19th Century Love Story for Historical Fiction and Romance Fans
So the options were limited... and they had to entertain the whole family, or at least the vast majority of the family because the cable came to the main TV... that was it... And as a result, I saw a lot of wholesome TV shows, especially when compared to today's standard...
All that to say, my childhood can easily be defined in categories of which shows were on the air... two of those included Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and Christy... and for some reason those to shows seem to be my standard for all historical fiction... which is probably not fair... but something to keep in mind as I share this brand new book, Ashes on the Moor, by Sarah M Eden.
Ashes on the Moor
Sarah M Eden
Story Overview
Evangeline Blake only knows how to live a privileged life in Cambridgeshire in 1871, so when the majority of her family dies of an illness, she is unprepared for the turn her life will take. Evangeline and her sister Lucy find themselves being uprooted and moved to Yorkshire to start living a new life - apart from each other for the first time.
Evangeline is told that she must teach in the new school of Smeatley where the families are the lower working class, most barely able to feed their families. She is in over her head with nowhere to turn. And depression sets in. Determined to get Lucy back in her life, Evangeline battles every day to learn this new standard of life.
Dermot McCormick is an Irishman living in Smeatley, who knows how deep prejudices against different ethnicities can run. But he is determined to find a better life for his son, which means getting him and English education. So as a skilled brick mason he has found his way to Smeatley to work as the head of the crew for the mill manager. If he can't be accepted because of his heritage, he will earn the respect of some based on his work ethic.
Personal Likes
I enjoyed Evangeline as a character - she reminded me of Christy, so you know that's a win! She had a goal and she stayed focused on it. Granted life was hitting her pretty hard, but each day she tried again. And that's admirable.
I appreciated the author's passion for the history of Yorkshire as she explained in her acknowledgments (yes those are always worth reading!). She clearly did a ton of research for this book and that's nice as too many historical fictions fall more into historical fantasy anymore.
I appreciated the author's passion for the history of Yorkshire as she explained in her acknowledgments (yes those are always worth reading!). She clearly did a ton of research for this book and that's nice as too many historical fictions fall more into historical fantasy anymore.
Personal Dislikes
Unfortunately, this book had more dislikes for me than likes... probably because my standard for historical fiction are TV shows... or because I haven't been pulled into many historical fiction stories recently...
While the author's goal of preserving the history of Yorkshire ended up being the biggest stumbling block for me as she focused on their language, which was so very hard to understand, but then, instead of allowing the readers to figure it out with Evangeline, she would break up the dialogue with long paragraphs explaining what they meant... it was very tedious and broke up the flow of the story over and over.
And because of the hit to the pace of the book, I wasn't drawn into to the characters, I didn't care as the relationship developed, I didn't have any investment in their happy ending. So it was too predictable and expected (which is fine usually if I'm drawn to the characters...)
While the author's goal of preserving the history of Yorkshire ended up being the biggest stumbling block for me as she focused on their language, which was so very hard to understand, but then, instead of allowing the readers to figure it out with Evangeline, she would break up the dialogue with long paragraphs explaining what they meant... it was very tedious and broke up the flow of the story over and over.
And because of the hit to the pace of the book, I wasn't drawn into to the characters, I didn't care as the relationship developed, I didn't have any investment in their happy ending. So it was too predictable and expected (which is fine usually if I'm drawn to the characters...)
Reading List Rating
I am giving this book three hearts though because I think it lost a heart because I'm just not feeling the genre right now. I am pretty sure this will be a big hit with many readers, so do not allow my minor opinions dissuade you as it's a well-written book.
My Suggested Audience
This is a very clean book and story so I would say it's appropriate for younger readers who are interested in the time period. As there is a ton of research supporting this setting it would be an excellent choice for those teens who are into history. And of course, fans of historical fiction with a bit of a love story will be enamored by it.
Wondering Questions to Consider
This story does open up the door for many discussion points - the author even included a few in the back of the book. One of the main themes is the prejudice people have towards others who are different. With the book focusing on the issues of ethnicity and class, it is interesting to consider all the other points that lead to discrimination. And why it happens, how to keep it from happening, and how to combat it.
I want to know how TV watching went at your homes growing up! Did you have a bunch of TV time? Did you have to share the time with your family? Do you even know the shows I mentioned at the beginning of the post?
I'd love to hear from you, please leave me a little note!
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**** Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher, Shadow Mountain
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2 coment�rios
I remember life before VCR was common. My sister and I had a favorite TV show we liked to watch at lunchtime and we would have to rush home from wherever we were to watch it. I remember being so excited when we finally got a VCR and could record it. But, as you said, even the VCR had huge downsides.
ReplyDeleteyes exactly! Glad I'm not the only one who remembers those days.
DeleteI love comments!!
Let me know what you thought of this one... don't forget to share your blog link so I can stop by!