Rebekah’s Journey: an historical novel by Ann Bell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. The main character is an honorable woman, a Quaker in the 18th century, who faces hardship and overcomes. She travels from England to Pennsylvania as a girl then makes a life for herself in the new world. It’s a good story. Somehow, though, the telling fell a bit flat. It was as though the author was merely reporting the events. I didn’t get to live within them, to breathe the air of another time. It’s that ability to transport you to another time and place that sets the best historical novels apart from the rest, and unfortunately Rebekah’s Journey just doesn’t have it. That being said, I’m still glad I spent some time with the book. It was well worth the Kindle purchase price. And Rebekah is good company, inspiring company. That’s almost enough. Almost.

Susan Lynn Peterson
author of Clare, a Novel


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Elizabeth Street: A novel based on true events by Laurie Fabiano

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love historical novels that allow you to live in another time and place for a little while. Elizabeth Street is just such a novel. You can feel the hundreds, or more likely thousands, of hours that went in to researching the setting. But the novel is more than just a description of a time, it’s also a solidly told story containing strong, likable characters. When I heard that it included a subplot about extortion by the Black Hand, I was wondering whether I would like it. I normally don’t enjoy mob books or movies. But this book is not a glorification of the mob, but rather is the story of a woman who overcame obstacles in a new world, one of those obstacles the criminal element of her time. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys early-twentieth-century historical fiction.



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