that we have done. (John 1:12 Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God...).
There are discussion questions in the back of the book that I found thought provoking, particularly the one that asked, "The issue of slavery divided the United States of America in the 1800s. What moral issues today divide our communities? How do you fight for what you believe is right?"
The novel is a bit weightier than your average historical romance; however, there is also a happy ending. As I mentioned before, Beneath a Golden Veil made quite an impression on me over its themes and ideas which have stayed with me for days after I finished the book.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Beneath a Golden Veil" by Melanie Dobson from Net Galley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Saturday 27 August 2016
Review: Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice by Stacy King, Art by Po Tse
It is a truth universally acknowledged (by my family) that if there's a novel, story, or film with a connection to Pride and Prejudice, I'm going to want to read or view it. Stacy King has adapted Jane Austen's novel for a manga version, with the art drawn by Po Tse. This version retains the general story arc from the original version where Darcy's proud demeanor and Elizabeth's prejudice against Darcy present impediments to their romance. However, being an adaptation, there have been some alterations in the story, most of which I can live with, with the exception of Darcy being a poor dancer. (Sorry, in my universe, Darcy probably suffered through lessons with a dancing master, and is probably an excellent dancer; but he just doesn't enjoy the activity.)
Some of the language has been modernized, and is not what I'd expect a person living in Regency times would use, but that would be helpful for those who don't want to slog through archaic expressions in order to understand and appreciate the content of the novel.
Generally, I liked the artwork. The Bennet girls look suitably cute and adorable, Charlotte Lucas and Mary King look sufficiently plain, Bingley has the hair of an angelic choir boy, and Wickham is the best looking man in the crowd. Darcy does have a handsome and noble mien, but personally, I find that the depiction of his hair in most of the drawings...is a bit of a miss for me. There are three locks that seem to wing off in different directions. You kind of have to see it to understand...although I will say: shades of Dagwood Bumstead.
Like the 1995 BBC televised version of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth, there is a bit of a wet shirt scene in the manga version, although the appearance of Darcy in such a disheveled state occurs at a different point of the story than that of the television series. The manga is clean, although Elizabeth and readers get to see some glimpses of Darcy's six-pack. The Darcy fan-girl in me squeaked a bit! :P
I thought that this was a pretty good adaptation, and I enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend this for those who enjoy manga romance but don't want to see anything too provocative, and for those who might find it difficult reading the original text of this classic novel.
Some of the language has been modernized, and is not what I'd expect a person living in Regency times would use, but that would be helpful for those who don't want to slog through archaic expressions in order to understand and appreciate the content of the novel.
Generally, I liked the artwork. The Bennet girls look suitably cute and adorable, Charlotte Lucas and Mary King look sufficiently plain, Bingley has the hair of an angelic choir boy, and Wickham is the best looking man in the crowd. Darcy does have a handsome and noble mien, but personally, I find that the depiction of his hair in most of the drawings...is a bit of a miss for me. There are three locks that seem to wing off in different directions. You kind of have to see it to understand...although I will say: shades of Dagwood Bumstead.
Like the 1995 BBC televised version of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth, there is a bit of a wet shirt scene in the manga version, although the appearance of Darcy in such a disheveled state occurs at a different point of the story than that of the television series. The manga is clean, although Elizabeth and readers get to see some glimpses of Darcy's six-pack. The Darcy fan-girl in me squeaked a bit! :P
I thought that this was a pretty good adaptation, and I enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend this for those who enjoy manga romance but don't want to see anything too provocative, and for those who might find it difficult reading the original text of this classic novel.
Friday 22 July 2016
Review: Wisdom to Know by Elizabeth Maddrey
Wisdom to Know, a novel by Elizabeth Maddrey, is the story about Lydia Brown, a preacher's kid who falls from grace by getting pregnant outside of marriage. She had given herself to a man who she thought would marry her, but it became apparent that he had no intention in doing so after she slept with him. Pride, shame, and fear prevent her from revealing the truth to her parents and her friends. She decides to get an abortion to cover up her mistake. However, guilt over her actions drives her into drug use to escape the emotional and spiritual fallout of her decision. Lydia also prostitutes herself in order to finance her drug habit.
Kevin McGregor has been in love with Lydia forever, and sincerely believes that the Lord has told him that Lydia is the woman that he's going to marry. However, he has been repeatedly friend-zoned by Lydia. He is overjoyed at the breakup between Lydia and her latest boyfriend, but senses, along with others in Lydia's family and circle of friends, that she is hiding something important from them.
Although he suspects that Lydia has been physically intimate with her previous boyfriend, he is still open to a future with her. However, the certainty he feels about God intending him to be with Lydia is tested when he finds out the entirety of the depths that Lydia has fallen.
Kevin also doesn't get to discover the entire truth at once; it is unfolded to him gradually over many months while God is working to heal Lydia of the pain in her life. Lydia isn't willing to tell the people closest to her about what she has done because of her fear of seeing their disappointment in her. She also fears being rejected by them. By the time Kevin finds out about the abortion, he has had enough; he feels betrayed beyond what he can bear. Since Lydia has repeatedly acted against the Lord's will, what is it if he rejects the Lord's will over whether he will take Lydia to be his wife?
Wisdom to Know is a story that alludes to the life of Hosea, a prophet who repeatedly took back an unfaithful wife. This is confirmed when Kevin tells the Lord that he is not strong enough to be like the Old Testament prophet, about a third of the way into the novel. I admire Elizabeth Maddrey for writing this story; I don't believe that it is easy to write about the topics that she has covered in this novel. To me, the plot was quite well planned out and developed. She certainly makes the focus of the novel center on the receiving and giving of grace. Lydia struggles to accept grace in light of the mistakes that she has made, and Kevin is challenged to give grace, even when it is difficult for him to do so.
There were a couple of things that didn't work for me about Wisdom to Know which may not matter to other readers. I had a few "show, instead of tell," moments while reading the novel, but those are a matter of preference. Also, there were sections where I found myself stumbling over the dialogue, but I recognize that this could be just my own personal expectations about how people should speak.
On the whole, I was quite impressed with the message of grace in Wisdom to Know. I could understand why Lydia did what she did, and I could also understand the anger and betrayal that Kevin felt when he discovered what Lydia had done. I liked how, in the plot, the Lord prepared Kevin for finding out Lydia's secrets regarding the abortion, because, sometimes, I think that the Lord does this in real life. He'll show His children something so enlightening and absolutely mind-blowing that raises them to the heights, and then they are challenged to actually live it out when they leave the mountain top experiences. In Kevin's case, God showed him the need for ministering to those who have been adversely affected by abortion, and then it became extremely personal when Kevin found out that Lydia was one of those in need. Will Kevin be able to grant Lydia grace so that they can have a future together?
Wisdom to Know is the first novel belonging to the Grant Us Grace Series, which also includes the novels, Courage to Change, and Serenity to Accept.
Kevin McGregor has been in love with Lydia forever, and sincerely believes that the Lord has told him that Lydia is the woman that he's going to marry. However, he has been repeatedly friend-zoned by Lydia. He is overjoyed at the breakup between Lydia and her latest boyfriend, but senses, along with others in Lydia's family and circle of friends, that she is hiding something important from them.
Although he suspects that Lydia has been physically intimate with her previous boyfriend, he is still open to a future with her. However, the certainty he feels about God intending him to be with Lydia is tested when he finds out the entirety of the depths that Lydia has fallen.
Kevin also doesn't get to discover the entire truth at once; it is unfolded to him gradually over many months while God is working to heal Lydia of the pain in her life. Lydia isn't willing to tell the people closest to her about what she has done because of her fear of seeing their disappointment in her. She also fears being rejected by them. By the time Kevin finds out about the abortion, he has had enough; he feels betrayed beyond what he can bear. Since Lydia has repeatedly acted against the Lord's will, what is it if he rejects the Lord's will over whether he will take Lydia to be his wife?
Wisdom to Know is a story that alludes to the life of Hosea, a prophet who repeatedly took back an unfaithful wife. This is confirmed when Kevin tells the Lord that he is not strong enough to be like the Old Testament prophet, about a third of the way into the novel. I admire Elizabeth Maddrey for writing this story; I don't believe that it is easy to write about the topics that she has covered in this novel. To me, the plot was quite well planned out and developed. She certainly makes the focus of the novel center on the receiving and giving of grace. Lydia struggles to accept grace in light of the mistakes that she has made, and Kevin is challenged to give grace, even when it is difficult for him to do so.
There were a couple of things that didn't work for me about Wisdom to Know which may not matter to other readers. I had a few "show, instead of tell," moments while reading the novel, but those are a matter of preference. Also, there were sections where I found myself stumbling over the dialogue, but I recognize that this could be just my own personal expectations about how people should speak.
On the whole, I was quite impressed with the message of grace in Wisdom to Know. I could understand why Lydia did what she did, and I could also understand the anger and betrayal that Kevin felt when he discovered what Lydia had done. I liked how, in the plot, the Lord prepared Kevin for finding out Lydia's secrets regarding the abortion, because, sometimes, I think that the Lord does this in real life. He'll show His children something so enlightening and absolutely mind-blowing that raises them to the heights, and then they are challenged to actually live it out when they leave the mountain top experiences. In Kevin's case, God showed him the need for ministering to those who have been adversely affected by abortion, and then it became extremely personal when Kevin found out that Lydia was one of those in need. Will Kevin be able to grant Lydia grace so that they can have a future together?
Wisdom to Know is the first novel belonging to the Grant Us Grace Series, which also includes the novels, Courage to Change, and Serenity to Accept.
Thursday 16 June 2016
Review: No Substitute by Susan Diane Johnson
No Substitute by Susan Diane Johnson is a title from White Rose Publishing, which is a division of the Pelican Book Group. I think that I've never read anything from White Rose before, so this was a new experience to see what their offerings were like. There are several free e-books offered on one of Pelican Book Group's webpages, so I'll have to check some of those out sometime in the future. What confused me was that the name of this publishing group is very similar to Pelican Publishing, which is a different entity that has the familiar pelican logo on its books. Pelican Book Group, however, publishes solely Christian imprints which mainly focus on fiction, whereas, Pelican Publishing publishes titles belonging to several different genres in fiction and non-fiction.
In No Substitute, Amy Welsh, is a (wait for it...) substitute teacher who is covering for another educator who is on maternity leave. She finds herself teaching a class which Shayna MacMillan is enrolled in. Shayna is not just any girl: she is the daughter of Amy's ex-boyfriend, Quentin, a man who Amy has never been able to let go in her heart.
Quentin, a widower, can't believe that Amy Welsh is back in town. She's the woman who has always owned his heart, and if he can get a second chance with her, he's going to take it. However, Amy is reluctant to pick things up with him again. She left town years before when she found out that Quentin had married another girl three months after he and Amy were supposed to elope when they were teens. Taking on the job in her hometown, Goose Bay, is a necessity since Amy can't find any teaching jobs elsewhere. The short term position is also giving her a chance to take time out to make a decision whether or not to accept a marriage proposal from Jared Parker, a man who is waiting for her answer in Issaquah, Washington, where Amy had built a life for herself since leaving Goose Bay.
Amy and Quentin are thrown together when Quentin requests her help in monitoring Shayna's interactions with a teenage boy, Bradley Baxter, whom Quentin does not approve of. Quentin is feeling inadequate to the task of raising a daughter who is growing up too quickly in his eyes. Spending time together draws our two protagonists together, but Amy still harbors anger and distrust towards Quentin. Why did he refuse to elope with her seventeen years ago even though he claimed to have loved her then, yet turn around and marry another girl so soon after his refusal to marry Amy?
I'd probably categorize this story as one where the protagonists are separated by a misunderstanding, circumstances beyond either's control, and secrets which Quentin does not feel that he can share without hurting his daughter or Amy. After reading the whole story, I wish that I could pick Quentin's brain over a few things. Without giving too much away, I understand why Quentin refused to elope with Amy, and I can confirm that he did love her then. However, I also don't understand why he didn't do a similar type of soul searching with the Lord over the question of whether or not he should have married the other girl as he did over whether or not to elope with Amy. From the novel, it seemed that he agonized with the Lord over doing the right thing with Amy, but we don't really hear whether he struggled in prayer with the Lord over marrying the second girl. Perhaps he did, and we, as readers, could make that assumption, but the vagueness over this point niggles me a bit.
The other thing that I wondered as I read the novel was why Quentin thought that he could actually continue to put off answering Amy's questions about what happened in the past, because we know that he will need to do it sooner or later if he truly wants to be with her. I kept thinking, "The truth will set you free! The truth will set you free!" If Amy loves him, she'll get over it and forgive him, even if she needs time to take it all in. However, Quentin is a man in denial: he knows what he needs to do, but he's afraid to lose her when he tells her. The irony is that he's going to lose her for sure if he doesn't tell her.
It's probably no surprise for you to know that I have a soft spot for stories that involve teachers. I enjoyed reading No Substitute, although at times, I wanted to strangle both protagonists at certain points for their stubbornness. You already know about what I thought about Quentin, but I haven't mentioned much about Amy. I liked her character. As a former teacher, it was a bit amusing to read about her experiences in school, because yes, kids sometimes act like the way they are described in the book. They can be silly, sassy, smart alecky, sly, fun, and fragile, although, probably not all at the same time. I liked Amy's patience with both students and adults (in other words, parents, and namely Quentin), but I wanted to shake her shoulders when her anger and hurt got the better of her when Quentin finally got around to talking to her about the past. Her reactions are not surprising, and it lent to the drama, but I was thinking, "Come on, Amy...he's finally going to tell you everything after putting you off for sooooooo looooonnnnnnggggggg...and you're going to walk out on him before I can find out what he's going to say!"
As I mentioned before, I liked reading No Substitute. I'd consider reading more from Susan Diane Johnson in the future.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "No Substitute" by Susan Diane Johnson from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
In No Substitute, Amy Welsh, is a (wait for it...) substitute teacher who is covering for another educator who is on maternity leave. She finds herself teaching a class which Shayna MacMillan is enrolled in. Shayna is not just any girl: she is the daughter of Amy's ex-boyfriend, Quentin, a man who Amy has never been able to let go in her heart.
Quentin, a widower, can't believe that Amy Welsh is back in town. She's the woman who has always owned his heart, and if he can get a second chance with her, he's going to take it. However, Amy is reluctant to pick things up with him again. She left town years before when she found out that Quentin had married another girl three months after he and Amy were supposed to elope when they were teens. Taking on the job in her hometown, Goose Bay, is a necessity since Amy can't find any teaching jobs elsewhere. The short term position is also giving her a chance to take time out to make a decision whether or not to accept a marriage proposal from Jared Parker, a man who is waiting for her answer in Issaquah, Washington, where Amy had built a life for herself since leaving Goose Bay.
Amy and Quentin are thrown together when Quentin requests her help in monitoring Shayna's interactions with a teenage boy, Bradley Baxter, whom Quentin does not approve of. Quentin is feeling inadequate to the task of raising a daughter who is growing up too quickly in his eyes. Spending time together draws our two protagonists together, but Amy still harbors anger and distrust towards Quentin. Why did he refuse to elope with her seventeen years ago even though he claimed to have loved her then, yet turn around and marry another girl so soon after his refusal to marry Amy?
I'd probably categorize this story as one where the protagonists are separated by a misunderstanding, circumstances beyond either's control, and secrets which Quentin does not feel that he can share without hurting his daughter or Amy. After reading the whole story, I wish that I could pick Quentin's brain over a few things. Without giving too much away, I understand why Quentin refused to elope with Amy, and I can confirm that he did love her then. However, I also don't understand why he didn't do a similar type of soul searching with the Lord over the question of whether or not he should have married the other girl as he did over whether or not to elope with Amy. From the novel, it seemed that he agonized with the Lord over doing the right thing with Amy, but we don't really hear whether he struggled in prayer with the Lord over marrying the second girl. Perhaps he did, and we, as readers, could make that assumption, but the vagueness over this point niggles me a bit.
The other thing that I wondered as I read the novel was why Quentin thought that he could actually continue to put off answering Amy's questions about what happened in the past, because we know that he will need to do it sooner or later if he truly wants to be with her. I kept thinking, "The truth will set you free! The truth will set you free!" If Amy loves him, she'll get over it and forgive him, even if she needs time to take it all in. However, Quentin is a man in denial: he knows what he needs to do, but he's afraid to lose her when he tells her. The irony is that he's going to lose her for sure if he doesn't tell her.
It's probably no surprise for you to know that I have a soft spot for stories that involve teachers. I enjoyed reading No Substitute, although at times, I wanted to strangle both protagonists at certain points for their stubbornness. You already know about what I thought about Quentin, but I haven't mentioned much about Amy. I liked her character. As a former teacher, it was a bit amusing to read about her experiences in school, because yes, kids sometimes act like the way they are described in the book. They can be silly, sassy, smart alecky, sly, fun, and fragile, although, probably not all at the same time. I liked Amy's patience with both students and adults (in other words, parents, and namely Quentin), but I wanted to shake her shoulders when her anger and hurt got the better of her when Quentin finally got around to talking to her about the past. Her reactions are not surprising, and it lent to the drama, but I was thinking, "Come on, Amy...he's finally going to tell you everything after putting you off for sooooooo looooonnnnnnggggggg...and you're going to walk out on him before I can find out what he's going to say!"
As I mentioned before, I liked reading No Substitute. I'd consider reading more from Susan Diane Johnson in the future.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "No Substitute" by Susan Diane Johnson from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Thursday 26 May 2016
Review: The Secrets She Kept by Brenda Novak
Brenda Novak's The Secrets She Kept is the sequel to The Secret Sister. The two novels make up the Fairham Island series, which, to date, covers the relationships of the Lazarow family. The Secrets She Kept is a "whodunit"/mystery/romantic suspense novel that mainly focuses on Keith, a prodigal son of sorts. Keith had been quite the wild sibling in the family, rebelling against an overbearing and abusive mother, and succumbing to drug addiction as a means to cope with his family's dysfunction. Five years ago, he walked away from his mother and her controlling ways to build a life for himself on the West Coast. He returns to Fairham Island when he learns of her death, which has been ruled a suicide. However, Keith can't accept that his mother, a woman who had always been proud about appearances, would commit suicide, because it would have been a sign of weakness.
I haven't read the first novel, but apparently, it involved a secret that Keith's mother, Josephine, had kept from him and his sisters. There are more secrets that are gradually revealed throughout The Secrets She Kept, and they are pretty shocking to the remaining Lazarows as they are discovered. They could mirror the front pages of tabloid newspapers. Financial troubles. Inappropriate photographs. Adultery. As the secrets are uncovered, it becomes apparent that Josephine Lazarow held very little sacred, not even her own family ties. It also starts to appear that Josephine did not commit suicide, but may have been murdered by someone whom Keith cares about.
Josephine had been a proud, stubborn woman who was unwilling to unbend, and would brow beat others to get her way, literally and figuratively. She also did things to fill her vanity, not caring about the havoc or maelstroms that would result from her actions. The destruction that she released on Keith led him to leave Fairham so that he could survive. Now clean, he returns to Fairham to determine whether Josephine was truly murdered, and if so, to catch who did it. However, returning to the island also causes him to confront his past with Nancy Dellinger, the woman who had loved him unconditionally when he was at his drugged up worst. Keith feels major regret toward Nancy. He knows that he was absolutely bad news to her in the past. Although he has cleaned up his life, he still feels incapable of offering her any semblance of a normal relationship, even though he is still drawn to her.
Nancy is a woman who has never gotten over the good looking, wealthy, bad boy who took everything from her, emotionally, physically, and financially. Presently, she is trying to find a marriageable man through online dating, but nobody can compare to the way she felt with Keith. When she meets Keith again, she tries to tell herself that she needs to maintain her dignity, and resist him, even though she knows that all he wants is a fling until the mystery of his mother's death is solved. Then he will return to the West Coast and leave her again, just as he had five years ago. For a woman who is thirty five and wanting to have children, Keith is not a good prospect. However, Nancy's lesbian sister, Jade, is Cupid's assistant, pushing Nancy and Keith together. Nancy's own heart betrays her, as she can't bring herself to feel that way with anyone else except for Keith.
The novel seemed to have two major plot threads. One was the mystery of Josephine's murder, and the other was the romance between Keith and Nancy.
As for the mystery, Ms. Novak did a fairly good job in deflecting characters as they came and went. I was kept in the dark until about three quarters of the novel when I started thinking about who had been brought out and discounted as possible suspects.
The novel is written in different third points of view. It definitely allowed the reader to see into the minds of different characters, and gave hints as to their innocence, except for one. This character, who was supposed to represent a person who Keith loved, but whom he feared was guilty, held a secret of her own. The reader was not privy to it until other characters exposed it. I found the revelation a bit jarring and felt a bit betrayed (maybe that's too strong a word...perhaps "bothered," would be a better one), because it showed that the character knew about her husband's betrayal at the time, yet she seemed to show uncertainty in her thoughts about it when the reader was allowed to look into her mind.
As for the romance, and as I mentioned before, Nancy is looking for a permanent love. However, Keith isn't, or at least, he doesn't think that he is. He considers himself too damaged by the dysfunction in his past to consider himself relationship material. After Nancy makes a declaration of love to him, he responds by saying, "I'd love you, too, if I was capable of it."
The Secrets She Kept is not a novel that I would have considered writing a review for, except for the fact that I won it through the Goodreads Giveaway program, and even though the program's policy says that I'm not obligated to leave a review, it is understood that it would be appreciated if one was given. So, here is where I will leave a few extra caveats for those who are uncomfortable with the following:
This is a secular novel.
If you are uncomfortable with reading about families which don't operate in conservative ways, then this is not the book for you. Although there are some characters that try and aspire to family unity and cohesiveness, reading about how Josephine Lazarow's actions impacted at least two family groupings got kind of depressing, especially considering what happened as a result. Everything was messy.
If you get frustrated with a man who holds a cavalier attitude towards casual sex without commitment, especially knowing that the female character is looking for something permanent, and he continues to pressure her to act against her conscience, even though he knows that he really shouldn't, then this is not the book for you. I suppose that it's supposed to be romantic that he couldn't help himself from pressuring her, but I'll call it as it is...that man is selfish.
And...if you are uncomfortable with reading sex scenes, considered yourself warned as there are a couple of them.
Before I close off this review, I'd like to mention something of interest to me. There is a reader's guide at the end of the book, and it contains questions for reflecting over the content of the book. However, I think these are interesting questions to think about even without reading the book; they are interesting enough that I want to repeat some of them here:
"One of the themes of this novel is forgiveness. What would you say each character has to forgive? And do you feel that being able to forgive will improve their lives? In what ways?"
"Some people handle adversity better than others. Why do you think that's the case? What makes the difference? How can one person thrive in spite of their difficulties while others get crushed beneath them?"
"At times, we suffer from the bad decisions of those we love. It often doesn't seem fair and can cause quite a bit of resentment. What are the dangers of harboring resentment? What's one way you believe we can overcome resentment?"
"Most people believe that, to a greater or lesser degree, forgiveness should be part of everyone's life experience. But is there a line beyond which we are justified in holding a grudge? Do you feel that certain characters in this story crossed that line? If so, which one(s)? Would you be able to forgive that person if you were in the same situation?"
"They say "time heals all wounds." Arguably, the same could be said for love. Do you believe that's true? Why?"
Finding these questions at the back of the book was kind of eyebrow raising. They captured my interest enough to look up Ms. Novak's biography online, and I discovered that she attended Brigham Young University for her studies. I wonder what her beliefs are. How much influence have they had in her writing and in the inclusion of these discussion questions in this novel? Given that Brigham Young University is connected to the Mormon Church/The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I would suspect that she may hold Mormon beliefs, which are different than mine.
Forgiveness, holding on through adversity, letting go of resentment, and the idea of love healing all wounds are fascinating things to think about. Unfortunately for me, I was left with a rather flat feeling after reading this book. I felt as if I was taken on a tremendous ride, but wasn't uplifted by the end, probably because I still felt blindsided by the mess that the characters found themselves with which they still would have to work through.
Without Jesus, I think that it would be too difficult to forgive and to let go of resentment. I don't even want to think about going through adversity without Jesus. I'm just going to say that I know with certainty that Jesus can heal all wounds. This review was difficult for me to write, because I was not certain about what I would say in it. I found the story troubling because I think that the characters have messy lives without God.
If mystery/romantic suspense novels strike your interest, and if you are interested in reading something that is clean, I would recommend reading Christy Barritt's Dubiosity.
Disclaimer: I was given an advanced uncorrected proof of Brenda Novak's "The Secrets She Kept" for free through the Goodreads Giveaway program. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
I haven't read the first novel, but apparently, it involved a secret that Keith's mother, Josephine, had kept from him and his sisters. There are more secrets that are gradually revealed throughout The Secrets She Kept, and they are pretty shocking to the remaining Lazarows as they are discovered. They could mirror the front pages of tabloid newspapers. Financial troubles. Inappropriate photographs. Adultery. As the secrets are uncovered, it becomes apparent that Josephine Lazarow held very little sacred, not even her own family ties. It also starts to appear that Josephine did not commit suicide, but may have been murdered by someone whom Keith cares about.
Josephine had been a proud, stubborn woman who was unwilling to unbend, and would brow beat others to get her way, literally and figuratively. She also did things to fill her vanity, not caring about the havoc or maelstroms that would result from her actions. The destruction that she released on Keith led him to leave Fairham so that he could survive. Now clean, he returns to Fairham to determine whether Josephine was truly murdered, and if so, to catch who did it. However, returning to the island also causes him to confront his past with Nancy Dellinger, the woman who had loved him unconditionally when he was at his drugged up worst. Keith feels major regret toward Nancy. He knows that he was absolutely bad news to her in the past. Although he has cleaned up his life, he still feels incapable of offering her any semblance of a normal relationship, even though he is still drawn to her.
Nancy is a woman who has never gotten over the good looking, wealthy, bad boy who took everything from her, emotionally, physically, and financially. Presently, she is trying to find a marriageable man through online dating, but nobody can compare to the way she felt with Keith. When she meets Keith again, she tries to tell herself that she needs to maintain her dignity, and resist him, even though she knows that all he wants is a fling until the mystery of his mother's death is solved. Then he will return to the West Coast and leave her again, just as he had five years ago. For a woman who is thirty five and wanting to have children, Keith is not a good prospect. However, Nancy's lesbian sister, Jade, is Cupid's assistant, pushing Nancy and Keith together. Nancy's own heart betrays her, as she can't bring herself to feel that way with anyone else except for Keith.
The novel seemed to have two major plot threads. One was the mystery of Josephine's murder, and the other was the romance between Keith and Nancy.
As for the mystery, Ms. Novak did a fairly good job in deflecting characters as they came and went. I was kept in the dark until about three quarters of the novel when I started thinking about who had been brought out and discounted as possible suspects.
The novel is written in different third points of view. It definitely allowed the reader to see into the minds of different characters, and gave hints as to their innocence, except for one. This character, who was supposed to represent a person who Keith loved, but whom he feared was guilty, held a secret of her own. The reader was not privy to it until other characters exposed it. I found the revelation a bit jarring and felt a bit betrayed (maybe that's too strong a word...perhaps "bothered," would be a better one), because it showed that the character knew about her husband's betrayal at the time, yet she seemed to show uncertainty in her thoughts about it when the reader was allowed to look into her mind.
As for the romance, and as I mentioned before, Nancy is looking for a permanent love. However, Keith isn't, or at least, he doesn't think that he is. He considers himself too damaged by the dysfunction in his past to consider himself relationship material. After Nancy makes a declaration of love to him, he responds by saying, "I'd love you, too, if I was capable of it."
The Secrets She Kept is not a novel that I would have considered writing a review for, except for the fact that I won it through the Goodreads Giveaway program, and even though the program's policy says that I'm not obligated to leave a review, it is understood that it would be appreciated if one was given. So, here is where I will leave a few extra caveats for those who are uncomfortable with the following:
This is a secular novel.
If you are uncomfortable with reading about families which don't operate in conservative ways, then this is not the book for you. Although there are some characters that try and aspire to family unity and cohesiveness, reading about how Josephine Lazarow's actions impacted at least two family groupings got kind of depressing, especially considering what happened as a result. Everything was messy.
If you get frustrated with a man who holds a cavalier attitude towards casual sex without commitment, especially knowing that the female character is looking for something permanent, and he continues to pressure her to act against her conscience, even though he knows that he really shouldn't, then this is not the book for you. I suppose that it's supposed to be romantic that he couldn't help himself from pressuring her, but I'll call it as it is...that man is selfish.
And...if you are uncomfortable with reading sex scenes, considered yourself warned as there are a couple of them.
Before I close off this review, I'd like to mention something of interest to me. There is a reader's guide at the end of the book, and it contains questions for reflecting over the content of the book. However, I think these are interesting questions to think about even without reading the book; they are interesting enough that I want to repeat some of them here:
"One of the themes of this novel is forgiveness. What would you say each character has to forgive? And do you feel that being able to forgive will improve their lives? In what ways?"
"Some people handle adversity better than others. Why do you think that's the case? What makes the difference? How can one person thrive in spite of their difficulties while others get crushed beneath them?"
"At times, we suffer from the bad decisions of those we love. It often doesn't seem fair and can cause quite a bit of resentment. What are the dangers of harboring resentment? What's one way you believe we can overcome resentment?"
"Most people believe that, to a greater or lesser degree, forgiveness should be part of everyone's life experience. But is there a line beyond which we are justified in holding a grudge? Do you feel that certain characters in this story crossed that line? If so, which one(s)? Would you be able to forgive that person if you were in the same situation?"
"They say "time heals all wounds." Arguably, the same could be said for love. Do you believe that's true? Why?"
Finding these questions at the back of the book was kind of eyebrow raising. They captured my interest enough to look up Ms. Novak's biography online, and I discovered that she attended Brigham Young University for her studies. I wonder what her beliefs are. How much influence have they had in her writing and in the inclusion of these discussion questions in this novel? Given that Brigham Young University is connected to the Mormon Church/The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I would suspect that she may hold Mormon beliefs, which are different than mine.
Forgiveness, holding on through adversity, letting go of resentment, and the idea of love healing all wounds are fascinating things to think about. Unfortunately for me, I was left with a rather flat feeling after reading this book. I felt as if I was taken on a tremendous ride, but wasn't uplifted by the end, probably because I still felt blindsided by the mess that the characters found themselves with which they still would have to work through.
Without Jesus, I think that it would be too difficult to forgive and to let go of resentment. I don't even want to think about going through adversity without Jesus. I'm just going to say that I know with certainty that Jesus can heal all wounds. This review was difficult for me to write, because I was not certain about what I would say in it. I found the story troubling because I think that the characters have messy lives without God.
If mystery/romantic suspense novels strike your interest, and if you are interested in reading something that is clean, I would recommend reading Christy Barritt's Dubiosity.
Disclaimer: I was given an advanced uncorrected proof of Brenda Novak's "The Secrets She Kept" for free through the Goodreads Giveaway program. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Monday 16 May 2016
Review: Differentiating Instruction With Menus - Science - 2nd Edition by Laurie E. Westphal
Once upon a time, I used to be a high school science teacher, however, I no longer work as one. However, I married a high school science teacher who has been using differentiating instruction in his junior and senior science classes. He didn't start out that way. In his initial years of teaching, he would teach all the students in a class with the same approach and expectations. For example, if he posted notes on the overhead projector, it was expected that all students would copy down the material exactly as they appeared on the screen. If he gave out a worksheet, it was expected that every student in that class would complete it. If he gave a project that required a model to be built to explain conceptual knowledge, every student was required to submit his/her own little work of art.
However, there were always some students who weren't motivated to complete the work assigned to them, and they were not always necessarily the same students, depending on the instructional method that had been used. In other words, there were students, who thrived with a lecture/note taking/worksheet approach, who bombed when they were presented with building models of cells. There were also students who mentally checked out when they were supposed to be copying the notes from the overhead screen, but who submitted beautifully detailed models of an atom or a plant cell, created with materials that many wouldn't have considered using.
After getting to a point in his teaching where he felt comfortable enough to do so, he started using differentiating instruction in order to capture the interest of as many students as he could. In a lay person's words, he started offering choices to his students with respect to how they could learn and show what they knew. For example, in the note taking situation, students had a choice of copying directly from the screen, or they had to follow along using worksheets that had most of the notes typed on them, but with key words/ideas missing that needed to be filled in. Sometimes, for assessment, students had a choice to either submit in paperwork, or if they had an aversion to that, they would be required to answer the questions orally in an interview. These choices may seem too simple, or even ridiculous to some people, but there were enough takers for every choice provided to consider them as legitimate options.
So, when the Goodreads Giveaway Program listed Differentiating Instruction With Menus - Science, by Laurie Westphal, I signed up for a chance to win the book, and I did. The book has a focus for teachers of grades 3 - 5 science, but I figure that if I ever return to teaching high school science, the principles behind using the methods described in this book would be useful to know. Apparently, this book is part of a series which also covers differentiating instruction with menus for math, language arts, and social studies for the elementary school level. There also appears to be a couple books in the series that also tackles differentiating instruction with menus for grades 9-12 in the areas of algebra and biology.
The book is divided into two major sections: the first part takes up about a third of the book and covers a general discussion and explanation about what menus are. The author discusses at least five of them. For example, one is a list menu which has predetermined choices, each with its own point value. Students can choose any number of options which have different weights and different expectations for completion time. The point total should equal to 100% and students can choose how they wish to achieve that total. The book also provides suggestions on how to use menus (for example, in mini-lessons). Also provided in this section are guidelines for using the menus and rubrics for assessment.
The second part, which makes up the remaining two-thirds of the book, contains actual menus for specific lessons under the categories of Physical Science, Biological Science, Earth Science, and Scientists and the Tools They Use. For each of these menus, there are introduction pages for the teacher, the content menu, and supporting activities for the section. There 8 sample lessons for the Physical Science section, 6 for the Biological section, 12 for the Earth Science section, and 3 for the Scientists and the Tools They Use section.
Because I have previously taught material that is presented in some of the menus provided for in the Physical Sciences section, I took a closer look at those particular lessons. For a couple of those lessons, I could have directly lifted them straight out of this book and used them in my classroom without making any alterations or modifications, even at a junior science level. However, there were lessons that I would have had to make changes for because they weren't a suitable fit content-wise or activity-wise.
In my opinion, the most valuable part of the book was the first third of the book, which provided the descriptions and explanations on how to use the menus, and especially the list of the products (Table 3.1 which lists activities that could be used in conjunction with the menus, such as an poster, model, making a commercial, etc.), and the guidelines detailing the requirements for the product. For example, product guidelines for a model may include the following requirements:
-the physical dimensions
-all parts labeled
-in a suitable scale
-title, information card
-name (because, yes, students have been known to not write their names down on work that they spent hours on!)
Again, because I taught at the high school level, the list of guidelines would need to be adapted and expanded for my class. However, it is nice to have a jumping point to start off from, and the author has provided project guidelines for at least 56 activities/products that could be selected for differentiating instruction.
I remember receiving a 3-4 page handout at teacher college listing Bloom's taxonomy and a list of about activities that could help promote learning. This book has a list of activities, possible guidelines/requirements for those activities, a couple of rubrics, and an example of a $1 contract form (to equalize that amount spent on these activities). Even if not all 29 sample lessons are directly usable, they could be adapted or used as models to construct lessons for use in the classroom.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of "Differentiating Instruction With Menus - Science" by Laurie Westphal for free from the Goodreads Giveaway program. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
However, there were always some students who weren't motivated to complete the work assigned to them, and they were not always necessarily the same students, depending on the instructional method that had been used. In other words, there were students, who thrived with a lecture/note taking/worksheet approach, who bombed when they were presented with building models of cells. There were also students who mentally checked out when they were supposed to be copying the notes from the overhead screen, but who submitted beautifully detailed models of an atom or a plant cell, created with materials that many wouldn't have considered using.
After getting to a point in his teaching where he felt comfortable enough to do so, he started using differentiating instruction in order to capture the interest of as many students as he could. In a lay person's words, he started offering choices to his students with respect to how they could learn and show what they knew. For example, in the note taking situation, students had a choice of copying directly from the screen, or they had to follow along using worksheets that had most of the notes typed on them, but with key words/ideas missing that needed to be filled in. Sometimes, for assessment, students had a choice to either submit in paperwork, or if they had an aversion to that, they would be required to answer the questions orally in an interview. These choices may seem too simple, or even ridiculous to some people, but there were enough takers for every choice provided to consider them as legitimate options.
So, when the Goodreads Giveaway Program listed Differentiating Instruction With Menus - Science, by Laurie Westphal, I signed up for a chance to win the book, and I did. The book has a focus for teachers of grades 3 - 5 science, but I figure that if I ever return to teaching high school science, the principles behind using the methods described in this book would be useful to know. Apparently, this book is part of a series which also covers differentiating instruction with menus for math, language arts, and social studies for the elementary school level. There also appears to be a couple books in the series that also tackles differentiating instruction with menus for grades 9-12 in the areas of algebra and biology.
The book is divided into two major sections: the first part takes up about a third of the book and covers a general discussion and explanation about what menus are. The author discusses at least five of them. For example, one is a list menu which has predetermined choices, each with its own point value. Students can choose any number of options which have different weights and different expectations for completion time. The point total should equal to 100% and students can choose how they wish to achieve that total. The book also provides suggestions on how to use menus (for example, in mini-lessons). Also provided in this section are guidelines for using the menus and rubrics for assessment.
The second part, which makes up the remaining two-thirds of the book, contains actual menus for specific lessons under the categories of Physical Science, Biological Science, Earth Science, and Scientists and the Tools They Use. For each of these menus, there are introduction pages for the teacher, the content menu, and supporting activities for the section. There 8 sample lessons for the Physical Science section, 6 for the Biological section, 12 for the Earth Science section, and 3 for the Scientists and the Tools They Use section.
Because I have previously taught material that is presented in some of the menus provided for in the Physical Sciences section, I took a closer look at those particular lessons. For a couple of those lessons, I could have directly lifted them straight out of this book and used them in my classroom without making any alterations or modifications, even at a junior science level. However, there were lessons that I would have had to make changes for because they weren't a suitable fit content-wise or activity-wise.
In my opinion, the most valuable part of the book was the first third of the book, which provided the descriptions and explanations on how to use the menus, and especially the list of the products (Table 3.1 which lists activities that could be used in conjunction with the menus, such as an poster, model, making a commercial, etc.), and the guidelines detailing the requirements for the product. For example, product guidelines for a model may include the following requirements:
-the physical dimensions
-all parts labeled
-in a suitable scale
-title, information card
-name (because, yes, students have been known to not write their names down on work that they spent hours on!)
Again, because I taught at the high school level, the list of guidelines would need to be adapted and expanded for my class. However, it is nice to have a jumping point to start off from, and the author has provided project guidelines for at least 56 activities/products that could be selected for differentiating instruction.
I remember receiving a 3-4 page handout at teacher college listing Bloom's taxonomy and a list of about activities that could help promote learning. This book has a list of activities, possible guidelines/requirements for those activities, a couple of rubrics, and an example of a $1 contract form (to equalize that amount spent on these activities). Even if not all 29 sample lessons are directly usable, they could be adapted or used as models to construct lessons for use in the classroom.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of "Differentiating Instruction With Menus - Science" by Laurie Westphal for free from the Goodreads Giveaway program. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Saturday 7 May 2016
Review: A Practical Partnership by Lily George
A Practical Partnership by Lily George is a historical romance that was released in February 2016 by Harlequin's Love Inspired line. It is a sequel to The Nanny Arrangement, which is a sequel to A Rumored Engagement. The three novels cover the romances of the Siddons sisters, Nan, Becky, and Susannah. A Practical Partnership is Nan's story about her relationship with John Reed, a man with a roguish past. It is a tale about opposites who are attracted to each other.
Nan is now the sole proprietor of the millinery shop in Tansley that she had previously shared with her sisters before Susannah and Becky made advantageous marriages of their own. Nan has always seen herself as being the plainest and most sensible of the sisters, and has resigned herself to the life of a spinster. However, with the arrival of a new French milliner in town, Nan has been facing competition for business, and is left wondering how she will be able to continue operating her shop. She desperately wants to avoid being a financial burden to her sisters.
John Reed has been reluctantly running his family's estate now that his father has passed on. The whole idea of assuming these responsibilities is simply not fun or enjoyable to him. However, he is forcing himself to do his duty. In his eyes, this also means launching his sister, Jane, into her London season, even though Jane has no wish to have one. When he sees how comfortable Jane is with Nan, he makes an offer to Nan: come with the Reeds to create Jane's wardrobe. Nan doesn't really want to leave her shop, but can't stay in Tansley if she is to work on Jane's wardrobe. However, with dwindling orders for her shop, Nan agrees to take up John's offer, and leaves town so that she can begin working with Jane at the Reeds' estate, Grant Park.
While Nan is at Grant Park, she discovers the reason why Jane doesn't wish to have a London season, in addition to discovering that John has depths beyond that of a debauched, carefree bachelor. John teaches her to have a bit of fun instead of being serious all the time. Being with him encourages her to dream of greater things for her life.
John finds himself growing intrigued with a woman who isn't going out of her way to attract his attention. However, being at Grant Park forces him to look deeply into the reasons why he doesn't want to take on the responsibilities of running the estate and why he is at odds with the Lord. Spending time with Nan helps him to find faith again. However, he finds it difficult to reconcile his romantic attraction to Nan with his perceptions about the class of woman that duty requires for him to marry, and unfortunately, Nan doesn't measure up to those demands. In addition, a situation arises which leads John to feel betrayed by Nan, making it difficult for him to trust her. Will this practical partnership ever grow into a romantic one?
I found A Practical Partnership to be a safe and clean read. For a man who supposedly has spent much of his life before in the pursuit of pleasure, I didn't find John to be much of a rogue. The hints of the romantic attraction between the two leads are dropped fairly early in the book, but John and Nan don't get anywhere near to a kiss until close to the end of the book. As for his prankster reputation...well...it seemed to be on the tame side. He came off as a fairly respectable person who might joke around a bit here and there, using a jovial cover to mask the anger that he had deep inside.
I liked Nan. She is a sensible and practical person, who has a dash of stoicism. She needs to loosen up, and John is able to get her to do that. It would seem that the two of them are able to bring out the best in each other.
Even though A Practical Partnership is the third in a trilogy about the Siddons sisters, I think that it can be considered a stand alone novel, as it can be understood and enjoyed without needing to read the other books for more background information.
Nan is now the sole proprietor of the millinery shop in Tansley that she had previously shared with her sisters before Susannah and Becky made advantageous marriages of their own. Nan has always seen herself as being the plainest and most sensible of the sisters, and has resigned herself to the life of a spinster. However, with the arrival of a new French milliner in town, Nan has been facing competition for business, and is left wondering how she will be able to continue operating her shop. She desperately wants to avoid being a financial burden to her sisters.
John Reed has been reluctantly running his family's estate now that his father has passed on. The whole idea of assuming these responsibilities is simply not fun or enjoyable to him. However, he is forcing himself to do his duty. In his eyes, this also means launching his sister, Jane, into her London season, even though Jane has no wish to have one. When he sees how comfortable Jane is with Nan, he makes an offer to Nan: come with the Reeds to create Jane's wardrobe. Nan doesn't really want to leave her shop, but can't stay in Tansley if she is to work on Jane's wardrobe. However, with dwindling orders for her shop, Nan agrees to take up John's offer, and leaves town so that she can begin working with Jane at the Reeds' estate, Grant Park.
While Nan is at Grant Park, she discovers the reason why Jane doesn't wish to have a London season, in addition to discovering that John has depths beyond that of a debauched, carefree bachelor. John teaches her to have a bit of fun instead of being serious all the time. Being with him encourages her to dream of greater things for her life.
John finds himself growing intrigued with a woman who isn't going out of her way to attract his attention. However, being at Grant Park forces him to look deeply into the reasons why he doesn't want to take on the responsibilities of running the estate and why he is at odds with the Lord. Spending time with Nan helps him to find faith again. However, he finds it difficult to reconcile his romantic attraction to Nan with his perceptions about the class of woman that duty requires for him to marry, and unfortunately, Nan doesn't measure up to those demands. In addition, a situation arises which leads John to feel betrayed by Nan, making it difficult for him to trust her. Will this practical partnership ever grow into a romantic one?
I found A Practical Partnership to be a safe and clean read. For a man who supposedly has spent much of his life before in the pursuit of pleasure, I didn't find John to be much of a rogue. The hints of the romantic attraction between the two leads are dropped fairly early in the book, but John and Nan don't get anywhere near to a kiss until close to the end of the book. As for his prankster reputation...well...it seemed to be on the tame side. He came off as a fairly respectable person who might joke around a bit here and there, using a jovial cover to mask the anger that he had deep inside.
I liked Nan. She is a sensible and practical person, who has a dash of stoicism. She needs to loosen up, and John is able to get her to do that. It would seem that the two of them are able to bring out the best in each other.
Even though A Practical Partnership is the third in a trilogy about the Siddons sisters, I think that it can be considered a stand alone novel, as it can be understood and enjoyed without needing to read the other books for more background information.
Friday 22 April 2016
Review: To Love a Stranger by Colleen Coble
To Love a Stranger by Colleen Coble is a historical western romance set in 1868. It's the story of Bessie Randall, a mail order bride from Boston, and Jasper Mendenhall, a soldier who is to be stationed in Fort Bowie, Arizona Territory. The initial conflict is that Jasper unwittingly and legally marries Bessie by proxy, thinking that she is actually her sister, Lenore, with whom Jasper had been corresponding for six months. In addition, Bessie doesn't know that she has legally married Jasper, because Lenore had impersonated her sister by using Bessie's name, even though she had mailed her own picture to Jasper. Lenore no longer wishes to join Jasper because she has met another man whom she has become interested in, and begs Bessie to take her place so that her deception will not be exposed to their parents and to society. Lenore asks her sister to make this sacrifice in order to save Lenore's reputation, which would be in ruins if word gets out about what she has done.
Bessie is the homelier sister. She has always longed for a man to love her and to have a family of her own. Compared to her pretty and vivacious sister who is surrounded by beaus, Bessie has been frequently overlooked by men. Even though she initially balks at participating in the deception, Bessie agrees to go west to join Jasper, partly because of her own desires and dreams. She hopes that he will forgive her, accept her as his wife, and eventually come to love her.
Jasper is pretty angry about the deception when Bessie arrives in Lenore's place. He can't understand why Bessie and Lenore didn't tell him the truth before Bessie travelled out west to meet him. When he discovers that Bessie had also been deceived by Lenore, he still wonders why she didn't write to clear up the mess, and wonders at her motivation in following through with the deception. It is difficult for him to trust her, even though he senses integrity in her character. He is also uncertain that Bessie's frail appearance will make it easy for her to survive on the trail and at Fort Bowie once they arrive there. He plans to consult an attorney to see what their options are after they travel to his new posting. Will Bessie be able to win Jasper's love so that he won't seek a divorce?
The plot seemed to allude to a Leah/Rachel/Jacob triangle. Bessie is the unattractive older sister who finds it hopeless to win the love of her husband because she fears that he loves the younger more attractive sister. She has issues with self acceptance because of her looks, which leave her vulnerable to doubts about whether Jasper could ever come to love her.
Jasper, on the other hand, begins to find that who he thought he wanted might not be the best for him as he gets to know Bessie better with each passing day. However, various circumstances arise which threaten their fledgling marriage.
When I saw To Love a Stranger on NetGalley, I snapped it up because it was written by Colleen Coble. I really enjoyed her contemporary novel, Tidewater Inn, but I didn't recall reading any of her historicals, so I was looking forward to reading this western romance. However, while I was going through To Love a Stranger, I kept thinking that it didn't seem to match my memories of what I expected a Colleen Coble novel to deliver, and after some digging on the internet, I found out that To Love a Stranger is being re-released by Thomas Nelson in 2016. It had originally been published by Heartsong Presents in 2000. Basically, I would say that To Love a Stranger is a decent story, but Tidewater Inn, released in 2012, is an even better written novel. You can tell the difference in Ms. Coble's storytelling over the years when you compare the two. If I had not known that Ms. Coble had written To Love a Stranger, I would have said that it was a fairly good story. I must confess that my opinion of To Love a Stranger is biased because of my previous experience with Ms. Coble's later book.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "To Love a Stranger" by Colleen Coble from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Bessie is the homelier sister. She has always longed for a man to love her and to have a family of her own. Compared to her pretty and vivacious sister who is surrounded by beaus, Bessie has been frequently overlooked by men. Even though she initially balks at participating in the deception, Bessie agrees to go west to join Jasper, partly because of her own desires and dreams. She hopes that he will forgive her, accept her as his wife, and eventually come to love her.
Jasper is pretty angry about the deception when Bessie arrives in Lenore's place. He can't understand why Bessie and Lenore didn't tell him the truth before Bessie travelled out west to meet him. When he discovers that Bessie had also been deceived by Lenore, he still wonders why she didn't write to clear up the mess, and wonders at her motivation in following through with the deception. It is difficult for him to trust her, even though he senses integrity in her character. He is also uncertain that Bessie's frail appearance will make it easy for her to survive on the trail and at Fort Bowie once they arrive there. He plans to consult an attorney to see what their options are after they travel to his new posting. Will Bessie be able to win Jasper's love so that he won't seek a divorce?
The plot seemed to allude to a Leah/Rachel/Jacob triangle. Bessie is the unattractive older sister who finds it hopeless to win the love of her husband because she fears that he loves the younger more attractive sister. She has issues with self acceptance because of her looks, which leave her vulnerable to doubts about whether Jasper could ever come to love her.
Jasper, on the other hand, begins to find that who he thought he wanted might not be the best for him as he gets to know Bessie better with each passing day. However, various circumstances arise which threaten their fledgling marriage.
When I saw To Love a Stranger on NetGalley, I snapped it up because it was written by Colleen Coble. I really enjoyed her contemporary novel, Tidewater Inn, but I didn't recall reading any of her historicals, so I was looking forward to reading this western romance. However, while I was going through To Love a Stranger, I kept thinking that it didn't seem to match my memories of what I expected a Colleen Coble novel to deliver, and after some digging on the internet, I found out that To Love a Stranger is being re-released by Thomas Nelson in 2016. It had originally been published by Heartsong Presents in 2000. Basically, I would say that To Love a Stranger is a decent story, but Tidewater Inn, released in 2012, is an even better written novel. You can tell the difference in Ms. Coble's storytelling over the years when you compare the two. If I had not known that Ms. Coble had written To Love a Stranger, I would have said that it was a fairly good story. I must confess that my opinion of To Love a Stranger is biased because of my previous experience with Ms. Coble's later book.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "To Love a Stranger" by Colleen Coble from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Thursday 14 April 2016
Review: Parting Secrets by Becky Melby and Cathy Wienke
I found Parting Secrets by Becky Melby and Cathy Wienke to be a surprise. I picked up the book as a freebie on Amazon yesterday. The title is from Heartsong Presents, an imprint that used to belong to Barbour Publishing. The imprint was purchased by Harlequin in 2012. Unfortunately, Heartsong Presents has since ceased being a published line, but many of its books are now appearing in e-book form as Truly Yours Digital Editions.
Parting Secrets has some interesting, uncomfortable, and complicated plot developments for a short Christian novel. For starters, the two protagonists, Jeanie Cholewinski and Steven Vandenburg, have a past, which resulted with Jeanie getting pregnant out of wedlock. That was challenging in itself, but the uncomfortable complication was that at the time, Jeanie was a seventeen year old high school student, and Steven was a 22 year old student teacher. When Jeanie realized that she was pregnant, she ran away to keep the pregnancy a secret from her family, and to protect Steven from being charged with statutory rape. She also left without telling Steven about the baby, and they do not see each other for almost thirty years.
Through what Jeanie and her mother would call "Godcidences," coincidences orchestrated by the Lord, Jeanie and Steven have been reunited at the wedding of their daughter. It is here where Steven finds out that Angel is his daughter and it's a bit much for Steven to take in. He struggles with the anger that he feels over Jeanie's abandonment and neglect in not telling him that he had a daughter. However, he still carries a torch in his heart for Jeanie after all these years, and now as a widower, he is free to finally pursue a much longed for relationship with her.
Jeanie, a baker, has had a hard life as a single mother. Her dream of becoming a teacher may be finally within her grasp when she enters a baking/pastry competition where the grand prize includes a nine month apprenticeship in France with a renown pastry chef. Now that her secret about Angel is finally out, she is ready to pursue this dream. She isn't ready to drop this in order to have Steven in her life. In addition, a dangerous man from her past is trying to pull her back into a dark lifestyle, one in which she had been trapped in for three years after she had left Steven. She cannot bear the thought of the exposure of this secret life being made known to her friends and family, especially to Angel and Steven.
Will Steven be able to convince Jeanie to give them a second chance? If Jeanie does choose Steven over the French apprenticeship, will Steven still want her after finding out what she did to survive in those mysterious three years? Will she also be able to protect Angel from the threats that the dangerous man is making?
SPOILER ALERT
At 176 pages, the authors have packed a lot into the plot with such limited room. There is plenty of foreshadowing about Jeanie's secret past, and although it wasn't exactly what I thought that it was going to be, her entrapment into and involvement in sexual exploitation added to the list of heavy topics that were touched on in this novel. Much of the emotional angst was centred on the fear that Steven would reject Jeanie once he finds out what she did during those three years. There was also Steven's turmoil over Jeanie's removal of his freedom to choose whether to go to jail for having sex with an under-aged female (and being reunited after his incarceration), or to have a life without Jeanie and Angel, a life that he always felt was second best.
If the novel were longer, I think that the story could have delved more into the guilt that our protagonists may have felt over their respective choices and actions. With a longer novel, I think that the issue of forgiveness could have also been developed further; Steven's anger over Jeanie's disappearance and withholding of Angel's existence seemed to be minimalized. Any anger or bitterness that the girls who were hurt by Jeanie during those dark three years seemed to be easily glossed over with the explanation that they knew and understood why she did what she did. Maybe, truly, people can be that gracious and forgiving, but it would interesting to think about what might have been if things were not that neat and tidy in the execution of this plot.
SPOILER ALERT OVER
As I mentioned before, Parting Secrets tackled quite a few taboo topics, making it a meatier novel than what I anticipated from such a short novel. The novel wasn't terribly heavy, but it had more substance in it than what I would have expected. I also found it intriguing that the protagonists were an older couple, rather the young'uns that appear in the majority of romances that are out in the market today.
Parting Secrets has some interesting, uncomfortable, and complicated plot developments for a short Christian novel. For starters, the two protagonists, Jeanie Cholewinski and Steven Vandenburg, have a past, which resulted with Jeanie getting pregnant out of wedlock. That was challenging in itself, but the uncomfortable complication was that at the time, Jeanie was a seventeen year old high school student, and Steven was a 22 year old student teacher. When Jeanie realized that she was pregnant, she ran away to keep the pregnancy a secret from her family, and to protect Steven from being charged with statutory rape. She also left without telling Steven about the baby, and they do not see each other for almost thirty years.
Through what Jeanie and her mother would call "Godcidences," coincidences orchestrated by the Lord, Jeanie and Steven have been reunited at the wedding of their daughter. It is here where Steven finds out that Angel is his daughter and it's a bit much for Steven to take in. He struggles with the anger that he feels over Jeanie's abandonment and neglect in not telling him that he had a daughter. However, he still carries a torch in his heart for Jeanie after all these years, and now as a widower, he is free to finally pursue a much longed for relationship with her.
Jeanie, a baker, has had a hard life as a single mother. Her dream of becoming a teacher may be finally within her grasp when she enters a baking/pastry competition where the grand prize includes a nine month apprenticeship in France with a renown pastry chef. Now that her secret about Angel is finally out, she is ready to pursue this dream. She isn't ready to drop this in order to have Steven in her life. In addition, a dangerous man from her past is trying to pull her back into a dark lifestyle, one in which she had been trapped in for three years after she had left Steven. She cannot bear the thought of the exposure of this secret life being made known to her friends and family, especially to Angel and Steven.
Will Steven be able to convince Jeanie to give them a second chance? If Jeanie does choose Steven over the French apprenticeship, will Steven still want her after finding out what she did to survive in those mysterious three years? Will she also be able to protect Angel from the threats that the dangerous man is making?
SPOILER ALERT
At 176 pages, the authors have packed a lot into the plot with such limited room. There is plenty of foreshadowing about Jeanie's secret past, and although it wasn't exactly what I thought that it was going to be, her entrapment into and involvement in sexual exploitation added to the list of heavy topics that were touched on in this novel. Much of the emotional angst was centred on the fear that Steven would reject Jeanie once he finds out what she did during those three years. There was also Steven's turmoil over Jeanie's removal of his freedom to choose whether to go to jail for having sex with an under-aged female (and being reunited after his incarceration), or to have a life without Jeanie and Angel, a life that he always felt was second best.
If the novel were longer, I think that the story could have delved more into the guilt that our protagonists may have felt over their respective choices and actions. With a longer novel, I think that the issue of forgiveness could have also been developed further; Steven's anger over Jeanie's disappearance and withholding of Angel's existence seemed to be minimalized. Any anger or bitterness that the girls who were hurt by Jeanie during those dark three years seemed to be easily glossed over with the explanation that they knew and understood why she did what she did. Maybe, truly, people can be that gracious and forgiving, but it would interesting to think about what might have been if things were not that neat and tidy in the execution of this plot.
SPOILER ALERT OVER
As I mentioned before, Parting Secrets tackled quite a few taboo topics, making it a meatier novel than what I anticipated from such a short novel. The novel wasn't terribly heavy, but it had more substance in it than what I would have expected. I also found it intriguing that the protagonists were an older couple, rather the young'uns that appear in the majority of romances that are out in the market today.
Tuesday 29 March 2016
Review: Plain Choice by Sarah Price
This review contains spoilers from the previous novels in the Plain Fame Series.
Plain Choice, by Sarah Price, is the latest in the Plain Fame Series which included Plain Fame, Plain Change, Plain Again, and Plain Return. Plain Choice picks up where Plain Return left off: Alejandro Diaz, the famous hip hop/rap artist also known as Viper, has returned to his life outside of Lititz, Pennsylvania, where his Amish raised wife, Amanda, is staying with his daughter, Isadora, the result of a one night stand before he met Amanda. Things don't look good for our protagonists. Against Alejandro's wishes, Amanda had returned to Lititz in order to give Isadora stability instead of the difficult and transient lifestyle that they would all have to face if they travelled along with Alejandro on his concert tours. Alejandro comes to realize that the life he offers for Amanda and Isadora may not be what his wife and daughter need. Though he loves Amanda dearly and wishes for her to be by his side as he tours the world, he also tries to contemplate how he might be able to let Amanda go so that she can return to the Amish world which she appears to be more comfortable in.
When Alejandro leaves Amanda behind in Pennsylvania, she realizes that their marriage is now in a precarious place, and waits in vain to hear from him, but Alejandro is already putting distance between them. The paparazzi have also been taking misleading photos of her and Harvey, the farmhand that Alejandro hired to help the Beiler family, and speculation about a relationship between them is appearing in the tabloids. Can Amanda's and Alejandro's marriage be saved?
I liked this novel the most out of the five that have appeared so far in the series, probably because I thought that Amanda finally did what made sense to me in light of the decisions that she made, especially in Plain Return. Although it is probably true that it was a good idea to return to the Beiler farm so that Isadora would have stability in her life, I did not agree with the way and the timing in which Amanda had left Alejandro. It may sound a bit too traditional and non-egalitarian, but I thought that Amanda had given Isadora a higher priority than Alejandro when she decided to leave him midway through the South American tour, especially against his wishes for her to remain with him. Even though Alejandro's suggestion of securing a nanny for Isadora was an unpleasant idea for Amanda, it would have kept the family together for the remaining three weeks of the tour, which isn't really that long, in my opinion. It would have bought them more time to really think about what they would do as a family, for the care of Isadora, and for the unpleasantness that Amanda faced from Alejandro's rabid female fans. At the end of Plain Return, when Amanda realizes that Alejandro might walk out of their marriage, she is willing to return to the tour with a nanny. However, by this time, he has already decided to set her free from his complicated lifestyle, ironically, because he now thinks that if he truly loves her, he should let her go so that she can decide how she wants to live. Unfortunately, he seems to believe that this means steering her back into the Amish life. Really, these two need to talk to each other and to listen to each other before jumping quickly into unwise decisions...but that would leave us without Plain Choice to read, eh? So, I won't tell you what Amanda decides to do; you'll have to read it for yourself.
I loved all the covers for the recent releases of the books in the series, but I thought that the cover for Plain Choice was really fitting. Alejandro is depicted with his right hand twisting his wedding band on the left hand, representing his choice of whether to continue with the marriage or to divorce Amanda. Amanda is depicted in her plain dress, but with her kapp in her hands, representing her decision of whether or not to leave the Amish world. The image of the Eiffel Tower represents the European tour that Alejandro is on, and the farm represents the Beiler farm where Amanda and and Isadora are staying at.
It was interesting to read of Alejandro's thoughts about his love for Amanda and how he viewed their marriage. Over the course of the series, I felt that he was actually quite lenient with her when it came to their separations. Amanda appeared to be to one who instigated most of these, placing her insecurity over Alejandro's clawing female fans, her family, and Isadora above remaining with Alejandro, who always seemed to long for her to stay with him. What I didn't like about Alejandro was that he acted disrespectfully toward Amanda in some of his business/career dealings, especially where they made her lose face before others. For example, I really wasn't impressed when he used footage of her without her consent on a tour in Plain Change, which made her look jealous of other women, or when he used photos along with false stories in order to circumvent the media interest in the appearance of Isadora in Plain Return. Knowing and loving Amanda has changed Alejandro, although by the end of Plain Choice, I'm still not certain about how far the changes reach in his life beyond his relationship with her and their family. The novel doesn't really address how far the lordship of Christ extends into his life, although he seems to acknowledge His presence more.
As in the previous books, starting with Plain Change, we have glimpses into Amanda's and Alejandro's intimate moments, or rather the moments leading up to those exchanges. While there are no overt descriptions of them actually having sex, I still felt as if I were intruding in their privacy.
I would not consider Plain Choice to be a stand alone book. The novel does resolve many of the plot threads that started in the previous books in the series. In my opinion, out of the five books, this one seemed to have the most overt references to faith beyond contrasting the worlds and practices of the Englische and the Amish. The series also gives an interesting view into the entertainment world that Alejandro inhabits. I liked reading the series, and have enjoyed following the love story of Amanda and Alejandro.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of Plain Choice by Sarah Price from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Plain Choice, by Sarah Price, is the latest in the Plain Fame Series which included Plain Fame, Plain Change, Plain Again, and Plain Return. Plain Choice picks up where Plain Return left off: Alejandro Diaz, the famous hip hop/rap artist also known as Viper, has returned to his life outside of Lititz, Pennsylvania, where his Amish raised wife, Amanda, is staying with his daughter, Isadora, the result of a one night stand before he met Amanda. Things don't look good for our protagonists. Against Alejandro's wishes, Amanda had returned to Lititz in order to give Isadora stability instead of the difficult and transient lifestyle that they would all have to face if they travelled along with Alejandro on his concert tours. Alejandro comes to realize that the life he offers for Amanda and Isadora may not be what his wife and daughter need. Though he loves Amanda dearly and wishes for her to be by his side as he tours the world, he also tries to contemplate how he might be able to let Amanda go so that she can return to the Amish world which she appears to be more comfortable in.
When Alejandro leaves Amanda behind in Pennsylvania, she realizes that their marriage is now in a precarious place, and waits in vain to hear from him, but Alejandro is already putting distance between them. The paparazzi have also been taking misleading photos of her and Harvey, the farmhand that Alejandro hired to help the Beiler family, and speculation about a relationship between them is appearing in the tabloids. Can Amanda's and Alejandro's marriage be saved?
I liked this novel the most out of the five that have appeared so far in the series, probably because I thought that Amanda finally did what made sense to me in light of the decisions that she made, especially in Plain Return. Although it is probably true that it was a good idea to return to the Beiler farm so that Isadora would have stability in her life, I did not agree with the way and the timing in which Amanda had left Alejandro. It may sound a bit too traditional and non-egalitarian, but I thought that Amanda had given Isadora a higher priority than Alejandro when she decided to leave him midway through the South American tour, especially against his wishes for her to remain with him. Even though Alejandro's suggestion of securing a nanny for Isadora was an unpleasant idea for Amanda, it would have kept the family together for the remaining three weeks of the tour, which isn't really that long, in my opinion. It would have bought them more time to really think about what they would do as a family, for the care of Isadora, and for the unpleasantness that Amanda faced from Alejandro's rabid female fans. At the end of Plain Return, when Amanda realizes that Alejandro might walk out of their marriage, she is willing to return to the tour with a nanny. However, by this time, he has already decided to set her free from his complicated lifestyle, ironically, because he now thinks that if he truly loves her, he should let her go so that she can decide how she wants to live. Unfortunately, he seems to believe that this means steering her back into the Amish life. Really, these two need to talk to each other and to listen to each other before jumping quickly into unwise decisions...but that would leave us without Plain Choice to read, eh? So, I won't tell you what Amanda decides to do; you'll have to read it for yourself.
I loved all the covers for the recent releases of the books in the series, but I thought that the cover for Plain Choice was really fitting. Alejandro is depicted with his right hand twisting his wedding band on the left hand, representing his choice of whether to continue with the marriage or to divorce Amanda. Amanda is depicted in her plain dress, but with her kapp in her hands, representing her decision of whether or not to leave the Amish world. The image of the Eiffel Tower represents the European tour that Alejandro is on, and the farm represents the Beiler farm where Amanda and and Isadora are staying at.
It was interesting to read of Alejandro's thoughts about his love for Amanda and how he viewed their marriage. Over the course of the series, I felt that he was actually quite lenient with her when it came to their separations. Amanda appeared to be to one who instigated most of these, placing her insecurity over Alejandro's clawing female fans, her family, and Isadora above remaining with Alejandro, who always seemed to long for her to stay with him. What I didn't like about Alejandro was that he acted disrespectfully toward Amanda in some of his business/career dealings, especially where they made her lose face before others. For example, I really wasn't impressed when he used footage of her without her consent on a tour in Plain Change, which made her look jealous of other women, or when he used photos along with false stories in order to circumvent the media interest in the appearance of Isadora in Plain Return. Knowing and loving Amanda has changed Alejandro, although by the end of Plain Choice, I'm still not certain about how far the changes reach in his life beyond his relationship with her and their family. The novel doesn't really address how far the lordship of Christ extends into his life, although he seems to acknowledge His presence more.
As in the previous books, starting with Plain Change, we have glimpses into Amanda's and Alejandro's intimate moments, or rather the moments leading up to those exchanges. While there are no overt descriptions of them actually having sex, I still felt as if I were intruding in their privacy.
I would not consider Plain Choice to be a stand alone book. The novel does resolve many of the plot threads that started in the previous books in the series. In my opinion, out of the five books, this one seemed to have the most overt references to faith beyond contrasting the worlds and practices of the Englische and the Amish. The series also gives an interesting view into the entertainment world that Alejandro inhabits. I liked reading the series, and have enjoyed following the love story of Amanda and Alejandro.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of Plain Choice by Sarah Price from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Tuesday 22 March 2016
Review: Plain Return by Sarah Price
Plain Return is the fourth installment of the Plain Fame Series by Sarah Price. It opens just a few weeks after Plain Again which ended with the protagonists, Amanda and Alejandro, reuniting and celebrating the New Year in New York together after being apart for weeks. Amanda's sister, Anna, and Anna's new husband, Jonah, have now taken over in managing the family farm and are able to care for Amanda's father who has been recovering from a stroke. Alejandro, also known as Viper, a famous hip hop artist, is about to embark on his South American tour, and wishes to take Amanda along, not only as a travelling companion, but also to participate in his concerts on the tour.
During the South American tour, Amanda finds it difficult to adapt to Alejandro's life when he is Viper. She is beginning to see how much calculation goes into building Viper's brand, a concept that she has difficulty in initially understanding. Because of her love for Alejandro and his wishes for her to be part of his world, she tries her best to be supportive of his work, even though she is uncomfortable with the revealing clothes, the suggestive dancing, and the female fans who throw themselves at Viper. More tension is introduced between her and Alejandro when his promiscuous past catches up with the present. Isadora, the five year old child he had out of wedlock through a one night stand, enters his life. Her mother is dead, and her grandfather is no longer able to care for her because he is dying. If Alejandro and Amanda do not assume responsibility for her, she will be taken to an orphanage.
How will Amanda's and Alejandro's marriage survive all the stressors that are acting upon it? Will Amanda adapt to things that she is uncomfortable with so that she can support Alejandro when he is Viper? Can she shrug off the attention that Alejandro receives from his more enthusiastic female fans? Can Amanda ignore the paparazzi and gossipy tabloids that present lies about the relationship between her and Alejandro? What will the two of them decide to do with Isadora? What if they both have different ideas on what should be done with Isadora?
I found that there was more mentioned about Amanda's private relationship with God in Plain Return than in previous books in the Plain Fame series. We are told that she spends a lot of time in prayer and devotions with the Lord, especially when she is not able to spend time with Alejandro, which happens much of the time when he is on tour. I can recall more specific prayers that she makes in this novel. However, as in previous novels, we don't really get a chance to read or hear any specific prayers that she may make for guidance from the Lord over important decisions that will have a huge impact on her marriage to Alejandro.
In Plain Return, Amanda has also come to realize that Alejandro may make professions of being Catholic, but has shown very few signs of living a life of spiritual devotion. She also can see that he may be too caught up in the pursuit of material things, with his love of luxury, his eye for every possible business opportunity, and his desire for the protection of Viper's brand. In this novel, Alejandro shows a more cold, calculating and manipulative side of himself. He can still be a charmer and shows his romantic side with Amanda, but the other half of his personality is more evident and present in Plain Return. I had actually expected that this development of Alejandro's personality would surface earlier in the series, but as it is, it has come out in the story arc at this point. Perhaps being on tour doesn't allow him much time to be anything other than the focused businessman who aims for success, a success that allowed him to rise above a life on the streets of Miami. Unfortunately, some of the things that he does and allows bring conflict into his relationship with Amanda.
I would not consider Plain Return to be a standalone novel, because it is a continuation of the story of Amanda and Alejandro which began in Plain Fame and which continued on in Plain Change and Plain Again. Their story is still not yet finished; a fifth novel, Plain Choice, is going to be released at the end of March, 2016.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Plain Return" by Sarah Price from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
During the South American tour, Amanda finds it difficult to adapt to Alejandro's life when he is Viper. She is beginning to see how much calculation goes into building Viper's brand, a concept that she has difficulty in initially understanding. Because of her love for Alejandro and his wishes for her to be part of his world, she tries her best to be supportive of his work, even though she is uncomfortable with the revealing clothes, the suggestive dancing, and the female fans who throw themselves at Viper. More tension is introduced between her and Alejandro when his promiscuous past catches up with the present. Isadora, the five year old child he had out of wedlock through a one night stand, enters his life. Her mother is dead, and her grandfather is no longer able to care for her because he is dying. If Alejandro and Amanda do not assume responsibility for her, she will be taken to an orphanage.
How will Amanda's and Alejandro's marriage survive all the stressors that are acting upon it? Will Amanda adapt to things that she is uncomfortable with so that she can support Alejandro when he is Viper? Can she shrug off the attention that Alejandro receives from his more enthusiastic female fans? Can Amanda ignore the paparazzi and gossipy tabloids that present lies about the relationship between her and Alejandro? What will the two of them decide to do with Isadora? What if they both have different ideas on what should be done with Isadora?
I found that there was more mentioned about Amanda's private relationship with God in Plain Return than in previous books in the Plain Fame series. We are told that she spends a lot of time in prayer and devotions with the Lord, especially when she is not able to spend time with Alejandro, which happens much of the time when he is on tour. I can recall more specific prayers that she makes in this novel. However, as in previous novels, we don't really get a chance to read or hear any specific prayers that she may make for guidance from the Lord over important decisions that will have a huge impact on her marriage to Alejandro.
In Plain Return, Amanda has also come to realize that Alejandro may make professions of being Catholic, but has shown very few signs of living a life of spiritual devotion. She also can see that he may be too caught up in the pursuit of material things, with his love of luxury, his eye for every possible business opportunity, and his desire for the protection of Viper's brand. In this novel, Alejandro shows a more cold, calculating and manipulative side of himself. He can still be a charmer and shows his romantic side with Amanda, but the other half of his personality is more evident and present in Plain Return. I had actually expected that this development of Alejandro's personality would surface earlier in the series, but as it is, it has come out in the story arc at this point. Perhaps being on tour doesn't allow him much time to be anything other than the focused businessman who aims for success, a success that allowed him to rise above a life on the streets of Miami. Unfortunately, some of the things that he does and allows bring conflict into his relationship with Amanda.
I would not consider Plain Return to be a standalone novel, because it is a continuation of the story of Amanda and Alejandro which began in Plain Fame and which continued on in Plain Change and Plain Again. Their story is still not yet finished; a fifth novel, Plain Choice, is going to be released at the end of March, 2016.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Plain Return" by Sarah Price from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Tuesday 15 March 2016
Review: Plain Again by Sarah Price
Plain Again is the third installment of the Plain Fame Series by Sarah Price. It is the immediate sequel to Plain Change which left the newlywed protagonists, Amanda Beiler Diaz and Alejandro (Viper) Diaz, facing forces that threaten their union just weeks into their marriage. Alejandro, a hip hop superstar, had plans for taking Amanda along on his tour. These plans have come to naught when Amanda returns to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to aid her Amish family in a crisis. Her father had suffered a stroke that leaves him unable to take care of the family's farm.
Amanda misses Alejandro dearly, but finds that she has missed the Amish life while she had been away for those short weeks. However, at the same time, she realizes that she has changed too. Even though she welcomes the familiarity of the simpler Amish way of living, she now views some parts of her Amish upbringing to be rigid and unaccepting. It also stings her to find that her people regard and treat her as though she is an outsider to the community because she has chosen to marry Alejandro and not be baptized into the Amish church. Besides coping with the rejection from people who had previously accepted her, Amanda must deal with the paparazzi who have returned to disrupt the quiet life in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Her Amish neighbours resent the intrusion from the outsiders and blame Amanda for it.
Alejandro is finding it difficult to be on the road apart from Amanda. He wants to show the world that he is happily married, but it doesn't take long for the paparazzi to discover that he and Amanda are not together and the rumours begin to swirl about a troubled marriage. It doesn't help that his manager, Mike, and a segment of Viper's fans prefer the previous bad boy persona that Alejandro portrayed to the public before his marriage to Amanda. Will Amanda's and Alejandro's marriage survive the separation and the threats that rise up against their marriage?
I found the spiritual journeys for Amanda and Alejandro to be rather interesting. In this novel, Amanda recognizes things that are culturally Amish but that may not necessarily be connected to a life saving faith. Amanda also sees God acting in her relationship with Alejandro, but Amanda's sister, Anna, still asks her a significant question: where God is in Amanda's life? This was a rather puzzling question, because it does seem as if God is moving in the background. However, while reading the books in the series, I have wondered how much Amanda has actually prayed to God for guidance over what to do. It seems to me that she didn't really ask Him for direction over what she should have done when faced with the intrusion of the paparazzi in the first book, Plain Fame. It didn't appear as if she asked God for guidance as to whether or not she should have left Lititz with Alejandro, or whether or not she should have married him. I don't think that she prayed about separating from Alejandro so soon into their marriage even though she is doing a good thing in helping her parents and sister. Perhaps it was meant for the reader to understand that Amanda did in fact pray about these decisions, but so far, it seems as if she decided these things on her own or got swept along by the circumstances into her present situation. Perhaps, by the grace and mercy of God, things will work out well for Amanda and Alejandro, even though they didn't consult much with Him over what to do.
As for Alejandro, I still think of him in the same way as I had while I was reading the previous two novels in the Plain Fame series: it feels as if he knows of Jesus, but I'm not convinced that he *knows* Jesus. He seems to be a nominal Christian, and there are still major areas of his life that could use Jesus' touch in it, especially in the content of his risqué songs and videos. If Alejandro is, in fact, a saved individual, then what he really needs to do is to get all of his life under the influence of Jesus. Maybe he needs more time to grow as a follower of the Lord. I hope that as the series unfolds, the details of whether he truly knows Jesus will become more clear.
I like Alejandro. As I mentioned in a previous review of the Plain Fame series, he is quite a romantic man. Alejandro wants to be better man because of Amanda. He isn't happy about the separation between Amanda and himself, but he tries to show that he supports her decisions. He hires a farm worker to assist on Amanda's parents' farm and a nurse to help care for her father. When the two of them are able to reunite, he pulls out all the stops to show Amanda how much he loves her. They are married now, and I didn't comment about their marriage in the review that I wrote for Plain Change because I thought that it would have been too much of a spoiler. Their intimate moments are not explicit, but the times leading up them...well,...sometimes I felt like looking away, because I felt as if I were intruding in private encounters only meant to be shared between the two of them.
I would not consider Plain Again to be a stand alone book, although it probably could do so just a *little* more successfully than Plain Change would. The conclusion of Plain Again has a satisfactory ending, if one decides to stop reading the series at this point; for a number of years, only the Plain Fame, Plain Change, and Plain Again had been published. However, Plain Return, and Plain Choice, the fourth and fifth novels of the series, have been released during the past few months. There are still some loose plot threads that haven't been resolved yet, and I still feel invested enough in Amanda's and Alejandro's story to want to find out what happens to them.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Plain Again" by Sarah Price from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in the review are mine.
Amanda misses Alejandro dearly, but finds that she has missed the Amish life while she had been away for those short weeks. However, at the same time, she realizes that she has changed too. Even though she welcomes the familiarity of the simpler Amish way of living, she now views some parts of her Amish upbringing to be rigid and unaccepting. It also stings her to find that her people regard and treat her as though she is an outsider to the community because she has chosen to marry Alejandro and not be baptized into the Amish church. Besides coping with the rejection from people who had previously accepted her, Amanda must deal with the paparazzi who have returned to disrupt the quiet life in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Her Amish neighbours resent the intrusion from the outsiders and blame Amanda for it.
Alejandro is finding it difficult to be on the road apart from Amanda. He wants to show the world that he is happily married, but it doesn't take long for the paparazzi to discover that he and Amanda are not together and the rumours begin to swirl about a troubled marriage. It doesn't help that his manager, Mike, and a segment of Viper's fans prefer the previous bad boy persona that Alejandro portrayed to the public before his marriage to Amanda. Will Amanda's and Alejandro's marriage survive the separation and the threats that rise up against their marriage?
I found the spiritual journeys for Amanda and Alejandro to be rather interesting. In this novel, Amanda recognizes things that are culturally Amish but that may not necessarily be connected to a life saving faith. Amanda also sees God acting in her relationship with Alejandro, but Amanda's sister, Anna, still asks her a significant question: where God is in Amanda's life? This was a rather puzzling question, because it does seem as if God is moving in the background. However, while reading the books in the series, I have wondered how much Amanda has actually prayed to God for guidance over what to do. It seems to me that she didn't really ask Him for direction over what she should have done when faced with the intrusion of the paparazzi in the first book, Plain Fame. It didn't appear as if she asked God for guidance as to whether or not she should have left Lititz with Alejandro, or whether or not she should have married him. I don't think that she prayed about separating from Alejandro so soon into their marriage even though she is doing a good thing in helping her parents and sister. Perhaps it was meant for the reader to understand that Amanda did in fact pray about these decisions, but so far, it seems as if she decided these things on her own or got swept along by the circumstances into her present situation. Perhaps, by the grace and mercy of God, things will work out well for Amanda and Alejandro, even though they didn't consult much with Him over what to do.
As for Alejandro, I still think of him in the same way as I had while I was reading the previous two novels in the Plain Fame series: it feels as if he knows of Jesus, but I'm not convinced that he *knows* Jesus. He seems to be a nominal Christian, and there are still major areas of his life that could use Jesus' touch in it, especially in the content of his risqué songs and videos. If Alejandro is, in fact, a saved individual, then what he really needs to do is to get all of his life under the influence of Jesus. Maybe he needs more time to grow as a follower of the Lord. I hope that as the series unfolds, the details of whether he truly knows Jesus will become more clear.
I like Alejandro. As I mentioned in a previous review of the Plain Fame series, he is quite a romantic man. Alejandro wants to be better man because of Amanda. He isn't happy about the separation between Amanda and himself, but he tries to show that he supports her decisions. He hires a farm worker to assist on Amanda's parents' farm and a nurse to help care for her father. When the two of them are able to reunite, he pulls out all the stops to show Amanda how much he loves her. They are married now, and I didn't comment about their marriage in the review that I wrote for Plain Change because I thought that it would have been too much of a spoiler. Their intimate moments are not explicit, but the times leading up them...well,...sometimes I felt like looking away, because I felt as if I were intruding in private encounters only meant to be shared between the two of them.
I would not consider Plain Again to be a stand alone book, although it probably could do so just a *little* more successfully than Plain Change would. The conclusion of Plain Again has a satisfactory ending, if one decides to stop reading the series at this point; for a number of years, only the Plain Fame, Plain Change, and Plain Again had been published. However, Plain Return, and Plain Choice, the fourth and fifth novels of the series, have been released during the past few months. There are still some loose plot threads that haven't been resolved yet, and I still feel invested enough in Amanda's and Alejandro's story to want to find out what happens to them.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of "Plain Again" by Sarah Price from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in the review are mine.
Wednesday 2 March 2016
Review: From Across the Divide by K. Victoria Chase
K. Victoria Chase is the author of From Across the Divide, an interracial romance that is set in Alabama during the 1960's. Besides differences in race, the couple in question must also traverse a divide in matters of faith.
Eric Montgomery has returned home after being away for five years. He's a bit of a prodigal, having lost faith in the Lord. He blames God for failing to save his mother from a fatal illness, and walked away from Him. In doing so, he stayed away from Alabama, not returning after he finished college, and went away to France for a few years. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to fill that God-shaped void with work, travel, or women. He decides to go home to assume responsibilities in his father's bank, a business that he will one day inherit.
Elnora (Elie) Brown is the best friend that Eric has left behind. She is delighted to have her childhood friend return, but is disturbed when she discovers that he has lost his faith. She wants to get her old Eric back, but besides seeing the differences in faith, it is becoming apparent that other things have changed between them: they are no longer children, and both are noticing a romantic attraction between a grown man and woman. Eric makes her heart race, but because he no longer believes, she must resist the temptation that he presents. Also, even if Eric believed, would he and Elie be able to have a romantic relationship in a society that won't accept one between a white man and a black woman?
I liked Elie. She is, in Eric's words, "feisty, passionate, (and) unyielding." She is earning a college degree so that she can become a teacher. She teaches at an unofficial school on the weekends to children who must work during the week in order to help support their families. She is involved in her church and in the equal rights movement. She's a law abiding citizen who loves the Lord.
Eric is, for lack of a better word, a rogue. He knows that Elie is attracted to him, and can't quite seem to stay away from her, even though she keeps turning him down. He's used to women falling down at his feet, so he's a bit out to sea as to how to court Elie. I didn't quite like it that he seemed to think that simply kissing her repeatedly to wear down her resistance was an acceptable mode of courting, but like I said, he's a rogue who needed to ask for advice from his father, Morgan, on what to do with his feelings for Elie. That was an interesting conversation. We discover that Morgan is all for Eric and Elie having a relationship, and that the Montgomery men have...egos when it comes to wooing women. Anyways, Eric gets it right; the biggest impediment between him and Elie is really his lack of faith.
I also found it interesting that while Morgan didn't have any problem with the idea of Eric and Elie being together, Elie's parents, Miss Hattie, the Montgomery's housekeeper, and Michael, one of Elie's "acceptable" suitors, did have issues with marrying out of one's race. They have their reasons, which seems to run the gamut of wanting to spare the younger people from prejudice and non-acceptance from both cultures, knowing what they perceive to "be their place," and from their own prejudices against the other culture. None of these reasons seemed to include one very significant thing which I suspect Morgan knows: that if something is of God, and if He wills it, He can make a way for it, even for something that people consider to be impossible, inconvenient, and offensive. This suspicion is because of something Morgan says to Eric when the son tells his father that the Browns don't approve of Eric as a suitor for Elie because he is white.
"I wasn't aware they felt this way about us."
"That I'm not good enough for their daughter?"
"No." The sadness in Morgan's eyes tore at Eric's heart. "That she isn't good enough for you."
When I read those lines, I was as surprised as Eric, who blinked in shock in the text. But then I realized that Morgan is right. Elie is good enough for Eric, but her parents want to protect her from the difficulties and prejudice that their union will bring, because we are talking about what society was like. At this point of the novel, they don't believe enough that if God has called Eric and Elie to be together, and that if Eric and Elie are firmly grounded in their identities as children of God, that they will be able to have a successful marriage in spite of any worldly opposition that may come their way.
I enjoyed reading this novel; I found it to be educational because of the history. I also found it to be romantic and fairly clean. I'm not sure if this novel is intended to be the start of a series, but if it is, I would love to find out what happens to Michael and Amanda, a woman who Eric turns away when he realizes that he wants Elie.
Eric Montgomery has returned home after being away for five years. He's a bit of a prodigal, having lost faith in the Lord. He blames God for failing to save his mother from a fatal illness, and walked away from Him. In doing so, he stayed away from Alabama, not returning after he finished college, and went away to France for a few years. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to fill that God-shaped void with work, travel, or women. He decides to go home to assume responsibilities in his father's bank, a business that he will one day inherit.
Elnora (Elie) Brown is the best friend that Eric has left behind. She is delighted to have her childhood friend return, but is disturbed when she discovers that he has lost his faith. She wants to get her old Eric back, but besides seeing the differences in faith, it is becoming apparent that other things have changed between them: they are no longer children, and both are noticing a romantic attraction between a grown man and woman. Eric makes her heart race, but because he no longer believes, she must resist the temptation that he presents. Also, even if Eric believed, would he and Elie be able to have a romantic relationship in a society that won't accept one between a white man and a black woman?
I liked Elie. She is, in Eric's words, "feisty, passionate, (and) unyielding." She is earning a college degree so that she can become a teacher. She teaches at an unofficial school on the weekends to children who must work during the week in order to help support their families. She is involved in her church and in the equal rights movement. She's a law abiding citizen who loves the Lord.
Eric is, for lack of a better word, a rogue. He knows that Elie is attracted to him, and can't quite seem to stay away from her, even though she keeps turning him down. He's used to women falling down at his feet, so he's a bit out to sea as to how to court Elie. I didn't quite like it that he seemed to think that simply kissing her repeatedly to wear down her resistance was an acceptable mode of courting, but like I said, he's a rogue who needed to ask for advice from his father, Morgan, on what to do with his feelings for Elie. That was an interesting conversation. We discover that Morgan is all for Eric and Elie having a relationship, and that the Montgomery men have...egos when it comes to wooing women. Anyways, Eric gets it right; the biggest impediment between him and Elie is really his lack of faith.
I also found it interesting that while Morgan didn't have any problem with the idea of Eric and Elie being together, Elie's parents, Miss Hattie, the Montgomery's housekeeper, and Michael, one of Elie's "acceptable" suitors, did have issues with marrying out of one's race. They have their reasons, which seems to run the gamut of wanting to spare the younger people from prejudice and non-acceptance from both cultures, knowing what they perceive to "be their place," and from their own prejudices against the other culture. None of these reasons seemed to include one very significant thing which I suspect Morgan knows: that if something is of God, and if He wills it, He can make a way for it, even for something that people consider to be impossible, inconvenient, and offensive. This suspicion is because of something Morgan says to Eric when the son tells his father that the Browns don't approve of Eric as a suitor for Elie because he is white.
"I wasn't aware they felt this way about us."
"That I'm not good enough for their daughter?"
"No." The sadness in Morgan's eyes tore at Eric's heart. "That she isn't good enough for you."
When I read those lines, I was as surprised as Eric, who blinked in shock in the text. But then I realized that Morgan is right. Elie is good enough for Eric, but her parents want to protect her from the difficulties and prejudice that their union will bring, because we are talking about what society was like. At this point of the novel, they don't believe enough that if God has called Eric and Elie to be together, and that if Eric and Elie are firmly grounded in their identities as children of God, that they will be able to have a successful marriage in spite of any worldly opposition that may come their way.
I enjoyed reading this novel; I found it to be educational because of the history. I also found it to be romantic and fairly clean. I'm not sure if this novel is intended to be the start of a series, but if it is, I would love to find out what happens to Michael and Amanda, a woman who Eric turns away when he realizes that he wants Elie.
Thursday 18 February 2016
Review: A Spy's Devotion by Melanie Dickerson
Melanie Dickerson's A Spy's Devotion is a historical that is set in regency times. It's the story about a poor relation, a person who is financially dependent on extended family for their survival and well being. In this novel, the poor relation is Julia Grey, who lives with her Uncle Robert Wilhern, his wife, and daughter, Phoebe. Julia serves as Phoebe's companion, trying to restrain her cousin's impulsive behaviour towards an eligible gentleman, Mr. Nicholas Langdon. The entire Wilhern Family wants to help Phoebe get her heart's desire. Julia must also make a match soon so that she can avoid being cast off from the family to be a governess as soon as Phoebe gets married.
At a ball, Julia gets a chance to dance with Mr. Langdon, and she realizes that she could also develop an attraction towards this man. Not wanting to hurt her cousin or invite the displeasure of her aunt and uncle, Julia tries to keep her distance from him, but Mr. Langdon seems to single her out over her cousin. Julia reminded me of Elinor Dashwood from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, as she is quick to recognize the inappropriate displays of Phoebe's emotions. Like Elinor, Julia tries to hide her feelings for a man who she realizes must be unavailable to her because of the expectations of others.
Nicholas is on furlough, recovering from injuries that he sustained while fighting on the Peninsula, and had been expecting to rejoin his regiment soon. However, an important document to the War Office had been stolen from him which contained coded information about a war plot against the British. The primary suspects for the theft are Robert Wilhern and one of Julia's suitors, Mr. Edgerton, a man who Julia feels uncomfortable with. Nicholas' superiors want him to discover if Julia's uncle and Mr. Edgerton are responsible for the disappearance of the diary and whether they are guilty of treason. His leaders suggest that he take advantage of Phoebe's interest in him to get close enough to the Wilhern Family so that he can spy on them.
Nicholas is a man who has been burned by love in the past when his ex-fiancée jilted him to marry a wealthier older gentleman. However, he can't seem to keep his attention away from Julia. He's an honourable man who is a bit of a stickler for propriety; he refuses to dance with any female twice at a ball, not wanting to raise any woman's hopes unnecessarily. Somehow he manages to break his own rule and dances with Julia twice one evening, which earns Julia the ire of the entire Wilhern Family. Through his investigations of her uncle, he manages to spend time with her, even convincing her to spy on her own family on his behalf.
Will Nicholas be able to recover the missing document and apprehend the people who stole it? Will he enter into a relationship with Phoebe so that he can spy on the Wilhern Family more easily? Will Nicholas be able to complete his mission in another way and win Julia's heart? Will Julia be able to avoid marriage to Mr. Edgerton? Will she need to give up her hope for marriage and become a governess in order to survive?
As I mentioned before, the novel is set in regency times, but it feels more like what I'd call a historical. I feel that a typical regency romance usually tells the story of a light hearted romp with witticisms peppered throughout the tale. A Spy's Devotion feels more serious; however, it touches on a common theme that often appears in regencies: the necessity for members of the ton and gentry to attempt to make the best match for marriage, ideally to someone who has acceptable social connections and wealth, or face financial hardship. Other characteristics typical of regencies that appear in this story is the importance of maintaining a pristine reputation and avoiding compromising situations that could lead to social disgrace or ruin. Of course, A Spy's Devotion also contains espionage, treason and the possibility of invasion from Napoleon.
I didn't think that the characters experienced a lot of character growth. The plot unfolded and things happened to Nicholas and Julia that threatened to keep them apart. They prayed, but the prayers only reflected that they were people of faith. I found that A Spy's Devotion was more of a story in which I read to see what would happen next and to see whether Nicholas and Julia would get together in the end. Nevertheless, I found the novel enjoyable to read, and am glad to know of another author who writes Christian historicals.
Disclaimer: I was provided with an e-copy of A Spy's Devotion from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
At a ball, Julia gets a chance to dance with Mr. Langdon, and she realizes that she could also develop an attraction towards this man. Not wanting to hurt her cousin or invite the displeasure of her aunt and uncle, Julia tries to keep her distance from him, but Mr. Langdon seems to single her out over her cousin. Julia reminded me of Elinor Dashwood from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, as she is quick to recognize the inappropriate displays of Phoebe's emotions. Like Elinor, Julia tries to hide her feelings for a man who she realizes must be unavailable to her because of the expectations of others.
Nicholas is on furlough, recovering from injuries that he sustained while fighting on the Peninsula, and had been expecting to rejoin his regiment soon. However, an important document to the War Office had been stolen from him which contained coded information about a war plot against the British. The primary suspects for the theft are Robert Wilhern and one of Julia's suitors, Mr. Edgerton, a man who Julia feels uncomfortable with. Nicholas' superiors want him to discover if Julia's uncle and Mr. Edgerton are responsible for the disappearance of the diary and whether they are guilty of treason. His leaders suggest that he take advantage of Phoebe's interest in him to get close enough to the Wilhern Family so that he can spy on them.
Nicholas is a man who has been burned by love in the past when his ex-fiancée jilted him to marry a wealthier older gentleman. However, he can't seem to keep his attention away from Julia. He's an honourable man who is a bit of a stickler for propriety; he refuses to dance with any female twice at a ball, not wanting to raise any woman's hopes unnecessarily. Somehow he manages to break his own rule and dances with Julia twice one evening, which earns Julia the ire of the entire Wilhern Family. Through his investigations of her uncle, he manages to spend time with her, even convincing her to spy on her own family on his behalf.
Will Nicholas be able to recover the missing document and apprehend the people who stole it? Will he enter into a relationship with Phoebe so that he can spy on the Wilhern Family more easily? Will Nicholas be able to complete his mission in another way and win Julia's heart? Will Julia be able to avoid marriage to Mr. Edgerton? Will she need to give up her hope for marriage and become a governess in order to survive?
As I mentioned before, the novel is set in regency times, but it feels more like what I'd call a historical. I feel that a typical regency romance usually tells the story of a light hearted romp with witticisms peppered throughout the tale. A Spy's Devotion feels more serious; however, it touches on a common theme that often appears in regencies: the necessity for members of the ton and gentry to attempt to make the best match for marriage, ideally to someone who has acceptable social connections and wealth, or face financial hardship. Other characteristics typical of regencies that appear in this story is the importance of maintaining a pristine reputation and avoiding compromising situations that could lead to social disgrace or ruin. Of course, A Spy's Devotion also contains espionage, treason and the possibility of invasion from Napoleon.
I didn't think that the characters experienced a lot of character growth. The plot unfolded and things happened to Nicholas and Julia that threatened to keep them apart. They prayed, but the prayers only reflected that they were people of faith. I found that A Spy's Devotion was more of a story in which I read to see what would happen next and to see whether Nicholas and Julia would get together in the end. Nevertheless, I found the novel enjoyable to read, and am glad to know of another author who writes Christian historicals.
Disclaimer: I was provided with an e-copy of A Spy's Devotion from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Monday 1 February 2016
Review: Perfect Alibi by Melody Carlson
I've been away for two months.
Two words.
Writer's block.
I found it difficult to get myself to sit down in front of a computer to write a review, so I finally did it the old fashioned way. I wrote using a notebook and pen, away from the computer, and I was able to get something down on paper.
Anyways, I'm back with a review of a Love Inspired Romantic Suspense novel titled, Perfect Alibi, by Melody Carlson, who has written over 200 books. I've reviewed one of her previous books, Trading Secrets, which was a young adult novel, but she also writes for older audiences.
In Perfect Alibi, Mallory Myers, a young Portland journalist, flees to her hometown of Clover. She is trying to escape the nightmarish discovery in her apartment where she found the body of her best friend, Kestra. Kestra had been murdered there and Mallory fears that she is next. Mallory is certain that she knows who the murderer is: her ex-boyfriend, Brock Dennison, a popular news-anchor of a Portland television station. When she voices her suspicions to the police, she faces disbelief and skepticism. Instead, she comes to realize that she is considered to be the primary suspect for Kestra's murder.
On top of that, Mallory is still receiving death threats, which started when she first broke up with Brock. The threats follow her to Clover. No one believes in Mallory's innocence because everyone thinks that she is making up the threats in order to throw off suspicions from herself.
The exception is Fire Chief Logan McDaniel, one of Mallory's former high school classmates. He had been interested in her romantically in the past, but hadn't acted on his attraction then. His protective instincts are roused when he sees the threats made against Mallory. The threatening texts indicate that her harasser is physically nearby and is able to find Mallory even when she is supposedly in seclusion.
Brock Dennison has the perfect alibi. How could he have murdered Kestra when he was on the air, delivering that evening's newscast? It also doesn't make sense that Brock could be the author of the threatening texts when he is Portland, which is located three hours away from Clover.
Will Mallory and Logan be able to expose Kendra's real murderer and prove Mallory's innocence? Will Logan be able to protect Mallory from being killed next? Is Mallory trying to deceive everyone so that she can get away with murder?
I thought that the novel was okay. The female and male protagonists were both believers, and they didn't seem to be suffering crises of faith. The conflict seemed to be more about whether Mallory could prove her innocence to the the rest of the world, including to Logan, who found himself doubting her every once in a while. Perfect Alibi is a basic inspirational, romantic suspense novel with believing protagonists, and I didn't think that either of the central characters experienced huge development or growth in their faith after their adventures concluded.
As with Love Inspired's practice, the Bible verse inscribed on one of the first few pages of this novel reads, "Be gracious to me, O God...for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by." (Psalm 57:1 NASB) The verse describes what Mallory must do in order to get through the circumstances that she finds herself in.
I found the book to be entertaining, and enjoyed the ride that I had with Mallory and Logan in Perfect Alibi. I would probably read more of Ms. Carlson's romantic suspense novels in the future.
Two words.
Writer's block.
I found it difficult to get myself to sit down in front of a computer to write a review, so I finally did it the old fashioned way. I wrote using a notebook and pen, away from the computer, and I was able to get something down on paper.
Anyways, I'm back with a review of a Love Inspired Romantic Suspense novel titled, Perfect Alibi, by Melody Carlson, who has written over 200 books. I've reviewed one of her previous books, Trading Secrets, which was a young adult novel, but she also writes for older audiences.
In Perfect Alibi, Mallory Myers, a young Portland journalist, flees to her hometown of Clover. She is trying to escape the nightmarish discovery in her apartment where she found the body of her best friend, Kestra. Kestra had been murdered there and Mallory fears that she is next. Mallory is certain that she knows who the murderer is: her ex-boyfriend, Brock Dennison, a popular news-anchor of a Portland television station. When she voices her suspicions to the police, she faces disbelief and skepticism. Instead, she comes to realize that she is considered to be the primary suspect for Kestra's murder.
On top of that, Mallory is still receiving death threats, which started when she first broke up with Brock. The threats follow her to Clover. No one believes in Mallory's innocence because everyone thinks that she is making up the threats in order to throw off suspicions from herself.
The exception is Fire Chief Logan McDaniel, one of Mallory's former high school classmates. He had been interested in her romantically in the past, but hadn't acted on his attraction then. His protective instincts are roused when he sees the threats made against Mallory. The threatening texts indicate that her harasser is physically nearby and is able to find Mallory even when she is supposedly in seclusion.
Brock Dennison has the perfect alibi. How could he have murdered Kestra when he was on the air, delivering that evening's newscast? It also doesn't make sense that Brock could be the author of the threatening texts when he is Portland, which is located three hours away from Clover.
Will Mallory and Logan be able to expose Kendra's real murderer and prove Mallory's innocence? Will Logan be able to protect Mallory from being killed next? Is Mallory trying to deceive everyone so that she can get away with murder?
I thought that the novel was okay. The female and male protagonists were both believers, and they didn't seem to be suffering crises of faith. The conflict seemed to be more about whether Mallory could prove her innocence to the the rest of the world, including to Logan, who found himself doubting her every once in a while. Perfect Alibi is a basic inspirational, romantic suspense novel with believing protagonists, and I didn't think that either of the central characters experienced huge development or growth in their faith after their adventures concluded.
As with Love Inspired's practice, the Bible verse inscribed on one of the first few pages of this novel reads, "Be gracious to me, O God...for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by." (Psalm 57:1 NASB) The verse describes what Mallory must do in order to get through the circumstances that she finds herself in.
I found the book to be entertaining, and enjoyed the ride that I had with Mallory and Logan in Perfect Alibi. I would probably read more of Ms. Carlson's romantic suspense novels in the future.
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