"A Fresh Look at the Civil War"
Under the Tulip Tree
Genres: Women's Fiction Historical | Inspirational Historical
Posted: July 7, 2020
Lorena's 16th birthday and coming out party happens to be the very day the stock-market crashes sending America into a great depression. Seven years later, her life is in turmoil. She's out of a job, her father is an alcoholic, and her sister's life is falling apart. Her former boss suggests a job with the WPA under the New Deal program. She accepts a job with the WPA and a whole new world opens for her. Will she be up to the new job?
Her mother isn't happy about the job and wants her to quit this job as it's not "proper" for someone of her social standing. A job like this will prevent her from marrying someone of "good breeding" - or so her mother thinks. Will she quit the job? Can she afford to quit the job in the middle of a depression?
Her first interview is with a 101-year-old former slave named Frankie. Frankie will turn her world upside down and inside out as she shares her life with Lorena - a socialite's daughter from Tennessee. Lorena becomes enthused with Frankie's story and how it is affecting her thoughts on slavery and the Civil War.
I truly enjoyed this book. The main characters are very well developed and their personalities are evident in the way the author portrayed them. Frankie and Lorena are exceptionally well written. You feel like you may actually have met them, or know them. I feel like I understand them - as I am a northern girl married to a southern guy.
The story flowed well and kept my interest. It is the kind of book you really are torn between wanting to get to the end to see what happens, and dreading the end as you want to keep reading. As for it being a historical novel, it seems to be researched well. I learned a lot and am thankful for it.
Lastly - editing can make or break a book. Even though this was an ARC, the editing was good and attention to detail is something I appreciate.
Overall, I feel this is a book very much worth reading. I would recommend this to my friends. It might be listed as an inspirational or Christian book, but it is not at all preachy in any way. It just shows how faith works in a believer's life. Anyone that enjoys historical fiction, a clean story, or an inspirational book should enjoy this novel.
Book Summary
Sixteen-year-old Lorena Leland’s dreams of a rich and fulfilling life as a writer are dashed when the stock market crashes in 1929. Seven years into the Great Depression, Rena’s banker father has retreated into the bottle, her sister is married to a lazy charlatan and gambler, and Rena is an unemployed newspaper reporter. Eager for any writing job, Rena accepts a position interviewing former slaves for the Federal Writers’ Project. There, she meets Frankie Washington, a 101-year-old woman whose honest yet tragic past captivates Rena.
As Frankie recounts her life as a slave, Rena is horrified to learn of all the older woman has endured—especially because Rena’s ancestors owned slaves. While Frankie’s story challenges Rena’s preconceptions about slavery, it also connects the two women whose lives are otherwise separated by age, race, and circumstances. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?
Read an Excerpt
Tyndale House Publishers
September 1, 2020
On Sale: September 8, 2020
Featuring:
400 pages
ISBN: 1496446070
EAN: 9781496446077
Kindle: B085F4YQ11
Trade Size / e-Book