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Mourning Redemption This book has done something that no other book has ever done for me, made me truly interested in history and anxious to read more. To be perfectly honest this is a subject I am usually not very interested in. Fortunately I was provided this book by a great publishing group -Triad. I knew that it was on my to be read pile, and because it isn\\\\\\\'t very long thought I would pick it up and \\\\\\\"get it over with\\\\\\\". Wow, how judgemental can I be, right? Well, thank you Sharon M. Clarke and Vern Firestone for making me see that I literally can\\\\\\\'t judge a book by it\\\\\\\'s cover.
To say that being a coal miner is a dangerous job would be an understatement - each year there are over 93 deaths and thousands of injuries. Sharon M. Clarke has written a wonderful story which uses mining as a backdrop for some extraordinary characters, and leads you on a journey that will tug on your heartstrings. It is not one you are soon to forget.
The Evans family have nothing holding them back after Mari loses her mother, and Rhodri\\\\\\\'s job at the mine is rendered redundant. They decide that now is as good a time as any to start over, and what better place than America. So they pack a few items and board a ship with their 3 young boys.
Once here they decide that New York is not for them and they settle in New Salem, PA. It is a mining town, which is ok with the Evans\\\\\\\' as this is the life that they are accustomed to. Unfortunately, working in the mines was similar to slavery - you arrived here with nothing and the mine set you up with a place to live and the essentials, but you used credit that the mine set up. It became almost impossible to get ahead so you became trapped in a very dangerous and very hard life.
The sorrow that this book exudes is overwhelming at times. I think what makes it so is the fact that this is how people lived their lives. The author has an uncanny ability to weave historical elements into the story, and really make you feel as if you understand what the individuals were going through. Starting with the sinking of the Titanic and the effect that it has on Mari\\\\\\\'s neighbor and best friend Catherine, to the effects of a heartbreaking loss due to Anthrax, and what emotions are evoked when the oldest boy enlists in the military to fight in WWI.
This story encompasses so much history and brings it to light in such a fantastic way, it was truly a page turner. Many people today, myself included, are not aware of the hardships that these people went through just to survive daily - the children received a knitted scarf and an orange for Christmas gifts and were THRILLED - can you imagine that happening today?
This may be the story of just one family, but we all should be able to read this and see what are ancestors did in order to provide us with the way of living most of us are accustomed to - I am hopeful this will make some of us take stock in our lives and do things that will leave a lasting impact on our descendents.
I don\\\\\\\'t give out 5 stars on a book lightly - it doesn\\\\\\\'t mean that I didn\\\\\\\'t like the book, in fact I love a lot of books that I only give 4 stars to. It takes a special book to earn 5 stars, and this one has done it. Thanks to Sharon M. Clarke, and hope to read more by you soon!
This book will be raffled off the first week in February. To enter this raffle visit www.uponfurtherreview.org and sign the guestbook underneath any book you are interested in.
As always if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at tracee@uponfurtherreview.org
Five Star Expressions - Jenny's Legacy What would I do if I lost a child? Especially if I lost them and there was a chance I could have stopped their untimely death? Kyle Cordell's father has decided that it is his mission to put an end to all psychics, psychologists, counselors, mediums, anyone who is attempting to do "mind control". After all, that is what Master Kundalini did to his youngest daughter Jenny, and it ended in her death. There is no way any good can come from anyone doing these types of things. He is so adamant that he forms The Family Foundation - a group of individuals intent on doing everything in their power to stop this from happening again. Kyle has been "brainwashed" into this belief system - and since he and his sister were so close he feel responsible for not stopping her before it was too late.
Gaelynn Graham is at the crossroads of her career. She is a school counselor part-time but her dream job at Millwood Mindworks is slowly becoming a reality. She has been blessed with a special gift and uses it to help her patients deal with their problems. If things continue going so well she will be able to quit her job as a counselor and work at Millwood Mindworks full-time. Unfortunately, her psychic abilities do not help her see her own future, as there are some struggles she is going to face in the very near future, struggles that will change her life drastically.
When Kyle and Gaelynn meet at the ER, there is a physical attraction that neither can deny. But when it become apparent to Kyle what she is, there is no way he can have ANY kind of relationship with her...after all it is people like her that were responsible for the death of his sister.
"Jenny's Legacy" is a great read with well thought out characters and a plot that will be sure to keep you reading into the wee hours of the night. I am thrilled that books involving the paranormal are becoming so popular as I am a HUGE fan of anything like this. We must all try to overcome our differences to see the good in each other, and in the end Kyle and Gaelynn are able to do this.
Thanks Cassandra for the opportunity to review this great book!
A copy of this book is to be raffled off the first week in March. To enter, please visit Upon Further Review and sign the guestbook under each book you are interested in.
The Face of Death Mass Market Paperback: 624 pages
Publisher: Bantam -July 29, 2008
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553589946
ISBN-13: 978-0553589948
To purchase, please click here.
Book Synopsis:
A sixteen-year old girl holds a gun to her head at the scene of a grisly triple homicide. She claims “The Stranger†killed her adoptive family, that hes’s been following her all her life, killing everyone she ever loved, and that no one believes her. But Special Agent Smoky Barrett does. Her team has been hand-picked from amont the nation’s elite law enforcement specialists and they are as obsessed and relentless as the psychos they hunt; they’ll have to be to deal with this case.
For another vicious double homicide reveals a killer embarked on a dark crusade of trauma and death: an “artist†who’s molding Sarah into the perfect victim - and the ultimate weapon. To catch him, Smoky is going to have to put her own fragile, once-shattered life on the line. For The Stranger is all too real, all too close, and all too determined. And when he finally shows his face, Smoky had better be ready to face her worst fear.
Let me first preface this by saying - this book may not be for everyone. I am a huge fan of shows like The First 48, and growing up in Wisconsin, we have had our fair share of nasty killers, most notably Jeffrey Dahmer. Mr. McFadyen does something few authors have been able to do for me - he has actually made me cry during a portion of this book. I will not go into details, but it involves the events of Sarah’s 6th birthday - heart wrenching, to say the very least.
As strange as this may sound, this review is hard for me to write. Not because I don’t have a lot to say but because I don’t want to spoil this book for anyone. This book is being placed in my top 10 books of 2008 for sure, and without going back to check my list I would say it was in the top 2 or 3. Even though it is almost 600 pages long, once I started reading I had a VERY hard time putting it down. His prose, in my mind, is comparable to one of the greatest writers of our time - Stephen King. Like King, the description of not only the events, but of the characters, leaves no room for doubt - you feel as if you are standing there witnessing things firsthand, and like these characters are people that you really know. This is something that is a rare find in an author, and should be truly commended, whether you like the subject matter of the book or not.
I think the hardest part for me was that initially no one believes Sarah. This poor 6 year old witnesses something beyond my wildest imagination, and when trying to tell the police about it she is dismissed as confused. My heart was literally breaking for this poor innocent child. Once you read this, you will realize not only why she isn’t believed (the killer does a good job of covering his tracks and making things look other than what they are), and then you will realize how deep corruption can go. He also demonstrates how far the human mind can go without actually breaking - Sarah’s journey is fraught with such evil, and yet she somehow keeps at least a shred of sanity.
Don’t get me wrong, this book isn’t ALL about murder (although to be honest the vast majority is fairly gruesome). The relationship between Smoky and her team is fabulous - even James who is “the odd man outâ€. As Smoky herself says “He can peer into the mind of a killer and not blink. He can gaze at evil full in the face and then pick up a magnifying glass to get a closer look.†This is the same ability Smoky has, which makes her the best in the business. And, she needs someone with that same ability to bounce ideas off of - no matter how difficult he is to work with. Bonnie, Elaina, Alan, and Callie are all very developed and you grow to really get a feel for the relationship between all of them. And despite all of the horror they have all been through…literally…this has helped them to form a bond of friendship and love that is beautiful.
On that note, I would like to talk about something in the book that I feel was my favorite part. No, no, it really has nothing to do with the murders at all. It has to do with Matt (Smoky’s dead husband) and Smoky’s legacy to their daughter Alexa (I must read Cody’s first book to find out what happened here…I must, I must, I must!!!). They weren’t wealthy, but wanted to make sure they could leave her something if anything ever happened to them, something that maybe wasn’t worth a lot of money, but truly spoke of who they were as people. And what might that be, you ask? They create a library for her, and add to it whenever they can. I have been doing the same thing for my daughters - granted, it started before they were born because I am such a bibliophile, but I think it is such a great idea. What better gift to give anyone, than a library full of books?! Love it, love it, love it!
Truly a must read for anyone - queasy stomachs beware!
About the author:
Cody Mcfadyen was born in Texas in 1968. He designed websites before selling his first novel, Shadow Man, in 2005. He has since had a second book – The Face of Death – published. Both were international best sellers. He lives in Southern California with his two black labs, often referred to as ‘The Black Forces of Destruction.’ He drinks coffee (copiously), plays guitar (badly), and reads (voraciously). He abhors adverbs in writing, except when used in short bios like this one.
A Woman's Triumphant Valor. Delicious Language. Award Winning Novel.
