kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, before I get to the review, let me just say this: the word "okay" was not a thing in the nineteenth century. Nobody said "okay" back then! Also, nobody would have used contractions in written English, such as "would've," when writing a letter. It's kind of a shame, because errors like this detract from what is otherwise a strong book in many ways. The location stays the same for much of the plot, a small town in West Virginia. One arc of the story takes place during the Civil War era, and one arc takes place in 2014. Infertility for women is a connecting theme, and Civil War events and antique dolls play a role as well. Most of the story takes place in the narrative, and there are some sections that are told by letter and by documents. It's an interesting story and an interesting way of connecting two different time periods. There is a ton of emotion, possibly more than necessary to get the point across. This is a character-driven book, which is what made it appealing for me. I found Sarah (Civil War-era protagonist) more engaging than Eden (21st-century protagonist). Still, both characters grew and developed over the course of the book, which made for an engaging read.
liadra's review against another edition
4.0
I was prepared to dislike this book on the summary alone.. and found myself disappointed. I really liked the book. Sure, there were things about it that weren't as well put out as they could have been, but for the most part, the storyline was intriguing and kept me turning pages wondering what would happen next. For me, the most disappointing aspect of the book was the 'romance'. It's not that I expect happy endings all the time, but something about how that was handled was too pat; too.. well, I wanted more. Overall, a pleasant, if light read. One I'd recommend to others. It rocks no boats and would be suitable for most.
elentikvah's review against another edition
4.0
This book caught my eye while I was browsing this author in the library, so I picked it up on a whim.
My first recalled exposure to John Brown was via a black&white movie about the Harper's Ferry raid. Then in the early 1990s, our family took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington, DC, during which we visited Harper's Ferry and I learned that a BvtCol. Robert E. Lee commanded the US forces sent to deal with this raid. Now, at that time, I was definitively a product of the propaganda campaign of the United Daughters of the Confederacy's "Lost Cause" mythology that is called "history" throughout most of the South. By definition, Lee was the hero of this story, and Brown was definitely the villian.
Over the last few years, I have deconstructed most of the mythology that I was taught and along with that has come some new curiosity about notable abolitionists. So, I picked up a story about John Brown's daughter, Sarah.
This book is written with dual-POVs - Sarah Brown, daughter of John Brown, and Eden Anderson. While I usually enjoy most dual-POV stories, this one felt a bit contrived. This may be because I really just did not like Eden - at all. Though I liked many of the modern characters - Cleo really steals the show, imo! - something just felt off, like the modern story was trying too hard. Sarah's story, OTOH, really pulled me in and kept me interested.
Lastly, trigger warning for infertility trauma - as a couple that has dealt with this grief, I was not mentally prepared to see the specter raised *repeatedly* throughout Eden's storyline. While our journey through infertility did not mirror Eden's, her rehash of emotional turmoil is a challenge and probably contributed to my frustration with this character's arc.
As always, the Author's Note in a historical fiction book is one of my favorite sections, as the pieces of a tale that I have enjoyed are teased apart by the author into known history and storytelling. In this area, McCoy did not disappoint.
Rating 4/5 stars
12 hrs and 21 mins / 320 pages
Audiobook / Kindle
My first recalled exposure to John Brown was via a black&white movie about the Harper's Ferry raid. Then in the early 1990s, our family took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington, DC, during which we visited Harper's Ferry and I learned that a BvtCol. Robert E. Lee commanded the US forces sent to deal with this raid. Now, at that time, I was definitively a product of the propaganda campaign of the United Daughters of the Confederacy's "Lost Cause" mythology that is called "history" throughout most of the South. By definition, Lee was the hero of this story, and Brown was definitely the villian.
Over the last few years, I have deconstructed most of the mythology that I was taught and along with that has come some new curiosity about notable abolitionists. So, I picked up a story about John Brown's daughter, Sarah.
This book is written with dual-POVs - Sarah Brown, daughter of John Brown, and Eden Anderson. While I usually enjoy most dual-POV stories, this one felt a bit contrived. This may be because I really just did not like Eden - at all. Though I liked many of the modern characters - Cleo really steals the show, imo! - something just felt off, like the modern story was trying too hard. Sarah's story, OTOH, really pulled me in and kept me interested.
Lastly, trigger warning for infertility trauma - as a couple that has dealt with this grief, I was not mentally prepared to see the specter raised *repeatedly* throughout Eden's storyline. While our journey through infertility did not mirror Eden's, her rehash of emotional turmoil is a challenge and probably contributed to my frustration with this character's arc.
As always, the Author's Note in a historical fiction book is one of my favorite sections, as the pieces of a tale that I have enjoyed are teased apart by the author into known history and storytelling. In this area, McCoy did not disappoint.
Rating 4/5 stars
12 hrs and 21 mins / 320 pages
Audiobook / Kindle
cesiliec's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
booksbythecup's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Parallel stories of Eden (2014) infertile and lives in new Charlestown, in a historic home, with her husband (Brit) jack, although they seem to coexist, she wants to divorce her husband - she's on my nerves with that - but developed some compassion for her as story continued - she befriends 10 year old Cleo, who Jack hires to take care of cricket when he's away at work
They become fast friends, she helps Eden learn who's who in the town, Eden also takes job at Ms Silverdash bookstore driving the children's story hour, Cleo and Eden make holistic dog food for cricket, with the crickets biskets being a hit At the dog days end festival
Edens brother comes to visit...his girlfriend Jessica arrives and Eden recognizes she is pregnant, struggles with her feelings, she's become attached to cricket, he me Jack begin to repair their relationship, she kicks him out after she reads a text on his phone. They reconcile again when they find out cricket has cancer and is dying
Sarah Brown, (1869) daughter of John Brown, who feels strongly about continuing her fathers work in abolitionist, with Underground Railroad, with her mapmaking, eventually coming to a head with painting the maps on dolls faces - falls in love with Freddy who proposes but she declines because of her barren condition...returns to help Freddy (disguised as nun) when he is injured in war (Freddy marries Ruthie) - Sarah flees again because of impending danger - her and her family move to Iowa then to California
Parallel stories of Eden (2014) infertile and lives in new Charlestown, in a historic home, with her husband (Brit) jack, although they seem to coexist, she wants to divorce her husband - she's on my nerves with that - but developed some compassion for her as story continued - she befriends 10 year old Cleo, who Jack hires to take care of cricket when he's away at work
They become fast friends, she helps Eden learn who's who in the town, Eden also takes job at Ms Silverdash bookstore driving the children's story hour, Cleo and Eden make holistic dog food for cricket, with the crickets biskets being a hit At the dog days end festival
Edens brother comes to visit...his girlfriend Jessica arrives and Eden recognizes she is pregnant, struggles with her feelings, she's become attached to cricket, he me Jack begin to repair their relationship, she kicks him out after she reads a text on his phone. They reconcile again when they find out cricket has cancer and is dying
Sarah Brown, (1869) daughter of John Brown, who feels strongly about continuing her fathers work in abolitionist, with Underground Railroad, with her mapmaking, eventually coming to a head with painting the maps on dolls faces - falls in love with Freddy who proposes but she declines because of her barren condition...returns to help Freddy (disguised as nun) when he is injured in war (Freddy marries Ruthie) - Sarah flees again because of impending danger - her and her family move to Iowa then to California
pixie_hallows's review against another edition
5.0
This book easily ranks as one of my top ten reads this year. I enjoyed it immensely. It’s a story of two woman — one from the 1800s and one living in today’s world. I would still consider it Historical Fiction. The connection between the two women is not only the house, and the secrets within, but by the infertility that shapes each woman. I loved the characters and felt the author did a great job of telling both stories. The historical part was based on a real-life person, and the author shares a little bit about that in an epilogue.
Would I recommend this to fellow book lovers? Absolutely!
Would I recommend this to my teenage daughter? Yep. There is an instance in the book that discusses the option of abortion, so that could be something to discuss if your teen were to read the book.
Would I recommend this to fellow book lovers? Absolutely!
Would I recommend this to my teenage daughter? Yep. There is an instance in the book that discusses the option of abortion, so that could be something to discuss if your teen were to read the book.
suannelaqueur's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. This book had such a great premise but it missed the mark for me. The Civil War sections with Sarah Brown worked perfectlyÑthe writing, the historical detail, the tone, the storyline. Left on their own, this could've been a four-star book. But the present-day sections just flopped. They were filled with nonsenseÑbabies and puppies, cookie-cutter characters, lack of communication. I didn't connect with Eden at all, and she ended up dragging the whole book down to a weak finish. Still, I was bummed to find no Wikipedia entry on Sarah Brown because I'm curious about her now.
perry417's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book very much, and it was a true page-turner. I don't know how much of Sarah Brown's story is based on true history and how much was fictionalized, but reading "her half" of the book was truly fascinating to me. I realize there is so much about the Civil War era of American history that I do not know, and now want to read more about. And I am eager to plan a family field trip to Harper's Ferry! Eden's contemporary story was a bit less interesting to me, only because I found her a rather unlikable character with some pretty jarring leaps in her story. Still, a fabulous book.
lecturedudimanche's review against another edition
5.0
C’est le deuxième livre que j’ai lu de cette auteure, le premier étant Un goût de cannelle et d’espoir. J’aime beaucoup l’écriture de Sarah McCoy, elle est fluide et assez prenante. Une fois le livre commencé, on ne s’arrête plus ! On suit les aventures de Sarah et Éden, les deux protagonistes avec plaisir et envie. Ces dernières ne vivant pas à la même époque, nous sommes plongés dans deux ambiances différentes, sans jamais se perdre ou s’ennuyer.