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Fires Of Injustice by Kendy Pearson

Mar12

Chosen & Loved

Fires Of Injustice by Kendy Pearson is a powerful Christian historical novel that is grounded in facts. The tale is set in 1880’s America and concerns the plight of the Chinese people in America who were persecuted and rejected by many. The reader is educated as we read. It was a time in history that I knew nothing about. I was horrified at the dreadful prejudices and cruelty.

As the story opens, it is twenty years earlier than the main tale. We are in China where the reader witnesses the dreadful practice of disposing of baby girls (also called ‘go-away girls’). An American couple with a heart for the Chinese people, rescue an orphan girl believing “God has given us a precious piece of China to have with us always.”

Though the baby was rejected by man, she is known by God. His hand has been on her life from the start. “She was… a beautiful gem, a precious treasure in God’s eyes.”

In the main story, the baby is now grown, and has a heart to open a home for abandoned and neglected Chinese girls. The white women in America are enthusiastic about helping the girls, until they find out that they will be Chinese and not American girls, and then all offers of help are rescinded. The leading character declares “our home is a home to all who need a home.” The Chinese girls have been brought to America by unscrupulous and greedy men who see the girls as commodities and put them to work in brothels. “These were God’s precious children, but evil called them merchandise. Evil called them disposable.”

Rescuing the girls requires courage to stand up to the evil men. But when God is with us, we cannot fail, even if we run into trouble.

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The Way I Loved You by Fiona Lucas

Mar11

Take A Chance On Love

The Way I Loved You by Fiona Lucas is a most delightful contemporary novel that I savoured. I never wanted it to end.

This is a beautifully written novel about love. It is a unique tale, a sliding doors moment as a character gets to re-live her wedding anniversaries up to her disastrous tenth one. Along the way she learns what is really important; and how to listen and make memories that count. Instead of her marriage imploding, there is a chance to fix it.

The leading lady had a tempestuous childhood. We understand her feelings of anxiety, and her desire to withdraw rather than get hurt. “It’s easier not to hope, it’s exhausting to wait and believe.” But love is worth taking a risk because when it succeeds, it is beautiful.

We witness the importance of talking. If we clam up, how will others know what we are feeling?

We need to give others wings to fly, and not throttle the life out of them. “Maybe I need to not hold Luke so tightly because I’m scared of losing him. Maybe I need to let him fly, chase his dreams.”

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The Last Train Home by Marion Kummerow

Mar9

Loving Bonds

The Last Train Home by Marion Kummerow is a powerful historical novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in Germany at the start of World War II. This book is all about the disgusting treatment of the Roma people following on from the Nuremburg race laws of 1938. The “gypsy had lost their citizenship and had effectively become a people without civil rights.”

We follow two characters from two different families. One is an orphaned teenage girl, and the other is a father separated from his wife and son by war. Bit by bit their civil liberties are eroded – and still, there are characters who are believing that something better will happen next.

There were some very difficult to read scenes, especially where the Roma were being ‘examined’ by the doctors who were brutal. “The doctors… rose like lions circling their prey.” The people felt vulnerable and exposed.

Eventually the Roma end up in the camps. Every action by the Nazis is designed for maximum cruelty. Newcomers are given a “survival strategy: avoid trouble, don’t stand out, don’t be remembered, and never be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

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The Girl With The List by Shari J Ryan

Mar6

A Promise To Time

The Girl With The List by Shari J Ryan is a powerful historical novel that I read in just one sitting. It is a story of love in the darkest of times.

The tale starts in Poland during World War II, quickly progressing to Auschwitz as we follow the two lead characters, Rosalie, a gentile; Stefan a Jew. Within their small village, no distinctions are made between people – until the Nazis move in, spreading fear and hatred as they commit evil acts against the innocent.

A traumatic event in Rosalie’s childhood, saw he becoming a competent midwife by the age of sixteen. Her services find her ending up in the household of an officer serving in Auschwitz. It is just a small step to her becoming an enforced list maker in the camp.

It is here, against all the odds that Rosalie and Stefan find each other. They both cling to love and have hope to survive. “You know you can’t escape. We must survive.” Their wars are similar but different. Both face traumatic times.

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