Book Review - The Miner's Lady

 

 

The Miner's Lady

by Tracie Peterson

 

 

Ely, Minnesota 1890 - The Panetta and Calarco families have been feuding for generations.  What will happen when Chantal Panetta's sister Isabella falls in love with Orlando Calarco, who reciprocates the feeling?  What lengths will Dante Calarco go to keep his younger brother marrying a Panetta?

 

This book is rather like the classic Romeo and Juliet story, except the ending is much better.  I enjoyed it but it was quite predictable.  There were a few twists that kept me guessing for a few pages.  My favourite character was Mrs Barbato (Nonna Barbato), Dante and Orlando's grandmother.

 

I would recommend this book to someone who was looking for a nice, light read.

 

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

Please note: I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in return for my honest review.

 

Book Review - Into the Whirlwind

 

Into the Whirlwind

by Elizabeth Camden

 

 

 

Chicago 1871 - Mollie Knox, expert watchmaker and owner of the 57th Illinois Watch Company, is enjoying the benefits of the city's wealth.  Her business dealings with Louis Hartman's grand Chicago department store assure her of a market for her fine watches.  But change is in the wind.  When disaster strikes, who will she turn to?  Who can she trust?

 

This is the second book I have read by Elizabeth Camden and I enjoyed it very much.  The author has obviously put a lot of research into the historical background of the story and I appreciate that.  I enjoy historical fiction that uses authentic details and likely scenarios rather than over romanticising the past.  I'm not sure how many women owned businesses of the scale of Mollie's watch company in America in 1871, but the explanation that her father began the company and left it to her when he passed away seems plausible enough.

 

The characters are quite interesting and there is good character development even among the secondary figures.  There is one character who is so annoying you dislike her almost right away but her attitude is very fitting to the action going on.

 

The novel has a strong romantic storyline but that is not the only focus of the book.  It is "Christian" fiction but unobtrusively so.  There are a few mentions of prayer, faith, and the Creator.  This is an interesting historical fiction read with a clean romance story.

 

My rating: 4 stars

 

Please note: I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in return for my honest review.

 



Book Review - Stopping Words That Hurt

Stopping Words That Hurt: Positive Words in a World Gone Negative

by Dr Michael D Sedler

The basic theme of this book was gossip and the destruction it can cause.  I appreciated the author's insight into interpersonal relationships and the illustrations he provided.  The author is an ethnic Jew and a Christian and it was interesting to read about some of his experiences growing up in a Jewish home.  His section on the Holocaust is quite gripping as well.  I had never really thought about the psychology of the Nazi regime that made so many German citizens do what they claimed they didn't want to.

However, I found that this book was long on psychology and short on theology.  There was much space devoted to the positive/negative actions of the words we speak and there seemed to be the implication that words themselves are powerful, almost in a magical sense.  Dr Sedler says "Speak truth to your fears!" (p.146).  This sent up a few red flags for me.  It  sounds vaguely like Word of Faith or Positive Confession teachings.

Dr Sedler really did not dig into the New Testament teaching on the behaviour/testimony of believers.  There were many Scripture passages cited in the text - many of them were from the Old Testament (which is good), but there wasn't much dealing with the example of the early church.  Another thing I found odd was that Dr Sedler appears to be confused about the local church.  Dealing with Matthew 18.15-17, he says "Who, exactly, are we calling the church?  Is it the Body of Christ at large?  Is it the local congregation?  Is it the elders?  We need to figure that out before we begin the process." (p.221)  

On p.222, Dr Sedler writes,"I have seen issues brought before a church (emphasis mine) on a Sunday morning and I have cringed!  After all, in a Sunday service, who is in attendance?  Only members?  Only believers?  Certainly not!  Then why are we parading our issues in front of people who might have no idea about godly reconciliation and who certainly have no need to hear them?  This type of gossip and criticism only serves to alienate people and push them further away from God."  The local church  (a group of Christians meeting in a particular place) is not meant to be a social club for the unsaved.  There should be certain times when the church meets where there would not be any unsaved in attendance.  For instance, the early church broke bread together on the first day of the week (Acts 20.7).  These were disciples remembering their Lord's death, burial, and resurrection and fellowshipping together.  This would be the perfect opportunity for dealing with problems within the local church.  As another example, the believers that I fellowship with meet each Lord's Day morning to break bread together and remember the Lord's death till He comes again.  This is a meeting for sincere believers only.  Visitors who are not known to the group and have not brought a letter of introduction are asked to simply observe the meeting and not partake of the emblems.  The group would handle problems/discipline in this way.  First, the elders would become aware of a problem or situation within the fellowship and they would investigate it quietly and privately.  If need be, they would present it before the group after the breaking of bread.  However, before the matter was discussed, all the children and anyone not in fellowship in the local assembly would be dismissed.  Then the situation would be disclosed in as direct and brief a way as possible and the course of action be revealed.  Any questions/comments would be taken to the elders in private.  I'm not saying that we are perfect, but this seems to follow the pattern of the New Testament in dealing with issues within the local church.  If one is trying to counsel Christians on appropriate behaviour, you first should have a firm grasp on what the New Testament church is.

This book is very well-written, in a style that is easy to read and understand.  It was definitely an interesting read and not something I would normally buy for myself.  However, I cannot endorse this book wholeheartedly as I find many problems with the general theology.  This book is more psychology than Biblical instruction.  If you do choose to read this book, please read it with extreme discernment.

I would give this book 2 stars for the writing style and 1 star for the content.

Please note: I received a free copy of this book from Chosen Books in return for my honest review.

Book Review - Dragonwitch

Dragonwitch by Anne Elizabeth Stengl

(fantasy genre)

Dragonwitch begins with the story of Alistair Calix-son (heir to his uncle the Earl Ferox of Castle Gaheris) and his betrothed Lady Leta, daughter of Earl Aiven.  It's your typical arranged marriage scenario - neither one cares too much about the other but they aren't given a choice in the whole situation.  There is something else going on, though - something darker.  Why is Alistair's mother fighting so hard to assure her son's place as her brother's successor?  And who exactly is the mysterious Chronicler, the dwarf who spends his life working in the Earl's library?

This is the third book I have read in this series.  I still haven't found any of them to equal or surpass Heartless, though.  It remains my favourite so far.  Like Starflower, I enjoyed Dragonwitch moderately.  Once again, all the stories running simultaneously (at least two or three at a time) makes the reading a bit confusing.  I actually read the book twice before beginning this review to make sure I had a good grasp on the story.

As with Starflower, there is quite a lot of implied violence but nothing graphic.  At times it is hard to discern whether a character is good or bad, but in the end, good triumphs over evil.  Having some of the same characters from Starflower return in another story gave this book an interesting and unexpected turn of events.

I would give this book 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.  It is a clean, moralistic fantasy and an enjoyable read.  The negative things about the story are the confusing multiple story-lines and the assumption on the part of the author that the reader has read the previous books.


Please note : I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House (a division of Baker Publishing Group) in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review - Starflower

Starflower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

(fantasy genre)

Three very different characters' stories intertwine in this fantasy novel.  Hri Sora the dragon woman seeks revenge on the one who had enslaved her.  Starflower/Imraldera, a mortal girl, flees from her terrible and turbulent past.  Eanrin (who regularly shape-shifts into an orange cat), chief poet to King Iubdan and Queen Bebo of Rudiobus,  hopes to rescue the Lady Gleamdren who has been kidnapped.  All these characters are  searching for something - will they be successful in their pursuit?

I found Part One of this book to be very confusing with the different stories all going on at the same time.  There was very little explanation given for why things were happening, but perhaps I would have understood better if I had read all the previous books in the series (this is #4 in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series).  Part Two did clear up the confusion of the first part.  Everything fell in place and made sense to me, eventually.

I enjoyed the story moderately.  The confusion of all the different stories running at the same time diminished my enjoyment of the book considerably.  There is quite a bit of violence (not graphic for the most part but certainly implied) that readers should be aware of before beginning this book.  Also, the contrast between good and evil wasn't as strong as it could have been, but it is a fantasy story with moral principles.

Having previously read Heartless (by the same author), which I enjoyed immensely, I had high expectations for this book.  Unfortunately, it fell short of my anticipations.

My Rating : 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Please note : I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House (a division of Baker Publishing Group) in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review - A Home in Drayton Valley

A Home in Drayton Valley by Kim Vogel Sawyer

(historical Christian fiction)

Tarsie Raines and her friends Joss and Mary Brubacher need to escape the terrible conditions of living in the tenements of New York City circa 1880. Tarsie dreams of heading west by wagon train and convinces her friends to join her in search of a better life in Kansas.  Tragedy strikes along the way and difficult decisions have to be made.  Hard lessons are learned about life, family, and faith.

I liked this book and appreciated the way the author dealt with the issue of racism.  I found the plot a little thin at times and slightly unbelievable, but overall the story was good.  It was a clean and enjoyable read.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Please note: I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House (a division of Baker Publishing Group) in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Tree in the Trail

Tree  in the Trail  by Holling Clancy Holling

This is a book scheduled for Ambleside Online Year 2.  We were supposed to start reading this in September, but our library only has one copy of it and there are several families on the Island using AO.  I put  in a request for it in August and finally got to pick it up last week.

The main constant character in the story is a cottonwood tree that "experiences" a lot of American history (although Canada is mentioned a few times!)  I found the story well written and highly enjoyable.  There are many illustrations, some in colour and some in black and white.  My children are really interested in what will happen next.  It is a simple yet accurate portrayal of history that is easy for children to grasp without being "twaddle".  This is an excellent book for elementary age students, but my husband and I enjoy it just as much as our kids do.  It would be a great book to read alongside or after reading Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  If you can't find it through your local library, it is also available on Amazon.

One reviewer on Amazon raised a concern about "mythology" in the book.  I was actually puzzled by this and went over the book again.  I guess what the reviewer was referring to was the Natives' religious practices and that they left gifts tied to the tree.  I didn't find this a problem, as it led to some good discussions.

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