Wednesday, January 14, 2015

"The Whistle Walk" (Ironwood Plantation Family Saga Book 1) by Stephenia H. McGee

Book Description

 December 17, 2014
A Mississippi Plantation: Civil War pits country men against one another and tears a nation asunder. Life and death are held in the balance where everyone is a slave to something.

One is born free, yet lives as a soul in bondage…
Lydia Harper never intended to purchase a slave. But when she witnesses a woman being beaten in the street, all her pretenses begin to unravel. A bride to a man she barely knows and bound by her secrets, Lydia will risk everything to save a stranger. Amid the War Between the States, the mistress of Ironwood faces the battles in her own heart and discovers strength in a way she never imagined.

The other is born to serve, yet holds the spirit of freedom…
Ruth, standing on the threshold of desperation, has lost everything she holds dear. After being pulled from the dirt, she is no longer a field hand but the personal maid to the lady of Ironwood. Ruth soon realizes adversity pays no mind to the color of skin. When propriety slips, she discovers they have more in common than she dreamed possible. In a time when fear brings the South to its knees, two women will forge a friendship in the fires of redemption and thrust Ironwood into a new future – where the battle for freedom has merely begun. 
Author Bio:

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Stephenia McGee is a wife, mother of two very active little boys, author, and chairman of Spirit Horse Ministries. A portion of all her book sales go to help the ministry provide spiritual and emotional growth and a quality education to at-risk young girls. Stephenia currently lives in Mississippi with her husband and sons where she writes stories of faith, redemption and life steeped in southern culture.

MY REVIEW:
This book is a great retelling of The Civil War from a fictional angle. I was reminded of "Gone With The Wind" but I liked "The Whistle Walk" a little better because it told the story from both a free woman and a slave.

This book was hard to put down because I wanted to see what happened next. This book made me cried at some of the scenes. 

This book is a story of friendship between two women in a time when these two shouldn't have been according to the customs. 

I was given a pfd file of the book for an honest review and even though the story line sounded like a story I would like, I have to say I had no idea that I would like it so well and want a copy of the print book to keep on my shelf. This book should be made into a movie, I think it could be a favorite for history fans and romance fans. 

This book is also a love story but that story is secondary to the courage that Ruth and Lydia has to accept.

There are surprises in this book, that I personally didn't see coming but I am so glad that they happened. 

If I would have lived back in the days before the Civil War, Ironwood Plantation is the type of plantation that I would have wanted to be a part of, the slaves weren't treated badly but I am glad that I was born after that time as no one should be the properly of another man!

"The Whistle Walk" starts out in narrative language but as the story progresses it is written so well that you don't notice it being narrative. I could actually see the scenes unfold in my mind.

I recommend this book to all readers. 

" The Whistle Walk " is the first book in the "Ironwood Plantation Family Saga" and the second book promises to be just as good as the first. Stephenia is well on her way to being a great author and is one of my new favorite authors! 
I am giving "The Whistle Walk" five stars!

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