Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Fiction

Epic road trip: review of Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus by Joyce Magnin

A bet between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law can’t end well, right?

Rest assured, it’s not as bad as it might sound. In fact, it’s better. It’s the premise for Joyce Magnin’s latest novel, Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus.

When Harriet Beamer, a 70-something widow, falls off a chair while hanging ornaments on the Christmas tree, her son and daughter-in-law decide it’s time she move from her home in suburban Philadelphia to their home in California. The catch is: she only has to move if her ankle is broken. Harriet, never one to turn down a bet, agrees. When the X-ray comes back showing she’s broken her ankle, Harriet has no choice but to keep her end of the bet. She packs up her salt-and-pepper shaker collection and puts her basset hound, Humphrey, on a plane. Realizing she’s never been anywhere, she decides not to get on the plane with her beloved canine. She’s going to move to California, but she’s going to see some sights along the way.

What follows is Harriet’s bold, outrageous and sometimes frightening journey across the United States on public transportation, with a few alternate means. Her trip is nowhere near a straight shot from east to west, which is how she intends it.

I’ve been a fan of Magnin’s books for about a year. (Read my reviews of a couple of her other books here.) She weaves a tale that is remarkable and inspiring with characters who feel like old friends. Magnin has a knack for creating outrageously believable scenarios and is a master of imagery. A person Harriet meets doesn’t just have wrinkles. He has more wrinkles than the prunes Harriet ate for breakfast. The book is brimming with clear pictures of people and places. What a treat.

FAVORITES: In the midst of Harriet’s travels are nuggets of wisdom that hit you almost out of the blue. Harriet is on a physical journey and a spiritual journey.  What she learns spoke to me in the midst of a journey of unknown destination in my own life.

FAULTS: If there is any fault at all, it’s that Harriet  Beamer may not appeal to a younger generation because of her age. Although with the popularity of Betty White and her friends on television, there is hope. And I do hope that readers of all ages pick up this book, or download it, because just like our grandparents’ generation, Harriet Beamer has something to teach us all.

IN A WORD: Vicarious. Reading Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus makes me want to travel and do unexpectedly courageous things. Now. Not when I’m 70. I even marked a couple of places in the book to look up later as possible travel destinations.

Harriet’s journey continues on her blog. Yes, that’s right. Harriet Beamer has her own blog. You can follow her ongoing adventures here. I’m eager to catch up on her travels.

Side note: If you’ve got a Kindle, Magnin’s first book in the Bright’s Pond series, The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow, is free (as of Tuesday night). Check it out here.

About the Author

Joyce Magnin is the author of five novels, including the popular and quirky Bright’s Pond series and the middle grade novel “Carrying Mason.” She is a writing instructor and frequent conference speaker. Joyce lives in Pennsylvania with her son, Adam, and their crazy cat, Mango, who likes to eat nachos.

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In exchange for this review, I received a free advanced digital copy of the book from Zondervan.

Historical imagination: author interview and review of Tracy Higley’s Garden of Madness

It’s been a year since I met Tracy Higley at an all-day writer’s workshop in the area, and I have yet to read a book she’s written that I haven’t loved. (Check out a past review here.) Her latest release, Garden of Madness, is another winner. In it, Higley takes us to Babylon during the seven years of madness of King Nebuchadnezzar. (For biblical background, see the book of Daniel.) The king’s daughter, Tiamet, finds herself widowed and a pawn in a power struggle to solidify the kingdom during the king’s mental absence. What I love about Higley’s books are that they are not direct retellings of biblical stories but are historical imaginations of events we don’t know much about. In this story, the familiar biblical character Daniel is given life, as is the prophet Jeremiah. Though we never meet the prophet, the importance of his letters to the exiles is highlighted. Sometimes, when I read the Bible, I forget that these are real events, not just words on a page.

FAVORITES: Higley writes characters who are compelling and realistic. Her books make me more interested in history especially the cultural and historical context in which the Bible was written.

FAULTS: Honestly, I can’t come up with one. The only “faults” I find are that I want to read more about the time periods in which she writes and I finish the story too quickly. Those aren’t bad things.

IN A WORD: Addictive. That’s probably not supposed to be a good thing, but I find every time I finish one of Higley’s novel, I’m ready for another.

Read on for an interview with the author and news of what’s coming up next from her.

Interview with Tracy L. Higley 

Your novels are based, in part, on historical people and places. So, where do you draw the line between fact and fiction? For example, in Garden of Madness, at what point does the story become something that could have happened instead of a historical retelling of the facts?

Most of my novels brush very lightly against actual historical events. Whenever the people are historical, I try to remain true to what we know of them. But there are many gaps in the historical record, and that’s where I have fun filling in with my own imagination!

Often your characters have bold, sometimes frightening, confrontations with evil. How important is the portrayal of this conflict to your stories and what can modern-day readers learn from the stands your characters take?

Yes, the ancient world was probably more aware of and in touch with the spiritual evil in the world. I do think it’s important not to gloss over the often demonic influence of paganism. And I would hope that my readers would see that evil is something that can definitely be confronted and conquered, with the help of God.

Along those same lines, do you ever find yourself experiencing spiritual warfare or oppression when writing about good-versus-evil conflicts?

I don’t think I’ve experienced anything strange in the way of spiritual warfare, that others don’t experience. I do pray often, though, as I am exploring these concepts in my research, for protection. There are times when I am reading actual ancient spells, etc., that I get a little creeped out!

Your books and travels have taken you to beautiful and interesting places across the globe. What’s on your must-see list that you haven’t seen and/or written about yet?

I would love to visit Morocco someday. [I even love Morocco at Epcot!] I think it would be very cool to write a story set in Casablanca. I’d also like to write some stories set in the British Colonial empire – perhaps the West Indies or the Caribbean.

When you aren’t able to visit the location you’re writing about (as was the case with Garden of Madness), what are your best resources for accurately describing the setting and culture?

I take a multi-level approach to research before I begin writing, starting out with skimming textbooks to get a big-picture view of the time and place, then diving deeper for the details I need. As I write, I often leave “placeholders” for little details I don’t have at the time, then come back to those later and use the internet to dig out the small pieces.

What can we look forward to next from you?

I am just finishing up revisions on my next novel, set in Ephesus during the time of Paul – specifically during the incidents of Acts 19. It will be another story focusing on spiritual warfare and the pagan worship of Artemis, along with the early church’s victory over evil.

Connect with Tracy on her Web site and Facebook for the latest news, chances to win free books and travel journals from her research trips.

In exchange for my review, I was given a free advance digital copy of Garden of Madness from Thomas Nelson through the Booksneeze program.

I review for BookSneeze®