Recent Reads {Grace in Thine Eyes}

Grace in Thine Eyes by Liz Curtis Higgs - Like the trilogy that precedes it, this novel is both a delight and an agony to read.  It is delightful because of the rich settings and beautiful imagery, compelling characters, and a storyline that draws you in and keeps you turning pages until the very end - and wishing there was another chapter.  But that same storyline is full of tears and tragedy, because it parallels the story told in the Bible of Jacob's daughter, Dinah.  Higgs reworks Dinah's story in a Scottish setting, and the main character is the daughter of Jamie and Leana McKie. Davina is mute as a result of an accident in her childhood, but she is also a loving young woman and a very talented fiddler.  Jamie arranges for her to spend a summer with relatives and while she is enjoying her time there, she catches the eye of a young nobleman who doesn't act nobly.  At least at first.  Davina's faith and capacity for mercy and forgiveness are sorely tested, and the faith and grace of her family and friends as well.  As I read, I found myself 'knowing' what would happen to a certain extent, at least if Higgs was going to be faithful to the story in Genesis, and not wanting to read a story so sad, but even when brought to tears, I felt that Davina's story was full of hope and faith, and as the title suggests - emphasizes the beauty of grace.

By the same author: Thorn in My Heart, Fair is the Rose, Whence Came a Prince

Recent Reads {The New Answers Book 1}

The New Answers Book 1 - Ken Ham, General Editor - Finally acquired the updated edition of The Answers Book and read it through! It is excellent - part Science textbook, part theology treatise, yet not at all boring or "too technical" for an average reader. At times it seemed repetitive, because so many of the answers overlap, but each chapter's answer is complete for the relevant question. This means that if you just look up the response to a question like whether dinosaurs evolved into birds, you will be able to complete information without needing to refer to every other chapter in order to get the full picture. The last chapter "How Can I Use This Information to Witness?" is one of the most important to read, in my opinion, because it addresses the worldview issue that we face. If we who are Christians claim to believe in the God of the Bible and believe in Jesus Christ for our salvation, we must also believe that the Genesis accounts of Creation and the worldwide flood of Noah's day are true. I think this particular chapter is worthy of 'required reading' status for all Christians.

Recent Reads {The Call of Zulina}

 



The Call of Zulina by Kay Marshall Strom - This historical novel is about Grace, the daughter of an English sea captain and an African princess, set in West Africa in 1787.  Grace runs away from the family compound to avoid an arranged marriage, and starts to find out more about her family's business - that her parents capture and trade slaves.  She is held for ransom and imprisoned in the fortress of Zulina, where her father holds captured slaves.  Grace has to make difficult choices and display great courage and leadership as she becomes involved in a slave revolt.

This was the first novel by Strom for me, although she is apparently a prolific writer.  I found that I was probably two-thirds of the way into the book before becoming really emotionally invested in the outcome of the story.  At that point, I couldn't put it down!  There are some unexpected plot twists that Strom saves for the end, and only a hint at the possibilities of a love match for Grace instead of the arranged marriage she escaped from.  This is the first of a series, so it appears Strom has saved the romance part for a future installment.   Of interest to me - in the Acknowledgements, Strom says that Zulina is based on a slave house in Senegal, and Grace's parents are modeled after an English/African couple she learned about while researching her biography of John Newton.  At first I wasn't sure I would want to read the next in the series, but now that I've finished the book, I think I will look up the second book sometime.

Recent Reads {Mansfield Park}

 

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - I'm not sure why it took me so long to read this, except that I find Austen's writing requires me to absorb it more slowly than some other novels.  Mansfield Park is the story of Fanny Price, the daughter of a rather poor family, who is brought to live with her wealthy relations at 10 years old.  Her cousins generally take little notice of her, and her Aunt Norris is continually reminding her of how grateful she ought to be and how little deserving she is any favour.  As a consequence, Fanny is lonely and mostly withdrawn.  However, one of her cousins, Edmund, does take it upon himself to see to Fanny's comfort and treats her with respect and kindness.  As may be expected, Fanny falls in love with him.  But "happy ever after" is interrupted by the arrival of the Crawford brother and sister in the neighborhood.  Henry Crawford eventually pursues Fanny, to her great dismay; and Edmund believes himself in love with Mary Crawford.  The entire family at Mansfield Park is thrown into turmoil in some way by the Crawfords, and Fanny is apparently the only one that observes their character flaws.  Of course, in the end, Edmund does see his own love for Fanny and they do marry.  Austen saves the happy ending for literally the last couple of pages of the book.

 

In reading Peter Leithart's analysis, I was a little surprised to realize that Fanny has not been well-liked by readers! I did like her - she was a bit humorless, and seemed quite satisfied to allow things to happen to and around her, but I thought her sweet and generous, and admired her steadfast sense of morality and faithfulness.  Leithart points out the ways Austen makes use of the contrast between characters - activity and idleness in their extremes with Lady Bertram and Aunt Norris; acting roles and vocational callings with the Crawfords and Edmund and Fanny; and the worldliness of London and the peacefulness of the country.

By the same author:  Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, The History of England

 

Recent Reads {Whence Came A Prince}

Whence Came a Prince by Liz Curtis Higgs - I'm not gonna lie - these books are next to impossible for me to put down!  This third in the series kept me turning the pages at least as much as the first two.  The story picks up shortly after Fair is the Rose left off - Rose is now married to Jamie, and within a short while discovers to her great joy that she is expecting.  Meanwhile, Leana is living with her Aunt Meg and finds that she too, is expecting a child.  Leana returns to her home, thinking that Jamie and Rose have already departed for his family estate, and when she finds them still in residence she tries to keep her own pregnancy a secret.  Just like the Biblical story, eventually Jamie has had enough of his father-in-law's trickery and packs up to leave with both his "wives."  My own perception of Rose softened quite a bit during this story (I was not at all a fan of hers during the previous installment!) and I was struck again by the Leana's strength and graciousness, and the way she always thought of others' needs before her own.  Another beautiful story full of rich historical detail and  insightful parallels to the Biblical story.

By the same author:  Thorn in My Heart, Fair is the Rose

Recent Reads {Fair is the Rose}

Fair is the Rose by Liz Curtis Higgs - After thoroughly enjoying the first in this series, Thorn in My Heart, I was eager to read the next installment, and wasn't disappointed. This picks up where the first left off, but focuses on Rose's point of view. Although I loved the book and was kept turning pages all the way through, this was harder for me to read than the first. And that is because I developed a bias against Rose early in this book. It didn't sit well with me that someone so selfish and so heartless towards those she claimed to love should get what she wanted. My heart broke for Leana and for Jamie in the difficulties they faced, ever more so as the story neared its conclusion. By the time I reached the end, I had softened somewhat towards Rose again, and had even more admiration and sympathy for Leana than before, and I am all anticipation for what Higgs has in store for me in the third book, Whence Came A Prince.

By the same author: Thorn in My Heart

Recent Reads {Thorn in My Heart}

Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs - I'm not sure how long I've had this on my to-read list, but it's been awhile. And now that I finally picked it up and read it, I wish I'd done it so much sooner - it's a wonderful book, and I immediately grabbed the second in the series and got started on that. This is a historical novel, set in Lowland Scotland in 1788, but is based on the Biblical story of Jacob. The description on the back cover only hints at that connection, but readers familiar with the Old Testament patriarchs will not be able to miss it after about page 3! Jamie is the Scottish character that manages to trick his father and claim the family's inheritance rather than have it go to his twin brother. Then he escapes his brother's threats by going to an uncle who has two daughters. Of course Jamie immediately falls for the younger daughter, but it is the older who falls for him. The uncle is quick to take any advantage he can of the situation in order to get free labor from Jamie for as long as he can, and doesn't scruple at bribery or threats or even pitting his daughters against each other in order to turn his own profit. Jamie and the two daughters, Leana and Rose, are all victims and deceivers in turn. In the Biblical story, both daughters were married to Jacob, but clearly that part of the story wouldn't be culturally "possible" in eighteenth century Scotland, so one of the things that kept me turning pages was the anticipation of how Higgs would manage that part of the parallel story. No spoilers here - but it was incredibly well done! I was hard-pressed to put the book down once I got started.