A Christmas Proposal by Rose Warner

Sep7

Carpe Diem

A Christmas Proposal by Rose Warner is a charming historical novel. It is the second book in the Teacher Evacuees series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Although there is ‘Christmas’ in the title, the book is actually set from Autumn 1940 to Spring 1941 in a fictional tale in Norfolk as we join three teachers and their pupils who were evacuated from London.

The leading character is in her 40’s. She is part of a generation of women who lost their husbands, sweethearts and brothers in the mud and mire of World War I battlefields. “Most of the men she [mother] would have considered suitable lay in the fields of Flanders their broken bodies turned to dust.” Though the class barriers were breaking down, there were still those of the older generation who tried to maintain their lofty upper-class positions as they throw out their orders.

A second world war brings to mind all that was lost in the First World War. Fears spring up. “Even if you tried to ignore them, fears didn’t lesson… facing life… head on.” Sometimes, in order to defeat our fears, we must face them. We must not let fear stop us from doing what is right.

Within the classroom we hear a child’s logic. “I don’t see the point in doing sums if we’re all going to be blown to bits.” You can’t argue with that!

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These Empty Places by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Sep6

Finding True Treasure

These Empty Places by Sarah Loudin Thomas is a powerful and beautiful Christian historical novel that I adored. It is set in small-town America in 1930.

This is a book about love and relationships – whether with people, places or God. It is also a time when the old order of things is breaking down. “Her father had grudgingly agreed [to marriage] once he’d confirmed Preston’s bank account.” This was an old class system of marriage alliances to bolster families.

We witness different types of marriage. A couple chose love over wealth. Another chose financial security over love. Both marriages worked but in different ways. Being older when facing marriage definitely brings a different set of priorities.

A younger character is not comfortable in his skin. He continually feels that he needs to earn love. For him, rising up the financial ladder will bring love – he doesn’t realise that his other half loves him for who he is, and not the size of his bank account. “Rich or poor, or anywhere in between, honesty is the soil in which strong relationships grow.”

1930 in America was a difficult time for many. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 saw many people lose their money. But “when God closed a door, He often opened a window.”  We find that “It’s troubles that have done the most to shape me into the woman I am today.” We grow more in the valleys than we do on the mountaintop. It is in the valleys that we realise our great need for God.

When we know God, we can praise Him in the valleys as well as on the mountain top.

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The Hotel Dancer by Ellie Midwood

Sep6

To Save A Life

The Hotel Dancer by Ellie Midwood is a powerful historical novel that I just could not put down.

The action is set in Warsaw during 1943. Chapters are interspersed with ones from ‘the writer’ in 1974. As the action unfolds in the past, the writer interviews a different person in 1974, giving their perspective on actions past. Who is the writer? My jaw fell as the penny dropped. I was reminded of the Jewish saying that whoever saves a life, it is as if he saved the whole world.

This is a book about bravery at a time of great evil. Characters could choose to go out with a whimper, but they go out with a bang.

Dancing under the noses of the Nazis, a young Jewish girl does what she does in order to survive – but surviving is not enough, she wants to rescue as many as she can from the Nazis reign of terror.

The reader witnesses the growing relationship of love – is it real? Or has a woman been duped? Read the novel, and make up your own mind.

Ellie Midwood has created an atmosphere of terror. Lives were balanced on a knife edge as they could be snuffed out in an instant.

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Hell Hath No Fury by Annette Dashofy

Sep2

Blindsided!

Hell Hath No Fury by Annette Dashofy is a marvellous contemporary murder suspense. It is the fifth book in A Detective Honeywell Mystery series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading the books in numerical order as each one begins where the previous one left off, and therefore the back stories continue.

We rejoin the main characters, both of whom are recovering from events in the previous book. Miles from home, they once more, stumble into a crime scene.

Past events weigh heavy on a character. “The only problem now is that I can’t forgive myself.” We need to learn from the past and not dwell in it. The grace that we extend to others, needs to include the face in the mirror.

A sister’s bond sees a young woman travelling across states in order to help her drug-addicted sister. “You can’t fix me…Only I can fix me.” Acknowledging that you have a problem is the first step towards healing. It is a personal journey. We can receive support but our life is ultimately our responsibility.

A character recognises another’s pain and longs to help her. “I wanted to warn her… She told me all she knew how to do in life was to be Sonny’s wife and Daphne’s mother.” Sometimes, no matter how much we want to, we cannot rescue others from their situations.

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