Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley
As she has with every one of her exquisite time slip novels, Susanna Kearsley left me breathless with Bellewether. Historical fiction is all about bringing history to life, and Ms Kearsley always gives us so much more than a mere heartbeat. With a curator’s expertise, a historian’s passion, and an artist’s finesse, she brings meticulous attention to 18th century historical detail (including the Acadians – a particular favourite of mine), and every detail has a purpose, meaning her beautiful prose is never overdone. I’m always so impressed by how she is able to create separate/connected characters and make them all equally compelling – it’s like she writes two separate books in one. And somehow I always end up with such a crush on her men (both 21st and 18th century). Charley and Lydia were strong, intelligent, and beautiful women, but Sam and Jean-Philippe? Well, despite the perfect endings to both stories, I ended up wishing there was more about them!
Relative Happiness by Lesley Crewe
I love the way Lesley Crewe can weave Cape Breton’s magical, sea-salted air through her stories, how she can bring such real characters to life and take her readers on such intense journeys … but until now I didn’t realize she could write such sweet, sweet love stories. * feeling refreshed *
Everyday Heroes by Jody Mitic
There’s nothing like hearing about epic moments in history when they are told by the heroes themselves. These are Canadian service people who never thought of themselves as heroes – probably still don’t – and yet they show us how they handled the most difficult moments in their lives. Kudos to these people for their bravery, and for the courage to share it with us.
Thank you Genevieve for your wonderful book reviews! I agree with your review of Bellewether, I enjoyed it very much as well! And Relative Happiness and Everyday Heroes sound quite interesting too. We appreciate the time taken to write these for us today.