November 2017
2018 A to Z Challenge - "T"
Wow, just wow. A slave-era story told in alternating past and present voices from the conflicted historical city of Charleston, SC. You will love and hate the characters as much as you will love and hate the city itself.
Jordan-Lake gives us a novel not only meticulously researched, but also replete with genuine characters and a mystery that gathers speed as you near the end of the book. Not only does she paint an accurate and disturbing picture of the horrors of slave life in Charleston in the 1800's but she weaves in more recent history. Stories that I mourned when I heard them on the news, far removed from Charleston, but once immersed in this story, they pierced my heart.
With all the books I read that cover all different eras of human history, it never ceases to disappoint me how terribly cruel we can be to one another, yet through such unimaginable horrors, the human spirit continues to rise up, to strengthen, to heal and sometimes, miraculously, forgive.
Quotes: "You got some kind of slippery grip on your stack of nice." (Gabe - I just love Gabe!)
"Lots of people seem trustworthy at first. But nobody comes thorough in the end."
"Hard not to spend up the life we've got now railing at what we wish hadn't been."
"Only for some of us, maybe forgiveness is more a journey than a moment in time."
"A life worth living is one of compassion. And a life of compassion will include may tears."
#2018AtoZChallenge
This sounds heartbreaking, but it's so important to read these sorts of stories to remember that we need to keep our compassion and kindness. Great review!
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