Lady of Galway Manor

Last year I had the opportunity to read Jennifer Deibel's debut release, A Dance in Donegal. Having enjoyed that title, when the opportunity to read her new book The Lady of Galway Manor came along, I jumped at the chance. 1920 finds Lady Annabeth De Lacy just moved to Galway City, Ireland with her very English family where her father Lord De Lacy is the new landlord for the parish. From the beginning the tensions between the Irish and English are felt as the time period is the Irish War of Independence. However, Anna as the main character prefers to be called does not wish to stay locked away in the manor but wants to learn everything she can about her new home which includes being apprenticed to a young and attractive local craftsman. Coming from a very English court upbringing, Anna is unfamiliar with the ways of her new acquaintances which causes some bumbles as she unwittingly offends them when she tries to assist.Caught between the demands of her very English family and a growing attraction toward the craftsman, Anna is caught in a definite pickle as her hand is forced by family expectations. Her efforts to get to know the people of Galway City and understand their point of view pay off by the end of the book! Likewise Stephen has his world and his view of the English turned upside down.

While an enjoyable book, The Lady of Galway Manor is somewhat predictable and didn't provide the same feeling of being whisked to Ireland as the previous title. I recommend borrowing this from a library rather than purchasing a copy.

I received a complementary copy from Revell via NetGalley.

Winter Rose

Last year I discovered Melanie Dobson who has written numerous books. Several, but not all of the books, have been World War II fiction and individuals who read my blog frequently know that I rarely pass up WW2 books. Her most recent book The Winter Rose combines the WW2 genre with timeslip into a unique and well-developed story. I so appreciated how Dobson demonstrates that the events of World War 2 and the experiences of people who were caught in this horror continue to impact people and the world today. In brief, Dobson creates a marvelous story involving Jewish refugess children who end up in America, throws in a love story, and adds in a mystery in the form of a family drama which extends to the modern day. Dobson also shows how the problems of one generation can be passed to the next generation but that those problems do not define who someone is or how they will live their lives. With all of these different strands taking place, Dobson manages to weave an immensely satisfying and enjoyable story that demonstrates the power of God's love to transcend circumstances.

I received a complemtary copy of The Winter Rose from Tyndale House via NetGalley. I am not required to provide a positive review.

Breaking Ground

In the conversation "Arguments for the Sake of Heaven" published in Breaking Ground, Jonathan Haidt states "The interesting thing is that Americans are not getting more polarized in terms of their beliefs about issues. . . .The polarization is affective--that is, it's emotional. We don't disagree more about policy matters or ideas, we just hate each other more. And that's really important to keep your eye on, because when you really hate someone, you will believe anything that casts them in a bad light; you're less likely to check sources."

This is one of several passages I noted in this outstanding collection of essays. This particular item caught my attention due to the information literacy aspect. Beyond this passage, Breaking Ground has assembled a collection of beautifully written essays that looks at our lives of the course of one year of the pandemic. Well done and highly recommended! My full review will be posted later at Englewood Review of Books.

I received a complementary copy from Plough Publishing via NetGalley. All comments and reviews are my own.