Then Came Faithby Louise Gouge
Emerald Point Books, September 2006
From the Publisher
Juliana is back in New Orleans, a war-ravaged city, to help rebuild and minister to the people devastated after the Civil War. A strict abolitionist and part of the Underground Railroad, she seeks to help the South understand the transgressions of slavery.
My Review
I’m impressed with this book. I’ll tell you why. I remember growing up in the 1970s and watching several mini-series at that time. One was The Holocaust, and the other two were Roots and North and South. Remember those? I also read the books Roots and Queen by Alex Haley at the time. They were fabulous.
Then Came Faith brought all of those memories back and with them came the emotion that coexists with reflecting on such trying times. I loved Juliana and Andre. They made an interesting couple—especially because of their extremely conflicting beliefs—even though they were apart for the majority of the book. The author did a fabulous job showing the hearts of both abolitionists and confederates at the time of reconstruction in the deep south.
This story had some grit, yes, but it wasn’t overly done. I especially loved it when Juliana went to confront the slimebag Dupris in his bawdy house and tried to help Gemma escape. That was priceless. Of course, the Civil War era books aren’t realistic without a few Klan scenes. Those guys in the white hoods just make me sick, but without them the story doesn’t feel as authentic. There was just enough to give you a sense of the internal and external conflict the characters experienced, but not enough to seem excessively dramatic.
I thoroughly enjoyed Then Came Faith and am looking forward to the next book in the series. This is one of those stories that you hate to have end. The faith element was very well done and the change of heart amongst many of the characters was heartwarming and sincere. I also must add that I really enjoyed getting to know Andre and experiencing the doubts regarding his culture and the way he grew up believing that “chattels” as he referred to them, were not equal to whites, yet he loved Cordell like a brother, so he saw the contradiction even within himself.
Michelle Sutton (pen name)
ACFW Volunteer Officer - voloff@acfw.com
writer/book reviewer - check out my latest reviews!
http://www.michellesutton.net
http://edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com
http://christianwritersofthewest.blogspot.com
Posts
3 comments:
It's good to see that books set in the Civil War era are still being published. I'll have to put it on my list. Thanks for the review!
I love these reviews. They give me a good feel for what the book is about. Thank you!
Cherie Japp
I was considering getting it, until I saw the sentance about the Klan scenes. The Klan didn't exist in that way until after Reconstruction was over. The Klan was originally founded as a society of gentlemen to protect Southern women from the often lewd, crude and dangerous carpetbaggers. Think Gone With The Wind, the "political meeting" scene where Frank dies and Ashley is shot. The origins of the Klan date back to those circumstances. And Scarlet was attacked by a white man, not a black man. The story would be more authentic WITHOUT the white hoods. The Klan was at their zenith during the Depression, not during Reconstruction. There was an awful lot going on in New Orleans during this period, a lot of stuff that had more impact on Southern and Louisiana life than a trumped up history of the Klan and a Northern girl who would have been scorned and ignored.
And why do Civil War/Reconstruction novels always have to have Klan scenes and uber-abolitionist viewpoints anyway? There are other viewpoints and stories to tell. I for one am getting a little tired of all the abilitionist stuff that's flooding the market. Will someone besides me ever have the guts to write these same things from the Southern viewpoint?
Post a Comment