This book was incredible. The things Clara and her fellow captives went through were just awful, but it was wonderful to see how her faith in God carrThis book was incredible. The things Clara and her fellow captives went through were just awful, but it was wonderful to see how her faith in God carried her through. I’m a sucker for reunions, and the one with Clara’s mom and her son and her was stupendous and brought me to a full-on happy-tears weep.
Other than one scene of sensuality that was uncomfortable and awkward, I really enjoyed this story. It was charming and held prose that drew me in andOther than one scene of sensuality that was uncomfortable and awkward, I really enjoyed this story. It was charming and held prose that drew me in and kept me captive. This author truly knows how to sweep a reader into her storyworld.
Wow. My mind is blown. This isn’t an easy read, but it is an informative and intriguing one. I enjoyed learning about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was oneWow. My mind is blown. This isn’t an easy read, but it is an informative and intriguing one. I enjoyed learning about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was one of the greatest spies against Adolf Hitler during the Third Reich regime. This pastor gave everything, even his life, in order to save Jews and stop the tyranny spreading across Europe during the early 1940s. This man is the definition of heroism, and I’m glad this book has shone a light on his efforts on behalf of humanity for the cause of Jesus Christ.
Content: torture, satanism (at one of the German prisons), alcohol, sexual perversion mentioned, prostitutes, tobacco, expletives, suicide, derogatory term...more
What a lovely tale of faith, family, music, trust, and hope! I loved that this book featured musical and mathematical prodigies, both young ladies. ThWhat a lovely tale of faith, family, music, trust, and hope! I loved that this book featured musical and mathematical prodigies, both young ladies. They, and other characters, were intriguing, as were the plots and surprising twists. As with Roseanna White’s other books I’ve read, this one was saturated with rich historical detail that made the settings and events really pop off the page. I felt pulled in from the very beginning.
Content: pub, replacement expletives, and gambling/betting A couple of French-speaking Belgians used British replacement expletives, which seemed out of character, as they were new to Wales and/or London and most likely wouldn’t have spoken like common street rats even if they knew the lingo, as they were of a higher class than the words they chose to use in those moments.
This book drew me in even more than the first in the Shadows Over England series, and I can hardly wait to read the next installment. Barclay’s story is next, and I’m terribly excited to see what adventures he stumbles into....more
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book from NetGalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughFTC DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book from NetGalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
The cover of this book drew me in. The content left me annoyed, bored, and disappointed.
There were many issues I had with this book, but here are the lowlights:
Lying to kids to get them to behave, and tossing the lying off as the character’s “eccentric humor.” This, to me, was quite appalling.
Bribing kids to get them to behave.
Bad language (at least one expletive and three profanities).
Extreme gossip in the early chapters.
A dad showed no respect for fellow human beings by excusing his lack of discipline toward his wild-child sons as “boys will be boys.” Um, that isn’t supposed to cover destroying other people’s property, disrupting church, and throwing cherry bombs at a baby-sitter. This excuse came early and was very off-putting for me. I have worked very hard for over fifteen years to tutor students of all ages. Within the first two weeks of that time, I learned that excuses enable poor behavior, while kind but firm discipline and redirection instill good behavior and work habits in children. This aspect of the story was hard for me to overcome as I moved forward to new chapters.
Another major issue I had was about Randy, one of the children. It was stated that he was “two grade levels up in math and four levels up in reading,” yet he was also a class clown and big-time troublemaker. Those two things do not go together. From my fifteen-plus years of experience as a tutor of kids from multiple schools, towns, and counties, I’ve learned that class clowns and troublemakers are typically kids who struggle to learn at a quick enough pace to keep up with the rest of the class and have therefore been lost in the system; they "clown around" and cause trouble because they don't understand the work they're supposed to be doing. If the kid was as smart as the dad and school claimed, why didn’t he focus on his work rather than throwing fits every two seconds? If the motivation was the mother’s death, I wish that would have been emphasized more clearly. Tragedies at home can definitely make kids do strange things at school, such as becoming a class clown when they’re really smart and typical hard workers, but were this the case, his grades and levels would have suffered rather than still being so high.
Yet another problem was the nasty mother-in-law (MIL). She was a judge, which I didn’t have a problem with. What’s not okay is her using her leverage to threaten to take kids away OVER EVERY TINY THING. It’s a wonder her “former son-in-law,” as she calls him, didn’t move clear across the country or even OUT of the country to get away from the terrible woman who had little motivation for her awfulness. Okay, so your kid died. I’m terribly sorry about that, truly, but that does not give you the right to TERRORIZE your son-in-law and threaten him every couple of scenes over the simplest things to take his babies away. Sure, he needs to discipline his kids better, but that’s his problem to sort out. How about offering to help out rather than lambasting him? The culmination of this woman’s journey was too abrupt and, frankly, completely unbelievable.
I ended up skimming a few chapters in the final quarter of the book, because I was so fed up with the above issues and was bored with the melodrama of the MIL, but I got a clear picture of what happened in those chapters and even paused to reread a few cute sections, mostly having to do with Amos.
A couple of good points:
While I don’t usually like reading books that feature Catholicism, this one handled that aspect lightly, so as to keep it as a natural part of the story rather than a preachy sort of thing that always makes me uncomfortable.
I loved Elle’s work as an artist. It was unique and special and lent an artsy vibe to the book.
Amos was precious. I had no problems with him and enjoyed his bits of the story.
I wish I had more positive things to add here. I had such high hopes for this book based off the cover, so I’m disappointed right now. Hopefully my next read will be more to my taste....more
What started out as a fun adventure with a Sherlock Holmes sort of lead turned out to be a confused-toned flop for me. The mystery aspect was fantastiWhat started out as a fun adventure with a Sherlock Holmes sort of lead turned out to be a confused-toned flop for me. The mystery aspect was fantastic, so the Holmes-y quality carried my interest past the junk, but barely.
At times, the tone was light and cheery and fun, but often it shifted into a brash, tawdry, sultry thing that gave me the willies. Of course, the profanities, expletives, replacement expletives, and a derogatory term or two that showed up fairly regularly did nothing to help and everything to hurt my opinion of this book. They only served to cause the dialogue to become quite trashy in large patches, rather than create “atmosphere,” as I’m sure was intended.
I didn’t appreciate the cross-dressing scene, either.
Other content included tobacco products, alcohol and drunkenness, and violence associated with crime dramas. These were all handled pretty well, though I noticed a time or two there were a couple of gory details. They were brief, for which I was grateful.
Brentwood won me over in the first incident with a mite of a street urchin… and then promptly lost me again when he spouted off and used God’s name in vain two or three times. That is such unbecoming behavior for a Christian lead, and for any character in a Christian-labeled book. It isn’t what I care at all to read in this genre.
I think there will be many fans of this book. It’s quite entertaining with many twists. It fell short for me, but I’ve many a Goodreads friend who have enjoyed it.
I was not compensated for my honest review. ...more
This is realistic fiction at its finest. The way Mrs. Wingate weaves in such tangible heartbreak and regrets yet keeps a thin thread of hope for the cThis is realistic fiction at its finest. The way Mrs. Wingate weaves in such tangible heartbreak and regrets yet keeps a thin thread of hope for the characters to tug on along the way is superb.
The stepfather/stepdaughter story was incredible. I liked that even though the guy was rough around the edges, there was clear and undeniable love deep below the surface just longing to burst forth. The journey toward closing the chasm that stood between them was so heartwarming and worth every heartrending moment along the way.
Speaking of heartrending, every backstory in this book fit that bill. I loved it!
There was a rich faith thread that featured trusting God through one’s daily life. This made my heart melt in a very good way.
The seashell shop made an appearance! That’s always fun.
Another fun thing was the quirky squirrel thread. It was lighthearted and added some extra charm to this book.
The cover is not my favorite of Mrs. Wingate’s books, but I could overlook that for the story, which I rather enjoyed.
Content: alcohol, replacement expletives, suicide mentioned, crude term, replacement profanity, crude sexual terms, teen substance abuse, derogatory term, teens “staying together” in the same house (sleeping arrangements not given), unwed pregnancy...more
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