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40x40

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Storm Clouds Rolling In (Bregdan Chronicles #1) in Books

Nov 26, 2019  
Storm Clouds Rolling In (Bregdan Chronicles #1)
Storm Clouds Rolling In (Bregdan Chronicles #1)
Virgina Gaffney, Ginny Dye | 1996 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Describing this book makes it sound like it could be a tale of Southern romance set before the American Civil War; Carrie Cromwell is the teenage daughter of a plantation owner in Virginia and falls for the son of another plantation owner as the political and social storm of the events of the Civil War brew around them.

In reality however this is a far more complex work - yes the romance is there but it is very much overshadowed by the situation and events of the time. Firstly Carrie is not a Southern Belle happy to sit on the verandah and look after her hard working man - she wants to make something of herself and doesn't think that she will be happy running her father's plantation in later life. Secondly she has grave doubts about slavery, an institution that has become the basis of the plantation owner's very existence.

This novel then is far more an exploration of the confict the slave issue creates as well as the lack of opportunity for a bright woman to better herself in the nineteenth century.

The author does well with the slavery issue in presenting someone from the whole spectrum, from reactionary pro-slavery plantation owners to equally abhorrent abolitionlists who are in many ways just as bad. Carrie is very much undecided throughout the book and that is a good thing, we are essentially treated to a novel length essay on the causes of the civil war and the justifications for slavery that caused a lot of the friction, along with the North failing to take account of the depth of the pride of those in the South.

The characters are very well drawn, and although each more-or-less repesents one particular facet of the debate none are mere ciphers and indeed many of them evolve over time and change their outlook and opinions, not lease Carrie but also of note the slaves Rose and Moses, both young but who really grow during the course of the story. The author has necessarily put some perjorative terms for slaves in the mouths of some of her characters - for which she apologises in a brief forward - but this not only lends realism but underlines those characters attitudes towards the slaves.

The book does move at a relatively slow pace, and there are plenty of discussions around politics, society and slavery but it is quite immersive and acts to let each character become far more solid.

Overall a book I enjoyed and it provides a lot of insight into the state of America at the outbreak of war and why it happened
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Designed for Haunting in Books

Oct 10, 2018  
Designed for Haunting
Designed for Haunting
Sybil Johnson | 2018 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Designed for Your Halloween Reading Pleasure
It's a couple of weeks before Halloween, and Aurora “Rory” Anderson and the rest of her painting friends are working on the annual benefit they put on where they sell their work for charity. That changes when Rory gets an e-mail from Zelena, a friend in her painting group that says the e-mail is being sent to Rory because Zelena is missing. As Rory begins to investigate, she learns that no one has seen Zelena for several days. A dead body just increases the stakes. Can Rory figure out what is really happening?

This is a great mystery with several other mysterious happenings that help cloud the issue. Yet as Rory sorts through what applies to the main mystery, she leads us to a clear picture of what happened. It all comes together in a page turning climax. The characters are strong; the new characters do their job of keeping us wondering what is really happening while Rory and the other series regulars were a delight to be around. This book evoked a Southern California Halloween for me perfectly, complete with a potentially spooky sub-plot or two to add to the seasonal fun.