The Jewel of Gresham Green - Lawana Blackwell

Finally, the long-awaited Jewel of Gresham Green! I, and many other readers, was painfully reluctant to leave Gresham after the Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark, simply because there were so many stories left to tell. Blackwell has created literary gold in Gresham - it's just such a wonderfully believable place with such fascinating characters, nobody wants to leave!

Picking up over ten years after Dowry left off, this novel begins, as the first one did, in London, with a widow who fears for the future of her children. This time it's Jewel Libby, a factory worker who is frightened of a local thug who shows an inappropriate interest in her young daughter. Kindhearted Noelle Sommerville, now a respectable vicar's wife, sends Jewel and little Becky to Gresham, to be helped by the Phelps family.

Julia Hollis and Andrew Phelps have raised their children. Elizabeth, Laurel and Grace are happily married. Phillip is a prominent London surgeon, but unhappily married to a woman who does not love him, and openly dislikes his family. Independent Aleda has sequestered herself in a cottage in the woods, determined to advance her writing career.

Though she's come for assistance, Jewel turns the tables and ends up assisting others, including the Phelps family and the ailing, grieving Squire Bartley, who has not been the same since the death of his beloved wife. She even attracts the attention of an unlikely suitor.

Gresham, however, is in trouble. The squire's illness puts the whole town in jeopardy. Donald Gibbs, the selfish, cruel nephew who is his sole beneficiary has plans that could leave Gresham in ruins. Andrew's health worsens, and Phillip must come home to help, but that puts even more of a strain on his already-troubled marriage.

In spite of the happy title, The Jewel of Gresham Green is a darker novel than its predecessors. Within the first few pages, a paedophile is introduced. Though adultery is referenced in the other texts, it's dealt with more thoroughly here, as a character tempted by that issue is dealt with in a sympathetic manner. There are also references to something rarely discussed in any Victorian literature I've ever read - homosexuality. It's presented with impressive delicacy - the exploits of Donald Gibbs are never overtly described, and his partner is never referred to by gender, or a specifically masculine or feminine name. Though there appears to have been an incident of homosexual violence, it's also woven subtly through the plot. I doubt some more innocent readers will catch on at all, which was likely Blackwell's intent.

I like the darkness. Gresham is less innocent than it once was, but such is the nature of life, and Blackwell never fails to show the joyous side of things, as well as the not-so-joyous. The part I liked the least about this whole novel was the fact that it's a finale. Though I've read no interviews to the effect, this novel makes it very obvious that this is the last time she'll be taking us back to Gresham. Nonetheless, Gresham is left in a satisfying place. The story is complete.

Highly Recommended.

The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark - Lawana Blackwell

The third in the Gresham Chronicles, The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark brings back a host of the previous Gresham characters, as well as a few surprising new ones. Picking up sixteen months after The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter ends, Dowry continues the story of Julia Hollis and Vicar Andrew Phelps, now happily married. This time, the family takes a backseat in the narrative, as other characters are brought to the forefront.

Shy, awkward Jacob Pitney is content in his career as an archaeologist, but far less so with his personal life. His attempts to court Eugenia Rawlins, a local romance author are continually fraught with problems, as this woman, so absorbed in the wild, melodramatic world of her characters, fails to see his true worth. To help him woo Miss Rawlins, Jacob seeks the help of Miss Lydia Clark, the local schoolteacher, who has troubles of her own.

After thirty-four years a spinster, Lydia Clark has given up on the idea of finding a mate. Suddenly, two different men are paying her attention - Ezra Towley, a boorish farmer, and Harold Sanders, a local n'er-do-well, both of whom are far more interested in her dowry than her heart. When she begins to develop feelings for Jacob Pitney, life becomes even more complicated, as he's enlisted her to help him court someone else.

Harold Sanders is determined to escape the misery of his father's farm, and sees Lydia Clark's dowry as an easy way out. However, in his attempts to win her, he changes in ways he does not expect, and embarks upon a future he'd never imagined.

Noelle Sommerville is sent to Gresham to be hidden by her lover, so that his wife will not find out about her existence. Alone and frightened of losing her one source of security, she embarks on a series of lies and manipulations, only to be confronted with an unexpected chance for redemption.

This many plotlines could make for a confusing read, but Blackwell is so incredibly skilled at weaving her stories together that it's really quite comfortable to follow. More than the others, Dowry shows a real evolution in the hearts and minds of some of the characters, particularly Noelle Sommerville and Harold Sanders. It's subtle, it's consistent, and you can easily believe that it is God's work changing these people, rather than the author's will. Highly Recommended.

The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter - Lawana Blackwell

Victorian fiction written by a modern hand tends to go one of two ways. When it's good, it's very, very good, and when it's bad, it's VERY, VERY bad. Lawana Blackwell falls on the good side. The follow-up novel to The Widow of Larkspur Inn, The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter picks up just weeks after the first book ends.

Newly engaged couple Julia Hollis and Vicar Andrew Phelps are busy planning their wedding, and dealing with the increasing demands of their rapidly-growing children. Andrew's daughter Elizabeth, whose heart was broken by a young rogue in Cambridge just months earlier, is slowly healing from the hurt and preparing to become engaged to another, more respectable man. Julia's eldest son Philip is on his way to boarding school.

Just as life seems settled, Jonathan Raleigh, the rogue from Cambridge, arrives in Gresham, a redeemed and reformed man, determined to win back Elizabeth's heart. He takes a job teaching the boisterous grammar school, a position to which he is ill-qualified, but it allows him to remain in Gresham. Both Andrew and Elizabeth must come to terms with their own anger, hurt, and unforgiveness. Julia, on the other hand, struggles to let go of her eldest son, whose infrequent letters from boarding school do not tell the truth of the cruelty he is experiencing there.

In the meantime, the community of Gresham is no less active than the Phelps and Hollis families. Seth Langford, recently acquitted and released from prison, arrives in Gresham with his impulsively adopted son Thomas, desiring nothing more than a quiet place to make a life for himself and Thomas. He's unfortunately chosen a home next to the town n'er-do-wells, the Sanders family. He's determined to avoild them, until Mercy Sanders falls in love with him, but must embark on an unusual and complicated plot to win his heart.

Where The Widow of Larkspur Inn focused on trusting the Lord for His care, The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter focuses on forgiveness. Andrew and Elizabeth must forgive Jonathan. Jonathan must come to understand what it means to be forgiven. Seth Langford must forgive those who wronged him, and learn to trust the people God has placed in his path. Even Philip, who is young, is faced with a moment of forgiveness versus satisfaction.

The citizens of Gresham are every bit as colourful and delightful as they were in the first novel, and well worth visiting from time to time. For a lover of Victorian-era stories, this is highly recommended.

The Least of These My Brothers - Harold Bell Wright

I like turn-of-the-century Christian fiction. In the contemporary market of the time, moral ambiguity was the defining feature of literature, but Christian literature was razor-sharp, utterly void of any shade of gray. Rather than reflecting the mediocre reality of the world around them, these novels present the ideal, the firm convictions that Christians ought to hold, the dedication to service that we should all strive.

This is epitomized in The Least of These My Brothers. Originally published as a magazine series under the title of That Printer of Udell's, this novel presents a world that is both frighteningly real and firmly ambitious. Harold Bell Wright, a mining-city pastor, grieved over the sad state of the poor in his community, and his parishoners' attitudes that church was little more than a social club, and wrote this story as a response.

Dick Falkner, a penniless, unemployed printer, drifts into Boyd City in hopes of finding work. Through the kindness of a print shop owner named Udell, he does, and slowly becomes involved in a local church. His past experiences as a homeless drifter give him a different perspective on the social structure of the church, and Christianity as a whole. He motivates the young people of the church on a series of projects aimed at serving the poor of the community, specifically the endless string of unemployed men whose only solace is alcohol and brothels.

This is met with protest and resistance from some class-conscious church members, who believe their wealth and percieved social status sets them apart from the 'common herd'. Because of his passion for service and his practical ideas, Falkner rises as a leader, while men from wealthier and more influential backgrounds seethe with jealousy at the respect he's garnered. When a wealthy young woman falls in love with him, both her father and brother determine to end the romance. The seething underbelly of the city rises to the surface, and we see that the root of problems there are not the poor, but the cruel wealthy, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. A murder is revealed, a cruel father casts his daughter out into the streets, and a selfish man destroys everyone around him in his quest to ruin Falkner.

The book is not without it's problems. It really is melodramatic, and the convoluted plots the characters weave to reveal one another's secrets, and keep their own, can be difficult to follow. In the end, it's difficult to understand exactly what the main villain of the text was working towards to begin with. But I still recommend it, for three reasons. First, though there are romances, they do not take center stage. They are simply a side benefit to the main work of the text, that is, Dick Falkner's and an entire city's journey to redemption. Second, the best examples of Christian living are those characters who do not claim to be good Christians, but work to live their lives according to Christ's teachings. Third, and most importantly, the message of Christ is so firmly and wonderfully woven into the story that it makes it sheer joy to read. It's not just about knowing Christ in this novel, but living Him.

Highly Recommended.

Soul Survivor - Philip Yancey

The full title of this text is Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church. And I was given this book by a pastor, of all people.

I've thanked him.

I like Yancey for many reasons. First of all, he's not afraid to ask the hard questions. He's written a book called Disappointment with God (to be reviewed once I manage to get all the way through it) that asks some seriously hard questions. The questions are so hard I have a difficult time thinking about them. Second, I like Yancey because he likes to poke at those aspects of Christianity nobody wants to talk about anymore, particularly the way that, for centuries, God's Holy Word was used to justify slavery and racism. He's made a lot of people angry, talking about that, but he doesn't stop. And he can't stop, because it's still happening today. There are still regions of the US and Canada where being a blatant racist and advertising hate is perfectly societally acceptable, and even the church won't do anything about it. Third, I like Yancey because he can find the Light in the gray areas. And that, in essence, is what Soul Survivor is all about.

When Yancey says 'unlikely mentors', he means it. The thirteen individuals discussed in this book are not all the ones preached about on Sunday as an example of perfect Christianity. However, Yancey discusses their lives, sorts through their lives, and points out where one can find extraordinary lessons about God in each of their lives. He begins with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Within this narrative, Yancey forthrightly admits his early experiences with racism, how he learned it within the sanctuary of a church. King had an absolute commitment to nonviolence, which in turn, and deliberately, exposed racism for the hateful, disgusting thing that it is. Yancey's heart was turned, as were millions of others. Yancey is also honest in discussing King's own apparent failures, but leaves no doubt in anyone's mind as to the extraordinary impact on both himself and the rest of America.

Though King is often hailed as a Christian hero, and rightfully so, not all of Yancey's mentors follow suit. He discusses Mahatma Ghandi, India's 'Great Soul', who led India to freedom from colonial rule through absolute nonviolent civil disobedience. Ghandi changed the way a nation, and much of the world, thought about the poor, the downtrodden, the 'untouchable'. He preferred to live and sleep in the dirtiest, most dangerous slums even when he was invited to a king's palace. He would not elevate himself above any man, but demanded that those around him treat one another with absolute love and respect. Sound like anyone else you've heard of?

Ghandi openly rejected Christianity.

Yancey still calls him a mentor. The truth of the matter is, Ghandi did not embrace Christianity, but he read about, and tried hard to embody, many of Christ's teachings. In an age where Jesus's own words were being used to justify colonialism, class systems, and many other forms of bigotry, hatred, and domination, that aspect of Christ's love was sorely needed.

Yancey goes on. He discusses Dr. Paul Brand, whose work dramatically furthered the field of leprosy treatment, but whose drive was fueled by a Christ-given love and compassion for those he served. There's Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, whose controversial, tortured works and lives represent a struggle for redemption from which we can all learn. There's English writer GK Chesterton, whose absentminded scribblings still managed to convey profound truths. There's C. Everett Koop, the reluctant surgeon general who struggled to maintain his faith and integrity in a tumultuous period in American social history. There's Annie Dillard, the Pulitzer prizewinner whose writings inspired a nation, but whose fame exacted a sizeable toll. In each of the chapters, he discusses the church's reaction to these mentors, and exposes, sometimes painfully so, the deep and alarming flaws apparent within the church system today.

Yancey is a journalist by trade, so his writing is a pleasure to read. He's clear and wonderfully concise, and weaves through such fantastic little sensual details, you get completely drawn in. He's not an easy read. For the non-Christian, you might be gleeful to find a discussion of a problem within the Christian church, but in the next sentence, you'll see precisely why this issue must be forgiven and why you should embrace God's love anyhow. For the Christian, it's not easy to read about imperfect people having a huge impact on someone's faith, especially if they're someone who has been vilified within the church. It's also painful to read about the flaws in our own system, because Yancey doesn't simply say "you're imperfect, but God loves you anyway so don't worry about it." Yancey calls us to struggle to move beyond that, to take the lessons from the imperfect lives and faiths in order to try and perfect our own. He does not allow for mediocrity or apathy, which is perhaps what he's been speaking against through the whole book.

Highly Recommended.

The Widow of Larkspur Inn - Lawana Blackwell

Lawana Blackwell is one of those authors who doesn't hit her stride right away (the Victorian Serenade series, her first, is out of print and for good reason) but when she hits it, she hits it hard. The Gresham Chronicles is her second series, and in my opinion, the best contemporarily-written Christian Victorian series out there. And I read all of them. I probably wouldn't have student loan debt if I didn't buy books. Yes, Blackwell hit her stride in this series.

It's a simple enough premise: In the mid nineteent-century, Julia Hollis, the widow of a wealthy doctor discovers that her husband's gambling debts have eaten up the family fortune, and she and her children have no money, but one remaining asset, an old coaching inn in a dairying village called Gresham. Together with her three children and dear friend/chambermaid Fiona, she sets out to Gresham, determined to convert the coaching inn into a boardinghouse so she can maintain an income for herself and her family.

Various adventures, both romantic and spiritual, ensue, but the real treat of this novel is the characters. Blackwell creates such a charming, delicious cast of characters who interact in such amusing and poingiant ways that you're sincerely sorry when the tale is over. Though Julia Hollis is calm and ladylike, she is surrounded by such a vibrant, eccentric bunch of people it's a small wonder she doesn't lift her silk skirts and run back to London. There's the elderly, imperious Mrs. Kingston, who has both a tender heart and a viciously clever mind, but few can see it beneath her harsh exterior. There's the ancient sisters Iris and Jewel Worthy, who keep a close watch on the town while spinning lace on their front porch. There's the actor Ambrose Clay, whose sorrowful eyes carry dark burdens. Julia even discovers secrets among her own brood, the pain her son is trying to hide, and the hidden past of Fiona. Perhaps the most intriguing character of all, at least to Julia, is the village's new vicar, who, like Julia, is widowed, and struggling to raise children who are difficult to understand.

The spiritual message is strong, and the varying adventures of the villagers are enough to keep you engrossed and in stitches for hours. A total must-read for women, as well as those men who don't mind showing their softer side. Reviews of the other three Gresham books to come, including the newest, the Jewel of Gresham Green.

Highly Recommended.

The Last Sin Eater - Francine Rivers

"The first time I saw the sin eater was the night Granny Forbes was carried to her grave. I was very young, and Granny my dearest companion, and I was very troubled in my mind."

Thus begins what I believe to be the pinnacle work of Francine Rivers's career, at least thus far. Rivers has never shied away from the controversial - she's written about rape, abortion and child prostitution, to name a few, but it is this foray into a little-known, less-discussed aspect of European-American church history that's created what might be the most memorable novel I've ever read.

Cadi Forbes, a ten-year-old girl living in an isolated Appalachian valley in the mid-1800's, is racked with guilt over her role in her younger sister's tragic death. Desperate to find some sort of redeption, and theoretically earn back her mother's love, she seeks out the most loathed, isolated member of her community - the sin eater. A custom carried over from Scotland and Wales, the sin eater takes upon himself the sins of the newly-dead so that they might enter heaven. As Cadi and her friend Fagan search for this man so that Cadi might have her sins taken now, they instead come across a Man of God, a man from other parts, who has come to the valley to preach the gospel to their little community. Hated and feared by Brogan Kai, the de facto leader of the area, the Man of God manages to teach the Truth of the Gospel to the two children, who must summon the courage to take his words into the valley and tell their families that it is the Savior, not the scapegoat, who is the way of their salvation. They must also tell the sin eater himself, whose only comfort over two decades of isolation has been that he believed his sacrifice has benefitted his community.

The Gospel is presented beautifully and clearly in this text, written in such a refreshion, passionate fashion that it felt as though I was reading it for the first time. Rivers writes a story here, not a sermon, and the vivid point of view, that of a ten-year-old child, never wavers in the least. Cadi's youthful mind filters the world around her in a truly remarkable fashion, bringing a wisdom beyond her years to the cataclysmic events at hand. Though I wept, shook, even prayed at moments, I closed this book with a smile on my face. I do every time.

I cannot recommend this highly enough. It's on my deserted-island list - along with the Bible, the Complete Works of Shakespeare, and A Practical Guide to Shipbuilding.

Single Sashimi - Camy Tang

I've been waiting for this one. Sushi for One caught my eye because it was the first time I'd ever seen my favourite food mentioned in a Christian bookstore, and I was hooked by the first paragraph. Single Sashimi, the third in Camy Tang's Sushi Series, does not disappoint.

Though primarily focused on Venus, one of the four lone Christian cousins in a big, loud, extended Japanese-Chinese-American family living in Silicon Valley, Single Sashimi does bring satisfying updates to the continuing stories of Lex, Trish and Jennifer. Venus, however, is at the forefront, and it's wonderful to see that character fleshed out. Formerly dowdy, now beautiful Venus is struggling to be treated as an equal among the arrogant male gaming executives she calls her colleagues. After being condescended to one too many times because of her gender and good looks, Venus leaves her company, intending to start her own. However, she needs finanfical backers, and a job in the meantime. Enter Drake Yau, the most arrogant and condescending male executives she's ever worked for, the one who pushed her into the lowest moment of her career. Though the opportunity he offers her is terrific, Venus is wary of being around him once again, in spite of the evidence that he's changed.

Tang's knowledge and presentation of the cutthroat gaming industry is excellent, woven so seamlessly into the narrative that it feels part of, rather than an addition to, the story. Grandma, the high-powered, painfully controlling family matriarch and one of the primary antagonists in both Sushi for One and Only Uni shows a refreshingly kind side in this text, rounding out one of the very few characters in the whole series that is in any danger of becoming a stock stereotype.

If I need to find a flaw in this book, it's that it's seriously light on the spiritual side. Venus, through her volunteer work with a local youth group, is supposed to undertake some sort of spiritual journey, but if she's actually doing that, it's difficult to see. It would have made the change the character undergoes in the text far more powerful and impactful, but it's still an excellent story. And I'm still craving dumplings.

Highly Recommended. Go Camy!

Jessie - Lori WIck

Often, after I finish a Lori Wick book, I promise myself I'll never buy another one. I did that tonight. I may end up breaking my promise to myself yet again, but that was the feeling that Jessie, the third novel in the Big Sky Dreams trilogy, left me with.

As usual, Wick has a wonderful plot premise here. After a brief, tension-ridden marriage, Seth abandons Jessie and their infant daughter Hannah, unaware that he has also left Jessie pregnant with their second child. Jessie goes on with life, raising her girls, and running her store. Eight years pass, and Seth returns, fresh out of prison, a man changed by Christ, determined to make things right.

Wonderful, right?

Wrong.

Wick, in spite of all her great ideas, struggles with writing characters with believable thoughts, personalities, or emotions, and Jessie and Seth might very well be the worst of the lot. They are merely names in a drone of encounters and conversations that might be designed to show their growing love for one another, but fail to impart any sort of emotional reaction in the reader. Jessie, aside from insisting she needs time to 'think' shows no emotion or thought at the reappearance of her husband, and Seth is simply a floating presence who moves improbably quickly back into his family's lives. There is no tension, no excitement, and the inevitable conclusion arrives with all the fanfare of a traffic light turn.

The 'fun' link to another, slightly better, trilogy (Yellow Rose), is actually painful, because it harkens to the most improbable, ridiculous plotline in the whole of that series. The Seth shown in Jessie is not the man from A Texas Sky, changed by Christ, he is a completely different character. The name is the same, that's about it.

Some of Wick's earlier works were very good. Sophie's Heart is extraordinary; I still read it from time to time. Pretense and Bamboo and Lace are still worth picking up, and the Californian series, for the flaws it does have, is an engaging read, providing spunky, lively, well-drawn, (if a little cliche) characters. Even the Kensington Chronicles have something lush and compelling in them, if you ignore the historical improbabilities, and just enjoy the passionate intensity of the characters and the more probable emotional plotlines. But now wonder if Wick has gotten lazy. Her books sell because of her name on them. Good or bad, they will sell, so is it worth the extra effort to make them good? Wick is better than this; she's proved herself as such. And I do hope, in Chestnut Valley Farm, she can live up to her potential. We, her patient and faithful readers, deserve it.

Not Recommended.

Miranda - Grace Livingston Hill

I actually rushed through Phoebe Deane, eager to get to the last book of the Miranda series, and found myself a little disappointed. Miranda Griscom, the feisty redheaded sidekick and guardian angel to both Marcia Schuyler and Phoebe Deane, finally got her own book, and presumably her own (well-deserved) romance, and I was thrilled to see it, but after reading the novel, I'm a little ambivalent.

Between Miranda's memories and the story itself, the novel spans about twenty years. To summarize, a young Miranda, who has long regarded with compassion the teacher's abuse on older student (and object of her affections) Allan Whitney, was horrified to realize that he'd been accused of murder. Convinced of his innocence, she helps him escape lockup, and, after a kiss, sends him off, expecting never to see him again.

Many years later, after she's happily established as housekeeper for her beloved Marcia Spafford, she thinks through the night of the murder and brilliantly deduces that a friend of Allan's was in fact the real killer, and, though a series of deceptful, yet clever plots, exposes him and clears Allan's name. Coincidentally, a missionary visits, and mentions in passing of a man named Whitney he's met from the Oregon territory, and Miranda is able to contact him once again, and the two lovers are reunited.

Overall, it's a sweet plot, if one can overlook the massively unlikely coincidences and Miranda's deceptive plots, that, this time, border on the occult as she fakes a ghost in a fit of 'mesmerism'. Don't get me wrong, I love Miranda's plotting skills, but I wonder at the wisdom of bringing in the occult to a novel such as this. The problem with this novel is the pacing, and the massive influx of unneccessary information. Hill deserves to be commended for her research; she provides wonderful, and accurate, insight into the history of New York and America as a whole during the 1830s and early 1840s, including the invention of the telegraph, but there are many points where this overshadows the story, and I'm not certain whether I'm reading a history text or a novel. The steam engine in Marcia Schuyler and the early abolition movement in Phoebe Deane are far more skillfully woven into the story than the history in Miranda.

If you love Miranda Griscom, though, this is well worth the read, if only to see more of her adventures. If you haven't read the others in the series, however, don't bother with this one.

Phoebe Deane - Grace Livingston Hill

I was thrilled to discover that my longtime favourite Marcia Schuyler is actually the first of a trilogy - the Miranda Series, and even more thrilled to realize that www.chapters.indigo.ca has all three books on sale for $3.50 each. Miranda, the scruffy, motormouthed orphan girl whose plain speech belies a keen intelligence, and acts as a guardian angel for the Spaffords in Marcia Schuyler, reappears, much to my delight, in Phoebe Deane. Now the well-loved housekeeper for her dear Spaffords, rather than the despised maid-of-all-work for her grandmother, Miranda keeps a keen eye on the happenings of the village, and works her magic on others she feel deserve her help. In this case, five years after she acted as guardian and matchmaker for the Spaffords, it's Phoebe Deane.

Phoebe Deane, an eighteen-year-old girl living with her timid half-brother Albert and cruel, overbearing sister-in-law Emmaline, feels she has nothing to look forward to in her life but endless drudge work and unwanted marriage suits by unkind, uncaring men. She clings to the few lovely things in her life, including letters from her long-dead mother, and the pretty dresses and gift she was left. A chance encounter in the woods leads her to Nathaniel Graham, a young lawyer who is, against the wishes of his family, drawn to the burgeoning Abolition movement in 1935 New York. The two begin a quiet, clandestine courtship, while crude widower Hiram Green sets his sights on Phoebe, first for her excellent work ethic, and then simply as a power game - he's insulted that he rejects her. Hiram grows crueller and more manipulative in his obsession to possess Phoebe, while she, with the help of trickster Miranda and the kindhearted Marcia Schuyler Spafford, continues her relationship with Nathaniel. As Hiram and Emmaline grow vicious, Miranda must draw on every bit of her courage and wily resourcefulness to help her friend find a happy ending.

I love Miranda. She's reminiscent of another of my favourite heroines - the immortal Anne of Green Gables. Redheaded, orphaned, verbose, and spirited, Miranda has that same sort of spark that draws us to Anne, though she certainly lacks the refinement that Anne gained over time. Though Montgomery and Hill wrote at the same time, Hill's heroine is content to remain in her 'place' - as a servant, while Anne ends up a refined - albeit spirited, society matron. But Miranda is clever. Oh, she is clever, and she's bright enough to use the social conventions of her status - nobody questions an unmarried servant girl scrambling across fields and ducking behind woodsheds - to help the delicate, seemingly helpless young maidens around here.

In a way, I like Phoebe as a heroine better than Marcia, for Phoebe is not as passive. She defends herself against her unkind sister-in-law, and goes on a hunger strike rather than marry the man she does not love. She's even brave enough to jump from a moving wagon. She's also courageous enough to go against the thinking of the time, desire to educate herself, and support her abolitionist suitor though his views are unpopular. The descriptions are not as rich as in Marcia Schuyler, but Miranda fairly sparkles, and Nathaniel Graham, the hero, is presented as a man with both flaws and strengths, and is far more real-thinking than Marcia Schuyler's David Spafford, whose blind, obsessive love for a beautiful, but cruel and selfish woman, nearly destroys his marriage.

Highly recommended.

Sabrina - Lori Wick

I was thrilled when I first saw the summary for Sabrina, the second book in Wick's Big Sky Dreams trilogy. The title character is a prostitute, which is, to say the least, an unusual occupation for the heroine of a work of Christian fiction. It's a stretch for Wick, who tends to stick to a very safe, conservative line of storytelling, so I was really interested in what she'd do.

And yes, I was painfully disappointed. I've read, both fiction and nonfiction, about the lives of prostitutes in nineteenth-century North America, and Wick presents such a painfully sanitized version it's almost impossible to read. Yes, she caters to a conservative readership. But even conservative people understand that the lives of prostitutes were never pretty, nor were they relatively safe, tidy, and without contracts, madames, pimps, violent johns, diseases and social stigma.

The novel itself is the story of Sabrina, a young prostitute in Denver who is convinced by a caring police officer and his former-prostitute wife to leave her way of life and turn herself over to Jesus. That itself is wonderful. I'm sure there were young women who were given such a gift in 1880's Western America. Sabrina, afraid of the men who continue to ask to be serviced by her (never growing rude or violent), chooses to leave Denver for Token Creek, Montana, where she is instantly and miraculously taken in by the whole town. She begins a thriving ministry to the independent, madame-and-pimp-less prostitutes in town, whose feelings actually get hurt when their customers are attracted to other women. She falls in love with a man who does not even flinch at her past, in spite of the fact that, in that time period, in that location, a woman with even one lover in her past would be considered ruined and unmarriable. In general, the highly sanitized process Wick presents is so glaringly impossible it takes a great deal away from what could be a great story. Yes, God can help humans to forgive one another, but that takes time, thought, and inner struggle, and a great deal of prayer.

Not Recommended, for the fact that Wick ignored some really extraordinary opportunities here. There are far better ways to spend reading time than reading this particular book.

Cassidy - Lori Wick

The first Lori Wick book I ever read was Sophie's Heart, and I remember thinking 'wow, this writer's incredible. What attention to quality and detail!"

I've changed my mind.

On the one hand, Wick is prolific, versatile, and does have an enviable ability to come up with new and interesting plot ideas. However, I'd love to sit down with her and give her some brief lessons in research, consistency, and characterization.

Don't get me wrong, Cassidy isn't completely unfortunate. Wick's gift for originality and interesting plotlines comes to the forefront yet again. The book itself is the story of Cassidy, a young woman who has mysteriously come alone to the small Montana town of Token Creek to open a dress shop. She's befriended by various members of the town, and but works hard to keep her past a secret. There is the inevitable love story with the local man, which is threatened by the disappointingly lame secret from Cassidy's past.

So why did I read it, and why have I read it a second time? The answer again goes back to Wick's skill in spinning plots. In this case, it's a series of interesting subplots, including Theta Holden, a woman who has been permanently brain damaged after a severe beating from her husband, and Jessie, owner of the local dry goods store, who is a single mother with two young children. In the Big Sky Dreams trilogy (watch for reviews of the other novels soon), Wick does take a darker, and possibly more realistic turn, in her content, than she ever has before. Spousal abuse and abandonement, and violence are present, in ways that they haven't been in her previous work. The next books get even darker.

I know people who like Wick's work for the spiritual message, the content of which she does very well. However, she presents it in sermon form, so much so that the story gets interrupted by what feels like a dry Sunday-morning sermon. There are ways to present spiritual truth within a story without preaching, but it's rare that Wick's work evinces any of this.

Whether or not this book is recommended depends entirely on what you want out of a read. There is something about Wick's work, in spite of its flaws, that is compelling. Do you want to think, or do you just want to relax for a little while? That will determine whether or not you want to read this. And right now, I'm waiting for the painfully slow Canadian postal service to deliver Jessie.

Marcia Schuyler - Grace Livingston Hill

I know this is a very old book, (published exactly 100 years ago!), but I love it. I first discovered it at my local library, when I needed a break from the Sweet Valley Twins, and I really never went back to those vapid little blond bimbos.

Summary: Sometime in the early nineteenth century, Marcia Schuyler, sweet, unassuming younger sister of the more beautiful, but headstrong and selfish Kate, wakes up the morning of her sister's wedding to realize that her sister has eloped during the night with someone else. Grieved at the thought of her good-hearted, God-fearing brother-in-law suffering embarassment at being abandoned, she agrees to marry him instead. Though just seventeen, Marcia settles into her role as Madam David Spafford, and is treated as a cherished younger sister by her still-grieving husband. Eventually, the two fall in love. Vindictive Kate and a devious man try to drive a wedge between Marcia and David, but true love wins out, and the unjust are justly punished for their crimes.

It seems like a simple story. Almost too simple. My aunties don't like Grace Livingston Hill because the 'good' characters are too good, while the bads are just bad to the bone. But Marcia Schuyler is deeper than that. David Spafford, for all his noble intentions, eventually realizes that he's being an absolute shmuck for loving one sister while being married to another. He also realizes that his love for Kate was built upon shallow obsession, not an actual knowledge of her as a person, with strengths and weaknesses. Though one of the defining features of early twentieth-century fiction is moral ambiguity, Grace Livingston Hill goes against the grain, presenting a clearly defined right and wrong, and many wonderful character lessons within. Miranda, the scatterbrained neighbour girl who befriends the new bride Marcia, incurs the wrath of her grandmother by helping Marcia out on several occasions, but rests quite contentedly in her punishment, virtue being it's own reward. In this day and age, who thinks about that? I love contemporary fiction, but there is little discussion of real, everyday virtue, and I miss it. Good deeds might be rewarded, yes, or even unrewarded, but then the good-doer is allowed to grieve their mistreatment, while Hill simply insists that virtue is it's own reward.

Hill is a master at description. I can see the fluffy white bread, the quivering jellies, the delicate folds of Marcia's pink chintz gown. You will be drawn into this world, and you will love every moment of it.

Highly recommended as a good classic Christian read for a rainy Sunday afternoon. But try to get the newer editions of the book, perhaps the one put out by Barbour in 2000, as the older version contains inappropriate references to race.

Only Uni - Camy Tang

The second book in Tang's Sushi series (Zondervan) begins with the same vibrant energy that characterized Sushi for One. Only Uni sticks with the same basic cast of characters as the first book - cousins Lex, Trish, Jennifer and Venus, their loud, proud extended Chinese-Japanese family, and the friends that live alongside them in the fast-paced world of Silicon Valley, but focuses in on the story begun in the first novel about Trish, whose passionate nature has landed her in uncomfortably hot water.

An obsessive relationship with brooding artist Kazuo has left Trish on shaky terms with her friends and family. Determined to start over, prove herself as a devoted Christian, she establishes a set of dating rules for herself. However, as the complications in her life mount, it quickly becomes apparent that a godly life is more about faith than rules, and that God does not send love into our lives in a prescribed fashion.

I love the Sushi series for the fact that it doesn't shy away from the painful realities of life, and Only Uni holds up to this well. Tang hits on some of the darker elements of the modern Christian life, including alcohol use, divorce, premarital sex, and, to my delight, the petty jealousies and cruelties that can divide a church. Trish, who throws her heart and soul into musical worship, is treated with disdain by other worshippers in her congregation, who feel that she's too 'over-the-top'. Very few writers have the courage to admit that modern churches have the same elitist, clique-ish social structure as the rest of the community. Good fiction doesn't preach, but holds up a mirror to life so that we might examine ourselves. Tang gives a beautiful and painful reflection of modern congregational society, and will cause every one of her readers to pause and think.

Only Uni is a great story, fast-paced, tightly written, engaging, with every bit of the hilariously energetic dialogue and delicious descriptions of it's prequel. You'll walk away thinking, praying, examining yourself... and craving those sweet pork dumplings once again.

Highly Recommended

Sushi for One - Camy Tang

I was thrilled to see the Sushi series (Zondervan) by Camy Tang. Christian fiction is painfully lacking in Asian characters presented in a non-imperialist point of view, and Tang's casual, irreverent style fits that void magnificently. Tang taps into many of the sociocultural experiences that define young singleness in the new milennium - text messaging, fusion cuisine, Christian pop culture, and the 'framily', the close group of friends who serve as a surrogate family. Four cousins, the only Christians in their large, extended Chinese-Japanese family struggles as one of the very few Christians in the clan to maintain her faith while living up to the family's expectations. Tang, blessedly, avoids descending into the stock stereotypes that permeate Asian characters in fiction and media today, but instead presents a richly layered cast of characters, from Lex, the sports nut who holds a dark, painful secret, to beautiful, flirtatious Trish, who is so caught up in the passion of her new boyfriend that she loses her faith and her friends, to Grandma, the matriarch who rules her family with an iron fist, but bears some startling vulnerabilities. Tang's descriptive skills are stellar - you can almost taste the crunchy noodles and sweet dumplings she describes. It's a romance and a buddy comedy and a family drama, and you will turn the last page just wanting to know more and more about this fantastic gang of characters. Sushi for One focuses on Lex, who struggles to find love, though she's hindered by a series of hilarious bouts of bad luck and the memory of an awful experience in the past. You laugh and cry in turn, and are left craving more story as well as a good unagi roll. Tang is unafraid to present flawed, multifaceted Christian characters, women with fears, needs, wants, tempers, materialistic desires, and resentments. The arguments between friends and family are both real and hilarious. Tang is a great writer, and her website Camy's Loft http://www.camytang.com/ is well worth checking out.

Highly, highly recommended. Reviews on the rest of the Sushi Series to come.

Leota's Garden - Francine Rivers

I love Francine Rivers. I truly do. I was hooked from the Atonement Child (to be reviewed soon) onwards, but this book was disappointing for several reasons. The first of these is the numerous logistical errors within the text. The dates make no sense. Characters are too old or too young to have lived through the historical events they supposedly lived through. Physical descriptions are altered. On one page, a young woman is described as tall enough to be a model, while a chapter later, she's supposedly the same height as her five-foot-tall grandmother. Eye colours change. The problems go on and on. Rivers is an experienced author, and ought to be beyond this type of error. As usual, she does create some wonderfully fascinating, layered characters, including Corban, an athiest university student who is drawn into this world of feuding mothers and daughters, and struggles to comprehend their Christian faith within the structure of his own sociological training. However, other characters are disappointingly two-dimensional. The main conflict of the novel, a misunderstanding between a mother and a daughter, is painfully forced, the daughter's errors in thinking so blatant her character seems unbelievably ignorant. Literally. I did not believe it. One might argue that the message is more important than the medium, and in the case of this novel, the message is excellent. Christian life and growth is compared to a garden - the heart and mind need constant care, pruning, and tending, just as a garden does. There are also questions of the value of life for the old and sick, and Rivers presents this with a great deal of intelligence and sensitivity. She offers up the lives of her characters for our examinations, their sins and triumphs, their faith and failures, and manages to teach without preaching. It is an overall wonderful story, that I believe would have benefitted from more editing time. For readers who don't care about logistical problems, this could be a wonderful read. In my opinion, though, a Christian message is no reason for the myriad of errors within this novel. Such a stellar message should not be wrapped in such substandard packaging.

Recommended for the message, not the medium.