Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson

Twelve-year-old Homer, his sister Ada and their Mama (Rose) have runaway from Southerland Plantation. Their plan was to go north to freedom but Mama has gone back to get Anna, a slave Homer had promised to help run. Now Homer and Ada are being tracked by Stokes, the overseer and his dogs, and his two brother-in-laws, Ron and Rick. Homer manages to escape one of the dogs which has bitten him, and he and Ada head towards the river.

At the bank of the roaring river, Homer grabs Ada's hand and they jump, surfacing far downstream. They make their way to the bank, but not before Homer hits his head on the riverbed. On the bank of the river, Homer and Ada sleep before considering what to do next. They remember what Two Shoes, so named because he wore Mr. Crumb's castoff shoes did. His son Desmond, had been sold off, leaving his wife, Sally, devastated. In hope of getting Desmond back, Two Shoes had revealed where another slave, Wilson, had run away to. But Mr. Crumb did not buy back Desmond as he promised, and Wilson was found and whipped.

Hearing Stokes dogs, Homer pulls Ada deeper into the swamp. However, Homer soon finds himself sinking deep into the mud in a sinkhole. With Ada's help he gets free, only to find a huge snake wrapped around his leg. As the snake is about to strike, an arrow kills it. A strange man with hickory brown skin and hair in long ropes descends from the trees to claim his arrow and also to stop Ada's questions. They hear Stokes nearby with his dogs, striking fear into Ada. Before she can run off, the man tears a strip off of Ada's dress wrapping it around an arrow with something sticky. From the treetops he sends a flaming arrow into the dry leaves below, igniting a fire in the swamp.

Homer and Ada follow the man, whose name is Suleman deeper into the swamp. After a complicated journey that involves trudging through the swamp for a day, travelling in a boat carved from a tree, passing through a secret door hidden in the brush, spending the night in a secret tree hideout they continue on. During their journey to Freewater, Suleman tells Homer and Ada that he ran away three times from the plantation, each time losing a finger as punishment. Suleman's work is to know about the various plantations and to steal what they need from them. He leads Homer and Ada to a spot where they meet people disguised as brush, covered in leaves and mud. They are David, Ibra and Daria. The group then climbs into the trees to walk across a rope bridge in the canopy and into Freewater, a village of escaped slaves.

Meanwhile at Southerland Plantation, eleven-year-old Nora has discovered that Homer's mother, Rose has been caught and brutally whipped by Stoke's brother-in-laws. Nora is the youngest daughter of Master Crumb, owner of Southerland. When Nora was born, her father believed her to be unwell. She was born with a large red strawberry birthmark on the left side of her face. Her father once showed Nora a picture of an octopus, telling her the birthmark was like the octopus, "...with the oval shaped octopus head marked her temple, and from it sprang eight curving marks. Two that stretched to her left eyebrow, another three that unwound along her cheekbone, and another three that traveled down her jawline." Because her parents thought she was sickly, Homer's mother Rose was forced to wean him and become Nora's wet nurse. Soon Nora spent much of her time with Rose who was given a room off the kitchen. Nora was taught by a tutor and spent her days in the kitchen with Rose, reading. Being abandoned in this way, Nora refused to speak.

With only a month before Nora's older sister, Violet's wedding, the whipping of Rose is a disaster. For Anna, a slave in the house, the disappearance of Homer and Ada, and the whipping of Rose causes much trouble. Anna was considered a peculiar girl. She had been sold many times, often not lasting more than a year in a house. Anna's mother had cut her on the arm, making a sort of arm scar that seemed to Anna to be a hint to run North. Anna was determined to escape and find her mother, and Homer and Ada's escape, and the suffering of Rose, moves her to begin planning both her escape and her revenge.

Nora too begins planning. Overhearing her sister Violet complaining about her being at her wedding, Nora runs to find Rose, only to discover she is seriously injured from the whipping. It is a sight that makes her ill. 

Meanwhile, in Freewater, Homer and Ada meet some of the inhabitants of the emancipated community. There is Sanzi who lives with her mother Mrs. Light, who escaped years ago and her older sister Juna. Sanzi was born in Freeland, has never known slavery and wants to be like Suleman. She carries around a bow and a quiver of arrows and is often in trouble. Her father David patrols the borders of Freewater. Billy who ran away with his father Ibra, is fourteen-years-old. Billy stutters and is afraid of many things. He is certain the slave catcher who hunted him and his father is still out there waiting. He loves to work with wood and has crafted a wooden bracelet for Juna, whom he has a crush on. There is Ferdinand, Sanzi's rival who escaped from a ditch digging gang. He managed to steal the overseer's knife and it is his prized possession.

Homer and Ada spend the next three weeks adjusting to life in Freewater. But Homer is determined to help his mother and Anna escape Southerland. He is forced to act when he uncovers the betrayal of Two Shoes. His plan to return to Southerland is discovered by his new friends, Sanzi, Ferdinand, Billy, and Juna and they insist on coming with him, as does Ada. They set out, hoping to arrive during the busyness of Violet's wedding. 

Meanwhile, Anna and Nora both begin to develop their own plans to leave Southerland. But Violet's wedding becomes a special day for Homer, Ada, Rose, Anna and Nora and a day that Violet and Southerland won't easily forget.

Discussion

Amina Luqman-Dawson has crafted an enjoyable and interesting story with her debut novel, Freewater. In Freewater, Luqman-Dawson creates a story inspired by the maroon communities living in the Great Dismal Swamp which was located in southeastern Virginia and the northeastern part of  North Carolina prior to the Civil War. It had been inhabited by Indigenous peoples for centuries before the coming of the maroons, who were enslaved people who had freed themselves by escaping the plantations they worked on.

Conditions in the Great Dismal Swamp were difficult, with hot, humid weather, dense bush and vines, bears, poisonous snakes and insects. These conditions made it almost impossible to track and recapture runaway slaves. Despite the obvious hardships, life was preferable in the swamp to living the life of a slave on a plantation. The maroons built homes on higher ground in the swamp. Since they had few tools and even clothing, they often raided nearby plantations for tools, food and other goods.

In Freewater, Homer and Ada along with their mother Rose, flee Southerland plantation to a community hidden deep within the nearby swamp. However, their freedom is marred in Homer's mind because they have broken their promise to take another slave, Anna with them. This leads Rose to return to try to bring Anna, but she is recaptured and whipped. For Homer, there is no freedom until he brings his mother to Freewater.

Luqman-Dawson has crafted a diverse cast of characters, from the brave Sanzi struggling to find her place in Freewater, to Billy who stutters and is overwhelmed with the fear of being recaptured, to Homer who tries to adapt to life in the swamp while his mother is still enslaved. Then there is  Mr. and Mrs Crumb and Violet Crumb who see their slaves as mere possessions, Anna a young slave girl who has been sold so many times and who has no memory of her mother, Two Shoes who repeatedly betrays others in an attempt to bring back his beloved son Desmond, and Old Joe and Miss Petunia, who are elderly, faithful slaves. Nora Crumb, the abandoned daughter of the Crumbs, realizes the truth about the slaves at Southerland.

Nora, the youngest daughter of Master Crumb, begins to comprehend the reality of slavery when she discovers Rose has been brutally whipped. Watching Rick and Ron pour salt onto Rose's wounds, makes Nora ill. Later, overhearing her father planning to recapture Homer and Ada causes her to wonder about the type of person her father is. "Nora held her breath. She'd heard talk about catching runaways all her life, and she hadn't thought too much of it. Rose, Homer, and Ada, they were different, weren't they? But something in Nora's father's words made her blood run cold. It didn't match the father who tucked her in at night." When Anna returns a book Nora left for Rose, telling Nora that her father will give Rose the lash again if he finds the book, Nora thinks, "To hear her father connected to the idea of hurting Rose turned something in Nora. Yes, Stokes was mean. He was cruel and feared. But her father? Anna's words were like a first small crack setting into a sheet of lake ice." 

Nora, unlike anyone else at Southerland, has a special relationship with Rose. Born with an octopus-shaped birthmark that extends down the left side of her face, Nora is an outcast in her family. Her mother insists that Nora wear her hair down to cover the strawberry mark. Mrs. Crumb seems unconcerned about how her daughter feels about her actions and words. This leads to Nora feeling unloved and unwanted. But Rose, who nursed her as a baby, has always accepted Nora. When Rose recovers from her wounds, Nora can see that Rose is heartbroken, because she doesn't know the fate of her children, Homer and Ada. At a dress fitting, Nora is forced to sit on Rose's back by her mother who prattles on about how Nora's hair can cover her birthmark and who has no concern for Rose's evident pain. Nora can feel the scars of the whipping and seeing Rose's tears, she jumps up and runs off. Later on, Rose tells Nora how Violet also used to come to the kitchen when she was small  and talk to her, but that eventually she stopped coming. Nora realizes that her sister "used to visit Rose, but she never spoke to Rose now. Never. To her, Rose didn't exist, except to cook. Nora was nothing like Viola. Was she?"  Nora realizes that when her sister was younger, she saw Rose as a person and spent time with her, but as she grew up, Rose became a possession, to be used. Nora is afraid she will become like Violet and she doesn't want that to happen.

This event completely changes Nora and her view of her life. Filled with shame over what has happened to her beloved Rose, Nora starts to investigate life around Southerland. "After a lifetime of hearing the soulful songs coming from the fields, Nora ventured out to see their origin. She hid among the rows of tobacco and listened to the crack of Stokes whip and saw that the eyes of the field hands looked much like Rose's. The pain she saw frightened her and sent her running back to the house, and back to being within her mother's reach. Suddenly, the tobacco fields she'd seen in the distance every day didn't look beautiful. Nora knew they were pain-filled. Her home wasn't what she'd thought. Maybe this was why Rose had run off in the first place." 

Nora clearly recognizes the way her family is treating their slaves and especially Rose, who has raised her, is not right and she sets out to try to right that wrong, first by trying to free Rose with a fake note of manumission. When that fails she decides to try to help Anna. In the end she is able to help both Rose and Anna.

Nora's transformation is symbolized by her washing away the white powder on her face that her mother forced her to wear to cover her strawberry birthmark. Nora's reality is that she has a birthmark on her face just as the reality is that slavery is evil and hurts those who are enslaved like Rose and Anna. Her transformation continues when Nora speaks for the first time, ordering Stokes to leave Anna alone. Up until this time, Nora has never spoken but now she finds her voice and uses it for good.

Freewater is not only a story about slavery but also one about personal journeys: among them, Homer's journey to free his mother Rose, Sanzi's journey to find her place in Freewater, Billy's journey to overcome his fears and have the courage to tell Juna how he feels, and Nora's journey to assert herself in Southerland and understand the evil of slavery. This is a well written, interesting novel, with realistic characters, a good story in a setting that many young readers will likely not know much about.

Book Details:

Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson
New York: Little, Brown and Company      2022
402 pp.

A Boy Called Slow by Joseph Bruchac

Joseph Bruchac's A Boy Called Slow tells the story of how the legendary Lakota warrior, Sitting Bull came to be named.

A baby boy was born in the winter of 1831 to the family of Lakota warrior named Returns Again. This family was part of the Hunkpapa band of the Lakota Sioux tribe. Children were usually named according to a dominant trait or the way they behaved.

Returns Again's son was given the name Slow because everything he did took a long time. It was a name the boy did not like. A Lakota boy could change his name only by doing a brave deed. And so that is just what Slow decided to do!

Discussion

Accomplished Native American author Joseph Bruchac has written a simple picture book that introduces children to the early life of Lakota Sioux warrior Sitting Bull.

Sitting Bull was the son of the warrior Returns-Again. He was born in 1831. During his lifetime he would live to see the loss of his traditional lands and the destruction of  his people's way of life because of the westward expansion of white settlers.

Although he eventually became a great warrior, as a young child Sitting Bull seemed to lack the necessary attributes of one. He took forever to do anything and so earned the name Slow. However, this changed as he grew older. He killed his first buffalo at the age of ten, and led a raid on a rival tribe at the age of fourteen. This earned him the new Lakota name of Tatanka-Iyotanka or Buffalo Bull Who Sits Down.

It was when American white settlers began moving into the traditional lands of the Indigenous peoples that Sitting Bull began to act to protect his people and their way of life. The American and Canadian governments had enacted policies designed to strip the Indigenous peoples in both countries of their land, their food source which was the buffalo and their culture, so that the land could be re-settled by white European immigrants. Sitting Bull became the leader of the resistance to this settler expansion and cultural genocide. He led his people in several key battles including the Battle of Killdeer Mountain in 1863, and in an attack on Fort Rice in 1865. By 1868, Sitting Bull was the leader of the Lakota nation.

Tensions between the Sioux Nation and white settlers dramatically increased when gold was discovered in the early 1870's in the Black Hills of South Dakota. These lands were traditional Sioux lands, granted to them by a treaty with the American government.  Unfortunately, the government refused to honour the treaty and instead insisted the Sioux move to reservations. The Sioux nation under Sitting Bull's leadership refused these terms and decided to fight the Americans. Sitting Bull fought against the U.S. troops and in what was his most famous battle, on June 25, 1876 defeating General George Armstrong Custer. Over two hundred soldiers died along with Custer. Fearing retaliation, many Sioux began moving north into Canada, first into Saskatchewan and then into the Northwest Territories. Sitting Bull came to Canada in 1877.

However, Canada like the United States, did not act honourably in dealing with Sitting Bull. The Canadian government refused Custer sanctuary and food, while the Americans set fires along the U.S.-Canada border, preventing the buffalo from moving north. Facing starvation and with no land to live on, the Sioux began returning to the United States, as did Sitting Bull who moved to the Standing Rock Reserve in North Dakota.  Sitting Bull  continued to urge his people to not relinquish their traditional lands.

In 1889 Native Americans again began to resist the takeover of their traditional lands. When Sitting Bull became involved, the American government, considering him important to the Native Americans' continued resistance, attempted to arrest him at his home. Sitting Bull was killed during the ensuing gunfight.

While Bruchac's picture book only focuses on the Sitting Bull's very early life, it can be used as an introduction to Sitting Bull and the actions of both the United States and Canadian governments towards Indigenous peoples in North America, including the systematic attempt to destroy their culture and way of life. What is missing from this picture book is a simple biography at the back with pictures of Sitting Bull, Custer, buffalo and other relevant topics.

Nevertheless, Sitting Bull's early life is told not just through Bruchac's simple text but also with the beautiful artwork of Rocco Baviera who travelled to the land of the Sioux, the Dakotas. Baviera was able to meet Sitting Bull's great-great-grandson, Isaac Dog Eagle. His paintings have captured the majesty of the Native American culture and the pivotal events of Sitting Bull's childhood.
Highly recommended.


Sitting Bull image: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/sitting-bull

Book Details:

A Boy Called Slow by Joseph Bruchac
New York: Philomel Books     1994

Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder by William Anderson

Pioneer Girl is a picture book biography of one of America's most famous pioneers, Laura Ingalls Wilder and author of the beloved "Little House on the Prairie" children's novels. Laura Ingalls was born on February 7, 1867 to Charles and Caroline Ingalls in the Big Woods region of Wisconsin. She was the second of five children in the Ingalls family which included older sister Mary Amelia, and younger siblings Caroline Celestia, Charles Frederick, and Grace Pearl.

Laura Ingalls' story in that of a life on the move. When she was two-years-old, Laura's family moved to Kansas, where they settled on the Osage Diminished Reserve. However, they had been incorrectly advised that this land was available for resettlement. It was land that belong to the Osage Indians and so they decided to return to Wisconsin in 1871, to their old homestead in the Big Woods. They stayed there for the next three years. In 1874, when Laura was seven-years-old they moved to the wide open prairies of Minnesota, living first on rented land near Lake City. They then moved to Walnut Grove.

Laura's family lived through a locust plague that destroyed crops from the Dakota's to Texas. The Rocky Mountain locust which was responsible for this destruction, went extinct in 1902. Laura's family moved frequently during these years, to South Troy, Minnesota where Laura's brother Charles was born in 1875 ( He passed away at the age of nine months in 1876.), to Burr Oaks, Iowa, where Grace Ingalls was born in 1877 and returning to Walnut Grove in 1878.

Laura's father began working for the railroad, requiring him to move to the Dakota Territory in the spring of 1879. Finally Charles settled his family down, homesteading in DeSmet, Dakota. Laura Ingalls Wilder's novel, The Long Winter describes the severe winter of 1880-81, which Laura's family along with others in the state endured. The first blizzard hit in October of 1880 and the winter saw numerous storms that harvesting crops difficult in the fall, and train service unreliable by January of 1881. On February 2, 1881, a nine-day snowstorm raged filling the streets "with solid drifts to the tops of the buildings".

The Ingalls sisters: Carrie, Mary and Laura in the early 1880's.

With her family now settled in DeSmet, Laura was able to attend school regularly. She made friends with Almanzo Wilder whom she called "Manly" and who was ten years her senior. Laura began teaching school to help her parents, just shy of her sixteenth birthday. Laura would continue to teach while still attending school herself until she married Almanzo in 1885. Their first child, Rose was born on December 5, 1886. A second child, a son was born in 1889 but died twelve days after birth.

Laura and Almanzo's life was challenging and interesting; they suffered illness, crop failures and the loss of  their home. They left DeSmet in 1890, living briefly in Florida but returned in 1892. They then moved to Mansfield, Missouri in 1894 where they purchased land outside the town. They named their farm Rocky Ridge and built it into a successful mixed farm that included dairy, poultry and fruit. They would live at Rocky Ridge for the rest of their lives.

In Pioneer Girl, William Anderson offers young readers many interesting details of Laura Ingalls Wilder's life from her childhood in Wisconsin, through to her later years when she was famous for her Little House on the Prairie novels which were written for children. Accompanying the simple text are the lovely full page colour illustrations by Dan Andreasen. Anderson has written extensively about the Ingalls and Wilder families including a biography about Laura Ingalls Wilder and The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook.

Pioneer Girl is a must read for young readers who would like to know the real story and chronology behind the Little House on the Prairie books. Although Ingalls Wilder claimed her books were autobiographical, they were not and in fact contained many fictional characters and events. Nevertheless, Laura's novels provide a unique insight to the pioneer experience in America in a way that is both interesting and informative.

Book Details:

Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder by William Anderson
New York: HarperCollins Publishers     1998

Mary's Monster: Love, Madness,and How Mary Shelley Created FRANKENSTEIN by Lita Judge

Mary's Monster by Lita Judge explores the life of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. Written in free verse accompanied by the author's impressive black and white illustrations, Judge tells the story of Mary Shelley's life and how she came to create one of the most famous novels of all time. There are nine parts to the book which spans the time period from 1801 to 1823. Judge employs two narrators; the Creature and Mary Shelley.

The book's opening Prologue is written in the voice of The Creature who tells the world that Mary Shelley created him as a way to expose the cruelty of the world.

In Part I Exile, fourteen-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft is on the deck of the Osnaburgh, heading for Scotland. Mary is feeling sad and isolated, remembering that her father did not see her off; only her sisters Fanny and Claire were there. She reminisces about her childhood.

Mary was born the night Herschel's comet blazed across the London sky. Mary's father  told her the story of the comet and its discovery by a woman, Caroline Herschel leading Mary to believe she could do anything in life. She was encouraged to read, to be independent and to use her imagination. But that changed in 1802 when her father married the Widow Clairmont, bringing into their family her daughter Claire Clairmont and a son named Charles.

In 1805 the family moved from their home in Somers Town to an abandoned shop in Holborn, a block from the gallows at Newgate Prison. Mary's stepmother hoped that her father would write and sell books from the shop and get them out of their financial troubles. But her father was more interested in political and social issues. At this time Mrs. Godwin convinced Mary's father to send her away. She lives with a widower name Baxter and his daughters.

Part II My Second Birth, covers the period from June 1812 to March 1814. Mary is living at Mr. Baxters home at Broughty Ferry with his daughters. She soon develops a close friendship with Isabella Baxter who has a passion for the French Revolution. The Baxter's library contains many books including those written by both Mary's father and mother. Reading her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft's novel, Maria, encourages Mary to take up her mother's ideals. Scotland becomes Mary's "Eyrie of Freedom".

Part III Return to Darkness March to April 1814. Mary returns to London to live with her family in the overwhelming stench and squalor of Holborn. Her stepsister Claire is now fifteen, her sister Fanny is thin and withdrawn. Fanny is Mary's half-sister: she has a different father, a married man who abandoned their mother.  A young poet named Percy Bysshe Shelley has been corresponding with Mary's father.

Part IV The Poet May-July 1814. Twenty-one-year-old Percy Shelley begins visiting the Godwins almost every day. Well-born and in line to inherit a fortune, Percy has been abandoned by his wife Harriet who is pregnant. Mary finds herself attracted to Percy from their first encounter. Soon Mary and Percy, along with Claire go for long walks, talking about galvanism, alchemy, gravity and astronomy. Fanny reminds Mary however, that Shelley is still married, that his wife is due to give birth to their second child soon, and that Shelley cannot be trusted - just as the man that got their mother pregnant abandoned her. However, Mary believes that people in love should be together. In late June, Mary and Percy make love beside her mother's grave after Percy reveals his tormented soul. Mary believes he simply needs to be loved.

Her decision to live with Shelley angers her father and stepmother. Shelley has promised Mary they will live in Switzerland like other free thinkers. Claire who passes letters between Mary and Shelley begs Mary to take her with them. Mary's father refuses to allow her to leave but on July 28, 1814, Mary and Shelley along with Claire race to Dover and then cross over to Calais, France. For Mary it is the beginning of life on her own terms, one that will result in much pain and loneliness but which will result in the creation of a new literary genre and one of the most famous works of literature of all time.

Discussion

Lita Judge, an awarding winning children's author and illustrator was inspired to write Mary's Monster after contracting a virus that led to her developing an serious autoimmune illness. During the next two years as she convalesced, Judge found herself rereading a favourite novel, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein or A Modern Prometheus". Judge was fascinated by the fact that Shelley had written her novel when she was only eighteen years old. As she delved deeper in Shelley's life by reading her journals, Judge found herself and this led Judge to want to tell Mary's story and how she came to write Frankenstein.

The widely accepted account of how Mary Shelley came to write Frankenstein is that the germ of the story resulted from a dream Mary had after nights of reading ghost stories at the villa of Lord Byron. However, Judge's belief is that Mary Shelley's troubled life, her experiences of being mistreated by her father's second wife, of being sent away to Scotland, of being abandoned by her father when she became pregnant by her married lover Percy Bysshe Shelley and her many other hardships, were in fact the genesis of Frankenstein. In her Author's Note at the back, Judge writes,
"The popular myth is that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was conceived spontaneously on a stormy night in answer to a dare  to write a ghost story. That evening did occur, but countless events in Mary's life before and after that evening played a much greater role in the horror novel's creation. My story is an attempt to trace the many origins of her genius. It's a testament to a resilient girl whose imagination, forged by isolation, persecution, and loss, created a new form of storytelling as a means of connecting with the very society that had socially exiled her."

In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explores the themes of pain, isolation and abandonment as  Dr. Frankenstein rejects the creature he created. Her novel was also a commentary on the use of science in the early 1800's. During this time, many new discoveries were being made in science about the natural world. Mankind was on the cusp of the scientific age and hoped to tame the world through the use of science, especially the disciplines of alchemy and galvanism. Mary saw man's ambition to create life and to dominate nature as potentially destructive to the world and to man himself.

Like her father William Godwin, and mother Mary Wollenstonecraft, Mary also rebelled against the social norms of her day. Mary Wollstonecraft was a firm believer in the rights of women, believing that they were equal to men. She sets out her beliefs in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, written in 1792, probably her best known work. She had an affair with a married man, Gilbert Imlay, an American who ultimately abandoned her. Mary gave birth to a daughter, Fanny while in France where she was writing and studying the ongoing French Revolution. She attempted to restart her relationship with Imlay but he refused, resulting in two suicide attempts by Mary. Back in England Mary met William Godwin, an advocate for the abolition of marriage. Yet they married when Mary Wollstonecraft became pregnant. Mary died after giving birth to their daughter Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. William Godwin was a radical who had anarchist tendencies. His publication of his wife's biography after her death which acknowledged her affair with Imlay, her illegitimate child and her two suicide attempts brought him much criticism because all of these behaviours were seen as scandalous and immoral. Having read her father's biography of her mother and been exposed to his ideas, Mary attempted to live her life in accordance with those ideas but found the reality was much different. Her father did not approve of her relationship with Percy Shelley and when she became pregnant outside of marriage, she was shunned.

Judge accomplishes her goal with a brilliant retelling of Mary Shelley's life in nine parts, the number nine being significant because it is the number of months of pregnancy and Mary's Frankenstein was written over a period of nine months, while she was pregnant with her second daughter Clara. She considered her novel her creative progeny. Through Mary's story, readers learn of the events in her life that ultimately influenced her writing Frankenstein. By writing her story in free verse, Judge pares Mary's life down to the important essentials while still retaining the pain, loneliness and sense of betrayal that Mary must have felt. Judge's ink, watercolour and pencil illustrations capture the dark moods of Percy Shelley, the emotional and physical struggles Mary endured, and the pain of the creature. The author story-boarded much of the book before beginning the writing process. Her timeline of creating the novel can be found on her website page, Mary's Monster Timeline.

Mary's Monster also includes an "Introduction" which introduces readers to both Mary Shelley and her novel Frankenstein. In her "Author's Note" at the back, Judge explains how she drew on a wealth of primary sources including Mary Shelley's journals, which events she excluded and provides an interesting exposition on parts of Mary's life. Her "What Became of Them" details the lives of family and several contemporaries of Mary Shelley. There is also a "What Were They Reading" section that lists what Mary and Percy were reading during their lives and a "Notes" that provides references for events in Mary's Monster.

Overall Mary's Monster is really quite an outstanding work and is a must read for fans of Frankenstein. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully executed.

Book Details:

Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created FRANKENSTEIN by Lita Judge
New York: Roaring Brook Press  2018
312 pp.

Finding Wonders by Jeannine Atkins

Finding Wonders is a delightful novel-in-verse about three women who lived in previous centuries and who were interested in the natural world around them. During the time these women lived, people had very superstitious notions about the world in which they lived. Often women who showed any interest in what has become to be identified as science were considered strange at best and witches at worst. Atkins profiles three women: Maria Sibylla Merian, Mary Anning, and Maria Mitchell

In the first story, The Artist's Daughter, Maria Merian was the step-daughter of an artist and lived in Frankfurt, Germany her parents, two older brothers and sister and their apprentice Andreas. Her story begins in 1660. Thirteen-year-old Maria is fascinated by caterpillars who mysteriously change from worms into moths and butterflies. Maria's inquisitiveness is considered different by her family; Andreas warns her against touching the caterpillar and seventeen-year-old Sarah tells Maria she's too old to be crawling under gooseberry bushes and in the mud.

When she goes to visit her Uncle Hans in the silk mill, Maria questions him about where the silkworms come from. It is a common belief that they come out of the mud and that they cause terrible things to happen. Hans won't directly answer Maria but gives her a few silkworms to take home and tells her to make sure they have fresh mulberry leaves every day.  Maria hides the silkworms in the attic and spends her time between chores observing the worms. She watches them eat, molt and spin a cocoon.
"Can watching what caterpillars become
show Maria where they come from?
How long must she wait
to see what will emerge?"
Maria's discovery opens her eyes to a world few understand.

The second story, Secrets in Stones is about Mary Anning who lived from 1799 to 1847 in Lyme Regis, England. Her story begins in 1809 when many discoveries are being made and the origin of life on Earth is being debated. Ten-year-old Mary and her father scour the sea cliffs near their home for the strange "curiosities" -
"stones with pictures of creatures or plants that seem
scratched by impossibly sharp needles or nails."

Mary's father sends her home as a rainstorms sweeps the coast, and returns hours later, badly injured from a fall when the cliff crumbles during the storm. As her family slips further into poverty due to her father's injuries, Mary begins scouring the cliffs for the curious stones to sell. After the death of her father and her baby brother, Mary and Joseph make an amazing find in the cliffs:
"A head with a pointed snout or beak is as long as her arm.
Scrambled, shuffled teeth make a jagged line.
Above the mouth is an eye, sun-shaped,
like those of fish or birds, with a patterned rim around."
It is a find that will change the mankind's ideas of Earth's history forever, opening a window to life in the distant past.

The third story, Many Stars, One Comet is about Maria Mitchell who lived in the 19th century. The story begins when Maria is twelve years old and her older brother Andrew leaves on a whaling ship. The Mitchells are Quakers who live an unassuming life, not partaking in some of the finer aspects of life such as frills on bonnets, music, parties or dancing. Maria's father has a telescope on the roof of their home, where he maps the stars. Maria has grown to love the stars and she spends evenings on the roof helping him with calculations. When her father mends chronometers, he teaches Maria how to repair them. When her father learns that the king of Denmark is offering money and a gold medal to anyone using a telescope to discover a new comet, Maria is intrigued. Her father tells her it is unlikely anyone in America will discover a comet mainly because telescopes are better in Europe and night falls there first. But Maria's persistence over the years pays off when she makes an amazing discovery.

Discussion

Atkins has told the stories of three girls who grew into women scientists as a result of their determination to satisfy their curiosity about the world around them. In Finding Wonders, the author employs free verse which allows her to create an engaging account of these young girls as they explore the natural world. Atkins states in her note at the back, "I chose to write in verse because of the permission it gives me to fill in what disappeared." Atkins wanted to write about these specific women because "...While some facts have been passed along, many memories of these women have turned faint. History tends to capture moments of discovery, so we miss much of what came before and after, including common experiences that may bond us."  While young women today might remember Marie Curie, Roberta Bondar and Rosalind Franklin, it's important to remember those who came before and to understand the obstacles they overcame.

Each of these young girls in Finding Wonders is encouraged to explore her world by her father. Maria Merian's uncle and her father encourage her to study and record her observations of the life cycle of the silkworm despite the superstitions of both her family members and society and the notion that such activities are not appropriate for young women. Mary Anning accompanies her father as he searches the cliffs for strange rocks which she later learns are called fossils, and Maria Mitchell is taught by her father how to use a telescope, to do important mathematical calculations, to set chronometers and he even provides her with her own workroom at home.

Each young girl must surmount obstacles either from their own families, circumstances or societal expectations. For example, Mary Anning isn't initially recognized as the one who finds the fossilized ichthyosaur but she persists in digging out this fossil and soon finds many more fossils including the first plesiosaur. Maria Mitchell works against the restrictions of her Quaker faith, while Maria Merian has to deal with the belief that a woman collecting insects and wading in ponds might be a witch.

Atkins free verse is beautiful and expressive. Atkins has Maria Mitchell describe her love of mathematics in a way that is realistic:
"She loves the elegance and economy of mathematics,
which can pry open the view of the heavens,
splinter ideas that have been held for thousands of years.
She's fond of formulas that mirror
nature's love of curving lines,
seen in seashells, plants that rise and bend back,
birds building nests, orbits of planets,
even truth, which spirals in and out of sight."

Atkins includes a detailed "A Note from the Author" at the back as well as a Selected Bibliography for further reading which young readers will want to check out. What would have greatly enhanced the stories in this fictionalized account is pencil drawings throughout. Finding Wonders' beautiful cover is only the first of many reasons why young readers should check out this book.


Book Details:

Finding Wonders by Jeannine Atkins
Toronto: Atheneum  Books For Young Readers     2016
195 pp.

Lighter Than Air by Matthew Clark Smith

Lighter Than Air is a picture book about Sophie Blanchard, the first woman to fly in a balloon. Ballooning was a popular craze in eighteenth-century France as man began to look to the heavens and sought a way to fly.

Two French brothers, Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier had invented a hot-air balloon and run several trials with it. Joseph's idea for the hot air balloon came about while watching the embers rise into the air from a fire. He and his brother built a box with and attached sac constructed out of taffetta and lit a fire in the box. Their first balloon travelled almost two kilometers before crashing.

When the first manned balloon flight took place in November of 1793, Sophie Armant was five years old. Her full name was Marie Madeleine Sophie Armant and she was born in 1778 in Trois-Canons, France. Sophie who was nervous of the noisy carriages used for travel in those days, wished she could fly like the birds. As she grew up, ballooning continued to flourish in France, even becoming incorporated into the fashion of the era and even in furniture.

One of the most famous balloonists was Jean-Pierre Blanchard, who along with John Jeffries an American doctor, were the first to cross the English Channel in 1785 in a balloon. Sophie was fascinated by Blanchard's feats and was determined to become a balloonist. This was a daring ambition as women would not thought capable of doing many things that men did. Sophie married Blanchard, who had earlier abandoned his wife and four children to pursue his ambition of becoming a balloonist. Blanchard believed that having a young woman accompany him might make ballooning more profitable. Soon Sophie made her own solo ascent in 1805. He was correct. After his death in 1809, Sophie carried on becoming a famous balloonist.

Lighter Than Air tells the remarkable story of how Sophie Blanchard became the first woman balloonist and was so famous that Emperor Napoleon made her Chief Minister of Air Ballooning. Author Matthew Clark Smith is a naturalist and writer who makes his home in Mississippi. Smith wanted to tell Sophie's story because he views her as the first in a long and proud line of women who became aeronauts, pilots and astronauts, proving that women can do anything men can do!

Lighter Than Air is illustrated with the lovely ink and watercolour art of Matt Tavares who is an award-winning children's book author-illustrator. His first picture book was Zachary's Ball which was published in 2000. Tavares states in a note at the back of the book that he tried to use the sky to help tell Sophie's story.

Other resources to further your interest:

The Smithsonian website has an article, Sophie Blanchard - The Highflying Frenchwoman Who Revealed the Thrill and Danger of Ballooning.

Nova's website also has a webpage, A Short History of Ballooning which is helpful.

A short animated film The Fantastic Flights of Sophie Blanchard was made in 2012.



Book Details:

Lighter Than Air by Matthew Clark Smith
Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press 2017

A Spy's Devotion by Melanie Dickerson

A Spy's Devotion is the first novel in Melanie Dickerson's Regency Spies of London series. A Spy's Devotion is set in 1811 in London, England. It is the first party of the Season and Miss Julia Grey and her wealthy cousin, Miss Phoebe Wilhern are in attendance along with Mr. Nicholas Langdon who has recently recovered from wounds he suffered while fighting in the Peninsula against Napoleon. Phoebe is infatuated with Nicholas and determined to flirt with him and make him fall in love with her. Julia plays the pianoforte and sings, entertaining those at the party.

Meanwhile, Nicholas, who notices Julia's attractiveness, is reminded by the coarse Hugh Edgerton that Julia has no dowry and therefore is not a suitable marriage prospect. Edgerton tells Nicholas that Julia is flirting with Mr. Daniel Dinklage because he has an income of fifteen thousand pounds a year. He suggests that instead Nicholas should be considering Phoebe Wilhern. Edgerton asks Nicholas what he will be doing in the week he has remaining before returning to the war and Nicholas indicates that he must do a favour for a man named Richard Beechum who died in battle. He will be returning a diary to someone he doesn't know. At the same dance, Julia overhears her Uncle Wilhern talking to Edgerton and stating that they must retrieve the diary from Nicholas Langdon.

The next day while waiting for his valet to locate Garrison Greenfield, the man he must return the diary to, Nicholas is visited by Edgerton who behaves strangely. When the valet returns from the War Office without any information about Greenfield Nicholas decides to copy the diary which appears to be written in some kind of code and visit the War Office himself. When he sets out, Nicholas is beaten and robbed of the diary. Devastated at losing the diary Nicholas continues to the War Office where he informs Philip McDowell of what has happened. He learns from Colonel Thomas Stockton of the Foreign Office that Garrison Greenfield was a British spy. Stockton asks Nicholas to investigate Hugh Edgerton and Robert Wilhern and to hand over the copy of the diary to his men.

Meanwhile, Sarah Peck who was Phoebe and Julia's governess is being sent away to a new position. Sarah encourages Julia to secure the affections of Mr. Daniel Dinklage and marry him rather than end up as a governess. She later writes to Julia about her new position and states that the only person who treats her nicely is the son of her employer. This news causes great worry to Julia who fears Sarah may be in danger and she warns her to act prudently.

Parties and balls continue as the Season progresses. Phoebe continues her desperate attempts to win the affections of Nicholas while Julia unwillingly encourages Dinklage in his pursuit. She has promised Phoebe that she will do everything she can to convince Nicholas to focus on her. Nicholas is careful to dance with each young woman only once so as not to show favour to any particular girl but he continues to find himself drawn to Julia. He introduces Julia to his sister Leorah and the two young women quickly become friends. Julia struggles to ignore her attraction to Nicholas as her cousin Phoebe is so determined to win Nicholas. In fact she attempts to direct Nicholas's attention away from herself and to encourage his interest in Phoebe.

At a dinner party at the Wilhern's, Nicholas attempts to search Robert Wilhern's study to locate the missing diary. He is unsuccessful but is saved from discovery by Julia. Julia could have informed her uncle about him, but remained quiet and Nicholas begins to wonder if she might be of help to him.The next morning Julia's uncle informs her that Hugo Edgerton has approached him with a request to marry her. Julia is horrified however, especially after Edgerton accosted her at the ball at the Wilhern's weeks earlier. She tells her uncle that she must refuse his request. In a desperate attempt to save herself, Julia who is a gifted pianist,  visits her old teacher, Monsieur and Madame Bartholdy to ask whether they could take her to the continent to tour and perform, but Monsieur Bartholdy tells her they are now too old for such a venture. At the same time Dinklage's mother refuses to accept her son's interest in Julia and sends him away to Derbyshire.

During her visits to the Bartholdy's Julia discovers that Nicholas Langdon travels in this poor part of town to visit the Children's Aid Mission where he spends time with the children and helps his old friend Mr. Wilson who runs the mission. Nicholas asks Julia to keep his visits a secret. At the next ball, when Julia is accosted by Edgerton, Nicholas rescues her by asking her to dance a second time with him. This sends the Wilherns and especially Phoebe into the depths of despair as a second dance sends the message that Nicholas favours Julia. However Nicholas realizes that as he's investigating Julia's uncle for possible treason she is not a suitable marriage prospect at this time. Also he needs to marry someone with a sizeable income because as the second son he receives little income from his father. Despite this he finds himself increasingly drawn to Julia.

When Julia leaves the ball, Nicholas recognizes the Wilhern's footman as the man who attacked him and stole the diary. At home, Julia's uncle questions her about her relationship with Nicholas and makes certain that she understands that it is Phoebe who will be marrying Nicholas. Julia is forced to tell Phoebe that she is not interested in Nicholas although in her heart she knows this is not true. More and more she is pressured to accept Edgerton's marriage proposal causing Julia great distress. This distress is noticed by Nicholas who one day encourages her to tell him her troubles.This Julia does and Nicholas wonders why it is that her uncle is so keen to have her marry Hugh Edgerton. Nicholas decides to confide in Julia, telling her that her uncle's serious debts place him at risk of losing Wilhern Manor in Warwickshire. He also tells Julia that her uncle is believed to be involved in a plot to assassinate General Wellington and asks for Julia's help. Will Julia be able to discover the truth about her uncle and Edgerton's involvement in the nefarious plot to kill Wellington and at the same time save herself from being forced to marry a man she does not love?

Discussion

Melanie Dickerson has written another enjoyable romance that involves a touch of adventure for a likeable heroine. Julia Grey is an orphan who has been taken in by her wealthy Uncle Wilhern. Her position is precarious because without a dowry Julia is unlikely to attract a good marriage prospect. Julia is accepting of this and believes that once Phoebe marries she will live with her and her husband. However, this soon seems unlikely because her uncle is determined to force her to marry the unlikeable Hugh Edgerton. Julia does not realize that her uncle, Robert Wilhern is hiding a huge secret - he's financially strapped and is looking to recover his ancestor's estates confiscated during the French Revolution. To accomplish this he has plotted to kill General Wellington who is leading the British in the war against Napoleon. He hopes to help the French towards victory and thus reclaim his property./

Dickerson uses the social conventions common in the early 1800's to create suspense and tension in her novel. For example, a young woman without family or connections had virtually no options other than marriage or becoming a governess. Without a significant income, a woman like Julia could expect few marriage proposals and would often be forced to accept marriage to a man regardless of his character or whether she loved him. Julia's precarious situation as an orphan living in the house of her cruel uncle sets her in exactly that scenario. Her Uncle Wilhern tells her that she has an offer of marriage from Hugh Edgerton, the man who is a drinker and has debts. Julia soon discovers that her uncle will be paying Edgerton money to marry her and that he is determined that she marry Edgerton as quickly as possible. Not only is this a problem for Julia but also for the British government's case against Edgerton and Wilhern whom they believe are involved in an assassination plot against General Wellington. Once married to Edgerton, Julia will be unable to testify in court because British law at this time did not allow for a woman to testify against her husband.

The author also highlights the double standards that existed in 19th century England regarding the behaviour of men and women. When Julia's friend, Sarah Peck is seduced by her employer's son and then abandoned, Julia notes how the upper class considers the matter trivial because of Sarah's class. The fact that Sarah is a lowly governess rather than a gentleman's daughter determines how people react. "Of course, if it had been a gentleman's daughter rather than a governess, it would have been treated in a much more serious manner. There would have been talk of him being made to marry the girl. The papers would have mentioned it discreetly, only giving the first letter of their names. But a governess...no gentlemen would be expected to marry a governess, and the papers wouldn't even deem it worthy of mentioning."

The point is further made when Phoebe's mother receives a letter from Mrs. Brumley about what has happened to Sarah. The Smitherman's whose son William seduced and impregnated Sarah are more concerned with the loss of a governess than what their son has done. The governess, Sarah Peck is assigned all the blame and the worry that Phoebe and Julia might possibly be tainted by virtue of having contact with Sarah.While Sarah is considered "ruined" Julia notes that the man she was involved with shares no similar fate. "The gentleman goes on his way as if nothing ever happened. He is full able to make a suitable match. But the governess's reputation is forever ruined."
Indeed, we later learn that William is sent back to Eton to continue his studies as if nothing untoward has ever happened.

Sarah's predicament only serves to emphasize to Julia just how serious things might become for herself. Worried that she may now be abandoned she acts in a way that she later considers wrong. As Phoebe pursues the man Julia secretly loves and it becomes evident that she will not be able to remain with her cousin, Julia goes against her conscience and her better judgement and flirts with Mr. Dinklage. However once she is refused by his mother, Julia comes to realize the motives behind her actions. "It was because she was afraid. She wanted security, respectability, and safety from poverty."

But unlike Sarah, Julia discovers that following all the rules for a woman as set out by 19th century society do not necessarily offer protection for someone of her class. Julia realizes that "She had tried to be so prudent, to conform to society's every rule for young ladies." and that even so she is still at the mercy of the inequality that exists in society for women and for those of her class. Forced to flee from her uncle and then harassed as a governess by Mr. Atherton, Julia decides to take matters into her own hands and writes a letter to Nicholas telling him how she truly feels, breaking social norms by actually going to his room and leaving the letter there.

Julia easily recognizes that God has been looking out for Sarah - through Julia's actions a place is found for Sarah to move to, she finds work and she ends up marrying Mr. Wilson. "Sweet Sarah Peck. God was taking care of her, giving her something useful to do. What a blessing." When she prepares to leave her position as governess at the Atherton's she tells little Timothy that she will continue to pray for them so "that you will be kind and good adults who care about other people, just the way God cares for you." However, Julia doesn't so readily recognize God's actions in her own life. It isn't until the very end that she comes to understand God has been in charge all along.

At times A Spy's Devotion feels like a cross between Jane Austen and a Harlequin romance. However Dickerson's characters are interesting and while her story line is not original, readers will nevertheless be hooked to read to the predictable happy ending. This is a good solid effort that highlights some past social inequalities that thankfully no longer exist.


Book Details:

A Spy's Devotion by Melanie Dickerson
Grand Haven, MI: Waterfall Press    2016
314 pp.

With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden

With Every Breath is an engaging Christian historical romance centered around the conflicted relationship between two people as they struggle to treat the scourge of tuberculosis.

The novel's prologue sets the stage for the story. It is 1879 and at a private school in Washington, the top two students, Trevor McDonough and Kate Norton are competing for the coveted college scholarship. It's not likely Trevor, who is from a wealthy Scottish family, will need the money but for Kate, the scholarship represents her only chance to attend college. Trevor, who arrived at the private academy four years earlier has made few friends with his icy demeanor and brooding ways. However, Trevor does win the academic competition meaning Kate will likely have to spend her days working at her parents boarding house.

Twelve years later finds Kate recently widowed from husband Nathan Livingston and working as a statistician for the census bureau in Washington, DC. Inexplicably she has received a request by the world famous Dr. T. Kendall to apply for a prestigious position at Washington Memorial Hospital. However, when Kate attends the interview she is stunned to discover that the prestigious Dr. T. Kendall is none other than her old nemesis, Trevor McDonough. Shocked Kate struggles to understand why Trevor changed his name and why he has requested her to work with him. Trevor tells Kate that he is undertaking research into a cure for tuberculosis, "measuring the effect of a new serum to see if it can strengthen the blood of patients suffering from tuberculosis." His patients are all terminal, having no hope of recovery. He recognizes that Kate has the mathematical ability to work as a statistician for the research.

But Kate has always feared illness especially after the death of her two younger brothers, Carl and Jamie, from diphtheria. Compounding this is Trevor's cold demeanor and the fact that Kate has never come to terms with him winning a scholarship he did not need many years ago. However, Kate knows her family needs the money and at twenty-nine, as a widow she recognizes that she has few good employment prospects. So Kate accepts the position and begins working for Trevor at Washington Memorial.

When Kate arrives her first Monday morning she learns that she will share an office with Trevor. Each Monday both Kate and Trevor have to be tested for tuberculosis due to their repeated exposure to patients.Trevor refers to each patient as a number and requires Kate to record data about them. Trevor gives each patient a serum consisting of beef bone marrow and minerals in cod-liver-oil in the hopes of strengthening their blood. He tells Kate that once tuberculosis enters the blood a person rarely survives.  Also working in the lab is Henry Harris who does the testing of sputum samples, and Nurse Ackerman who is in charge of the ward on the fourth floor of the hospital.

As Kate settles into her job it soon becomes apparent that someone is determined to destroy Trevor's research. Nurse Ackerman shows them the most recent article appearing in the Washington Times about Trevor's clinic, claiming the remedies are quackery. Supplies disappear and it appears that someone has been searching his office.  As more anonymous letters appear in the newspapers, Trevor begins to suspect that whoever is writing them knows a great deal about his personal life and that the person wants to see him ruined.

Trevor explains to Kate that someone is trying to get the hospital to evict him and close down his research. Kate is understandably worried about her job but Trevor tells her that he is paying for the research out of his own money and that he has the backing of the surgeon-general. The hostile stories in the press continue into the summer months but Kate grows to love her job. She tries to inject some warmth into the lives of the patients in the ward by reading to them and insisting on referring to them by name.

Trevor himself is a mystery to Kate. She doesn't understand why he changed his last name and why he was so determined to win the scholarship from  her twelve years ago. As she traces his personal history she uncovers two years where there are no records of any achievements.  She wants to know why he went to the Himalayas and where he was from 1887 to 1888. As she gets to know him better she begins to suspect that beneath that cold facade is a complicated man.  "Trevor was different. Austere and reserved, she wondered what it would be like to peek beneath that shell. Trevor wasn't emotionless. Oh no. She'd caught glimpses of a mighty passion simmering beneath the surface, but he always held it so tightly locked down. Restrained. What would it be like to tear away his stern outer layer and see that smoldering emotion unleashed?"

Can Kate uncover the mystery behind the enigmatic Trevor McDonough and help save the clinic and his reputation from ruin while coming to terms with the realization that she is falling in love with the man who stole her chance for a college education?

Discussion

With Every Breath is a slow paced novel in which tuberculosis research provides the opportunity for Trevor McDonough and Kate Livingston to meet twelve years later. Kate is still recovering from the death of her husband Nathan and has never forgiven Trevor for capturing a scholarship that he didn't need. As secrets are uncovered it is revealed that Trevor was captivated by Kate but due to circumstances could never truly pursue her. Both gradually begin to lose the prejudices they have formed towards each other as they come to know one another better.  Kate sees that Trevors cold, cheerless exterior is a form of protection against becoming to close to either patients or those around him. Instead she finds a kind-hearted man who cares genuinely about his patients and is passionate about his work. And Trevor finds that the joy Kate carries redeeming

Once Trevor and Kate work through their past and they discover that have a mutual affection for each other, another conflict arises and that is over the possibility of sharing a life together. Kate cannot accept Trevor continuing to work with tubercular patients, placing himself at risk. She doesn't want to loose another husband like she did with Nathan. However, Trevor feels he is called to work with tuberculosis patients and he's not prepared to stop his research for a cure. Eventually Kate comes to realize that nothing in life is guaranteed and that she needs to trust in God's providence. "'I don't understand what God has planned for either of us, but I know it's pointless to keep worrying about it. I think your life is going to unfold exactly as God intends. I think you  are at the beginning of a grand, monumental quest, and God sees the bigger picture, even if I can't. I'm willing to trust what I cannot see, even if it's frightening and uncertain...."

With Every Breath is a well-written romance that doesn't ever stray into a preachy tone. In fact the Christian references are subtle but relevant. A good example is when one of the tuberculosis patients reminds Kate about the necessity of grieving; "Dr. Kendall. Oh, he's right that we're all in God's hands, whether here on earth or on our journey to the other side, but there's no shame in grieving. It's normal. Grief freshens our perspective on life; it helps us appreciate the blessings we've been showered with..."

Camden has created a sort of heroic character in Trevor McDonough. Trevor unknowingly contracted tuberculosis at the age of thirteen. When he arrived in America he had to keep his illness a secret or risk being sent away. Mrs. Kendall, the woman who cooked for the family he stayed with also suffered from tuberculosis and she helped him eat properly. By the time Trevor left for college he was clear of the disease and curing others of the deadly disease became his goal. In an effort to understand the disease better he reinfects himself with tuberculosis bacteria and managed to at least demonstrate that he does not have immunity to the disease. Trevor's courage is demonstrated in working with those most susceptible to contracting tuberculosis, the marginalized poor and prostitutes. He doesn't care what people write about him visiting the poor, only that he can minister to them and try to help them. Yet Camden has crafted a realistic character because Trevor has his weaknesses too - he can be arrogant and selfish.

Camden was inspired to write With Every Breath after reading the memoir of Edward Livingston Trudeau, a pioneer in the development of sanitarium care for tuberculosis patients. Dr. Trudeau contracted tuberculosis from his brother and managed to live for forty years with the disease. Despite the heavy subject matter, With Every Breath is a light, enjoyable read for fans who prefer gentle romances with an interesting storyline.

Book Details:
With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers    2014
356 pp.

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Her Dark Curiosity picks up Juliet Moreau's story several months after she returns to England. Previously in The Madman's Daughter, she had barely escaped her father's island and its terrible beast men created by her father. The man she loved, Montgomery, her father's assistant had stayed behind to try to tend to the creatures. Juliet was picked up, adrift in the dinghy, three weeks later by a ship bound for Cape Town, South Africa. From there she traveled to Dakur and onto Lisbon, Spain. Desperately ill during the last part of her journey, Juliet was cared for by her best friend, Lucy Radcliffe.

But in London when Dr. Hastings learned of her whereabouts, he had Juliet thrown in jail for attacking him. Fortunately, Juliet was rescued by her father's colleague, Professor von Stein who successfully had the charges dropped. Von Stein was the colleague who reported Juliet's father to the police for his unethical experimentation/research. He is now determined to save Juliet and has taken her into his home.  Despite his kindness to her, Juliet has never told the Professor about her father's continued experimentation nor his creation of the beast men. She has never told him about the creation of Edward Prince, "a young man created from a handful of animal parts chemically transmuted using human blood." Edward loved Juliet but he was a man who contained a beast within, who at any moment could take control and murder.

Juliet too has her own secrets - the most important of which involves her condition. Born with a deformed spine, her father straightened her spine and replaced several of her missing organs with those from a fawn. Her body is always attempting to reject the foreign tissue, causing Juliet bouts of dizziness and tremors. To prevent this Juliet has always taken daily injections, but now they are no longer working.

To try to find a serum that works, she has rented a small attic in a lodging house in Shoreditch. She feels more at home in the attic with its rustic atmosphere, where she can be herself and where she uses animal parts from a butcher to try to replicate the serum her father made for her.

Nevertheless, living most of her time at the professor's home, Juliet must try to adjust to London society. As Juliet continues to try to assimilate back into London society, the city is gripped in terror by four gruesome murders. Each of the bloody murders has seen the victims badly mauled, leading newspapers to dub the murderer the Wolf of Whitechapel. Upon learning the names of the victims, Juliet is horrified to discover that they are all people she knew and who had harmed her in some way.

Determined to examine the victims, Juliet sneaks into the Kings College of Medical Research morgue. From the type of injuries, she comes to the conclusion that Edward Prince did not die on the island, but has survived and managed to travel to London.

Meanwhile, Juliet's friend, Lucy, reveals that she has two suitors, neither of whom she particularly likes; Inspector John Newcastle who is leading the investigation into the Wolf of Whitechapel murders and a strange man named Henry who has a strange appeal to Lucy. When Juliet meets Henry, who goes by the name of Henry Jaykll from Finland, she recognizes him at once as Edward Prince.

Juliet confronts Edward in private and tells him he must stop the Beast within him from murdering. Edward reveals to Juliet that Montgomery is alive and has been hunting him on the island. Scared he would kill Montgomery, Edward escaped the island to come to London in the hopes of finding a cure for his transformation into the Beast. Edward admits to loving Juliet, telling her that the Beast loves her too. He is finding it more and more difficult to control the beast, that the beast is able to retain his form longer each time and that he feels he is losing himself to the beast. Juliet takes Edward to her attic room begging him to chain himself there. During this time, Professor von Stein's neice, Elizabeth arrives from Scotland. She tells Juliet that both of their families have secrets in their past.

Shortly after Edward begins staying at the attic, Juliet arrives to find Edward covered in blood with torn clothing. Juliet realizes that the Beast has stuck again. Despite the horror of this, Juliet and Edward become lovers. In the morning however, Juliet regrets her actions of the previous night and tries to explain to Edward that she still loves Montgomery. This causes the Beast to reappear and attack her. Juliet escapes but vows to cure Edward and save him from the Beast.

The night of the Radcliffe masquerade, Juliet and Lucy share the secrets they have both been keeping from one another. Lucy reveals that her father has in his possession, letters with strange information about Juliet's father's research. Since Lucy's father is an investor, Juliet now believes he has been financing her father's research on the island. Juliet reveals to Lucy Henry's identity and origins. The two girls decide to search Lucy's father's study but find little to help them understand further what the connection is between the two men.

It is at the masquerade that the mystery deepens further; Juliet meets Montgomery who explains that he has received notes from both Edward and the Beast stating that Edward wants to find a cure, the Beast is hoping to experience all the "pleasures and pains" of life. While talking with Montgomery, they overhear a conversation between Lucy's father, Radcliffe, and another man which reveals that they know about the existence of Edward and that they are attempting to capture him at the ball.

Juliet and Montgomery are in a race against time to find Edward. For Juliet, time is running out to find a cure for Edward and to save him from both Montgomery and Radcliffe and the King's Club.

Once again, Megan Shepherd has crafted a unique story that takes many of the elements of the classic novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to create completely new story. From this novel, it appears she will then segue into Frankenstein, weaving together a trilogy that encompasses three classic gothic/horror novels.

Both the characters and the storyline are compelling in this novel, as they were in The Madman's Daughter. The forbidden romance between Edward and Juliet is deeply disturbing and not surprisingly, Shepherd continues to develop the love triangle which was hinted at in the first novel, with the reappearance of Montgomery.

The characters of Edward and Juliet are primarily the focus of this novel. It would have been wonderful to see more development of both Lucy and Elizabeth, both of whom are interesting characters. Hopefully we will see more of Elizabeth in the third novel as she appears to be a linking character whose purpose is to transition the storyline into the third novel.

The essence though of Her Dark Curiosity is the relationship between Edward and Juliet and the tension they experience. Edward tries to convince Juliet that he has more in common with her than does Montgomery; that they are both creations of her father and are part animal. This is only partly true, since Juliet is the biological daughter of Dr. Moreau but Edward is made out of animal and human. Edward is referring to the fact that he comes from animal parts while Juliet had animal organs grafted into her. He also suggests that her civilized behaviour is only a veneer that covers the animal inside. This theme is demonstrated using some interesting symbolism in the novel; Juliet's corset becomes a symbol of her civilized side which both Edward and the Beast ask her to remove. This suggests that Edward is not quite so separate from the Beast as he leads Juliet to believe. Juliet's corset is symbolic of the social norms which prevent her from acting on her baser impulses. Once Juliet removes the corset (her civilized nature) she is easily seduced by Edward - in fact quite willingly, despite him being covered in blood after the Beast committed a murder. What kind of woman would make love to a man who has just murdered someone and is drenched in blood?

The title of the novel refers to Juliet's curiosity about herself, but more importantly, about Edward and the Beast. The Beast accuses her of sabotaging her own attempts to develop a cure as a result of her dark curiosity.

"You're dying of curiosity -- that's why some deep part of you is sabotaging any attempts for a cure. You're desperate to know what you'll become, and as far as Edward goes, let's just come out with the truth, shall we: You don't want to cure him, either, not deep down, because the one who fascinates you is me."

Earlier in the novel Juliet demonstrates a dark curiosity about Edward. She is curious about what Edward experiences when he transforms into the beast; what he feels and what he might remember. This curiosity upsets Edward greatly when he sees Juliet's desire to know more because he is repulsed by the Beast and wants to destroy him.

Juliet also recognizes her unnatural curiosity. "A part of me thinks he was right. There is something unnatural about me. I can feel it, deep inside. I don't care for the things other girls do. I'm curious about things I shouldn't be. I'm so fascinated by Father's research that I can hardly stop thinking about it. I feel like a monster for thinking that."

Overall, this novel was engaging with its decidedly gothic tone, but has disturbing elements too. Due to the graphic violence and sexual content of the book, it is recommended for older teens.

Book Details:
Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd
New York: HarperCollins Children's Books    2014
422 pp.

Movie Review: Anna Karenina

Set in Imperial Russia in 1875, Anna Karenina tells the story of a forbidden love affair that destroys the lives of all involved. 

The movie adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel of the same name is directed by Joe Wright who uses the vehicle of a stage play within a movie to tell the story. 

The film is chock full of actresses from the many British period dramas. Anna is played by Kiera Knightley, while Oblonsky, Anna's brother is played by Matthew Macfayden. Other well known faces include Emily Watson (Oranges and Sunshine's Margaret Humphreys), Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley in Downton Abbey and Erminia Whtye in Cranford), Thomas Howes (William Mason in Downton Abbey) and Ruth Wilson (Jane Eyre 2006 version).

Anna is married to Count Alexi Alexandrovich Karenin, a government official, who is twenty years older than her. They have a son, Sergei, whom Anna loves but her marriage to Alexi is an unhappy one. Anna takes the train from her home in St. Petersburg to Moscow to try to help save her brother, Prince Stepan Oblonsky's marriage. Stepan, known as Stiva, is a womanizer and has been caught in an affair with the family's governess. His wife Darya known as Dolly, is expecting another child and wishes to divorce him. When Anna arrives, their household is in chaos but she urges Dolly to forgive her brother. It is a foreshadowing of her own situation soon to come.

While taking the train to Moscow, Anna has a chance encounter with Countess Vronskya, who is a widow who had many affairs both during and after her marriage - another foreshadowing of the future. Upon leaving the train, Anna meets the Countess' son, Count Alexi Vronsky. Vronsky, a cavalry officer is immediately infatuated with the beautiful, aristocratic Anna. It is at this time that a coal worker on the train meets with a terrible accident and is killed - another foreshadowing of death to come. Anna is horrified, but impressed when Vronsky gives money to the stationmaster for his widow.

There is a second storyline that is followed throughout the movie and it is that of Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin, a shy, but devout man. Levin arrives in Moscow the same time as Anna, with the purpose to propose to Dolly's younger sister, Princess Ekaterina "Kitty" Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya. Levin, unlike many aristocrats prefers living on his country estate and working with his tenants. Kitty is a debutante and having a successful first "season". She has attracted the attention of the handsome Vronsky. She turns down Levin's shy proposal believing that Vronsky will propose to her. But at a ball, Vronsky shocks everyone by dancing with Anna, humiliating and devastating Kitty.

As Vronsky continues to pursue Anna, she begs him to leave her alone but when she returns to her home in St. Petersburg, she finds that she is no longer attracted to her religious and legalistic husband. In St. Petersburg, Anna begins to socialize with Vronsky's cousin, Princess Elizaveta, known as Betsy. This association causes a stir in the St. Petersburg social circles with rumours swirling about Anna. Karenin continues to insist upon his wife's honour but he is concerned about their reputation. Evenutally Karenin is told about the affair by Anna and she also tells him she is pregnant with Vronsky's child.

Karenin decides to divorce Anna but changes his mind when he learns that Anna is dying after giving birth to her daughter. He forgives Anna and Vronsky and tells him that he will look after Anna for the rest of her life. However, Anna cannot live with her husband and decides to elope with Vronsky to Europe. Meanwhile, Levin and Kitty reconcile and marry. Their marriage is a happy one for the most part, with the couple living a simple life on Levin's country estate. Kitty eventually gives birth to a son.

Anna with her husband

 As time passes, Anna and Vronsky's relationship begins to deteriorate. They argue and Vronsky seems bored and unhappy. They return to Russia but Anna is now shunned in the aristocratic social circles she once frequented while Vronsky is not. Anna becomes increasingly paranoid and believes that Vronsky is flirting with other women. She commits suicide by throwing herself in front of a train. Karenin is left to raise Anna's daughter and their son Sergei, as Vronsky is sent away by his mother to fight a war.

Discussion

For those who have read the book, the movie will be easy to follow. Nevertheless, Joe Wright's adaptation is uniquely brilliant and also easily conveys the three major story lines within the novel, Anna Karenina. The concept of telling the story as a play within a movie is one that will either appeal to viewers or not. 

The movie opens as though the viewer is watching a play, set in an abandoned theatre. However because this is cinema, beautiful stage sets morph into scenes one after another with doors opening and closing onto new scenes and situations. Some of the initial sets are quite amazing. The lower classes of society are seen below the stage and at other times the actors are looking down upon a scene from the catwalks which provides a unique perspective. However, the use of the stage becomes less apparent as the movie moves along. Of course, Tom Stoppard who wrote the screenplay, is another reason why this worked so well.

Anna and Vronsky dancing.

Wright also uses the actors in ways that suggest themes. For example, when Anna attends the ball in Moscow where she dances with Vronsky many times, all of the dancers perform a balletic choreography. But when Vronsky and Anna do this, it suggests their increasing entanglement with one another. When we first see Princess Kitty, she is part of a set that has beautiful white clouds, suggesting her innocence and virginity, so attractive to the altruistic Levin.

Performances by Jude Law as Alexi Karenin (ironic since Law himself committed adultery with his children's nanny) and Kiera Knightley as Anna Karenina were exceptional. Law was perfect as the stoic, devout, thin-lipped older Karenin, who tries repeatedly to warn his wife about her behaviour and who tries to save her from herself, all the while concealing his intense pain. Kiera Knightley with her regal beauty, effectively portrays Anna's descent into passion and paranoia as she breaks all the rules 19th-century society imposes upon women and reaps all the consequences reserved exclusively for women.

Alicia Vikander's Princess Kitty was another brilliant performance; innocence and naive when she meets the careless Vronsky but more mature and grounded when she returns to Levin. Vikander's expressive performance conveyed Kitty's devastation when she realizes Vronsky is only interested in Anna. Vikander manages to convey Kitty's sense of innocence and purity, after suffering rejection and betrayal, that is so attractive to Levin.

However,  Aaron Taylor-Johnson's performance as Count Vronsky was lacking the passion and charisma necessary to entice an aristocratic woman like Anna to abandon all for love. Anna was stepping off a precipice for the chance to find a meaningful love, and Vronsky's passion and pursuit was what motivated her to do so. Somehow this characteristic one would expect of Vronsky was never really conveyed to the audience by the actor.

Overall this adaptation was quite well done, unique and very visually appealing with the aforementioned beautiful sets, and the gorgeous costuming. The haunting, lyrical score which was composed by Dario Marianelli whose work is easily recognizable as similar to that Jane Eyre (2011) and Pride and Prejudice (2005). Viewers are encouraged to read the novel, Anna Karenina. It was considered by Tolstoy to be his greatest work and his only true novel. This epic novel deals with the themes of love, betrayal, forgiveness, the purpose of life, and the place of women in society.

Image credits:

Anna and Karenin: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/31/rereading-anna-karenina-james-meek

Anna and Vronsky: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/anna-karenina-12a-8113951.html

DVD MiniSeries: Moby Dick 2010

The 2011 movie adaptation of Herman Melville's 1851 novel, Moby Dick, is generally well done and exciting, thus providing a new generation with the opportunity to become familiar with this classic tale. The movie which was filmed in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, contains a cast of well known actors including, William Hurt as Captain Ahab, Ethan Hawke as First Mate Starbuck, Charlie Cox and Ishmael, Eddie Marsan as Second Mate Stubb, Raoul Trujillo As Queeqeg, and Gillian Anderson as Elizabeth Ahab. Although there is some dramatic license taken with Melville's storyline, the essence of the novel remains.

Melville's lengthy novel tells the story of the whaling ship, the Pequod captained by veteran whaler, Captain Ahab. Ahab is on a mission to hunt down and destroy an enormous, white whale, named Moby Dick which destroyed his boat and bit off his right leg. Moby Dick is known by whalers as a malevolent leviathan that must be destroyed. Ahab has sworn vengeance to kill this whale no matter the cost. His incredible obsession with Moby Dick borders on madness.

The story of Ahab and his quest to destroy Moby Dick is told by Ishmael, an itinerant sailor who signs on to the Pequod, along with many others, ignorant of Ahab's real intention for the voyage. Ahab is joined on the voyage by his devout Quaker and First Mate Starbuck, Second Mate Stubbs, and Third Mate Flask. Each of these mates chose a pagan harpooner for their boats. Ahab rallies the crew to his mission of hunting the rogue white whale, although Starbuck does not wish to participate is such an undertaking. He wants to hunt whales for their oil and hopes to see his beloved Mary and Nantucket again. After a first sighting of Moby Dick, As the Pequod sails on its way to the Pacific Ocean, meeting many whaling ships including the Rachel which had an encounter with the white whale. In that deadly encounter the captain of the Rachel has lost his youngest son in one of the boats while pursuing the whale. Undeterred, Ahab sails his ship onward in search of this evil white whale. They finally sight Moby Dick and after two days of pursuit, a final, devastating confrontation occurs.

Discussion

Melville's novel, Moby Dick is in part based on real incidents that occurred in the early 1800's in the whaling industry. In 1820, the Essex, a whaling ship out of Nantucket was rammed and sunk by a giant sperm whale off the coast of South America. Only one crew member survived, First Mate Owen Chase, who wrote about the incident. In the 1830's there was a large white whale, named Mocha Dick, said to attack ships in a premeditated way off the island of Mocha, near Chile. Mocha Dick was normally docile until provoked by an attack. He would then defend himself in an intelligent and vigorous manner. This whale was thought to have been an old bull whale. These incidents were not the only ones recorded as whaling ships were sometimes attacked. Melville drew upon these incidents to write his novel, Moby Dick.

Considered part of the Western canon of literature, Moby Dick is both an adventure story and also a book that describes in great detail the whaling industry as it existed in the 1800s. There are numerous themes throughout the novel, including those that touch on the limits of human knowledge, revenge, religious beliefs, the role of prophecies and fate, and death. It's difficult today to understand 19th century society's acceptance of the butchering of whales in the thousands. Whale oil was an important commodity in American life, used to light homes. The whale was a fearsome animal to be used by man, with little understanding of the ecological effect of whaling on ocean ecology. However,  this wasn't the only species hunted without mercy during this era. In North America, the bison, wolves and beaver suffered a similar fate as did many animals native to Africa and Australia. The mindset of this era was one of taking whatever we wanted from nature without counting the ecological cost.

This newest miniseries is relatively faithful to the main elements of the storyline but there are exceptions. Elizabeth Ahab is not part of the original novel and the major character, Fedellah, a harpooner Ahab has brought on board the Pequod, is not in this movie. Nevertheless, this adaptation captures the obsession and madness that overcomes Ahab in his pursuit of Moby Dick, and his inability to turn away even when it is evident it will cost him his life. William Hurt is well cast and gives an excellent, believable performance as Ahab.  At times Hurt's Ahab is overly melodramatic, but that seems to be the fault of the script rather than the acting. Ethan Hawke is also excellent as a foil to Ahab, being the signature voice of reason against Ahab's mad intent.  Raoul Trujillo's Queequeg, was captivating as the cannibal, tattooed harpooner with his creepy body art and mild demeanor. Queequeg and Ishmael form a close bond that sees them through many tough times on board the Pequod.

The action scenes involving Moby Dick were realistic and remarkably well done. It was interesting to see how CGI would present the whale and for the most part Moby Dick was believable, being portrayed as an enormous whale whose presence instilled fear in even the most hardened whaler. The final epic battle scene between Moby Dick and the crew of the Pequod was very well done and exciting.

Directed by Mike Barker, screen play by Nigel Williams, Moby Dick is a movie worth watching.

For a description of Mocha Dick, and an accounting of his brutal death by a whaler's harpoon read The Knickerbocker or New York Monthly Magazine, Vol. 13.