Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Fiction

There’s more to Petra than a scene from Indiana Jones

Ah, Petra.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones never utters those words in his quest for the Holy Grail, but the stone city’s Treasury building plays prominently in the movie’s plot.

You know the place.

(courtesy Tracy Higley)

This was about all I knew of Petra until I read Petra: City in Stone by Tracy Higley. Higley is one of my new favorite authors, especially because her books open my world to times and places with which I’m unfamiliar and unknowledgeable. Hers are historical fiction set in the ancient world featuring Jewish characters and early Christians in settings of the Seven Wonders.

I haven’t disliked any of her books yet.

In Petra, a young poor woman named Cassia seeks a home for her son in the city where his father’s family lives. She and the boy travel to Petra with few clues as to how to find this family. Cassia’s expectations are shattered when she learns the truth about her son’s family and she finds herself fighting dark and powerful forces to save her son. But she doesn’t have to fight alone. Followers of The Way, an early name for Christianity, sacrifice to help Cassia rescue her son and overcome the city’s pagan worship.

If that’s not enough introduction, then check out the book trailer below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dErJ6gS1LD0&w=640&h=385]

As with most of Higley’s books, I get so caught up in the story and the setting that I can’t put the book down and when I do, I don’t want to leave the characters or the place. I’ve heard this is the key to success in novel-writing, and Higley is a master storyteller.

FAVORITES: Higley is thorough in her research, and I enjoy reading her travel journals and seeing pictures from her trips after reading the books.  My faith is strengthened by these stories, which I consider in a class of their own when it comes to historical fiction. (And I love all kinds of historical fiction!)

FAULTS: They make me want to see the world, which is not really a fault. Reading Higley’s stories infects me with a travel bug that I can’t properly feed at this time. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop reading.

IN A WORD: Enriching. My faith grows, my world opens and I’m challenged. Higley’s books are a treat for the mind and soul.

Higley has a new book releasing in late spring/early summer this year, and I, for one, can’t wait. Meanwhile, Marduk’s Tablet is available here for the Kindle for 99 cents. Pennsylvania friends, you might find her books in the library, too, because she lives here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracy started her first novel at the age of eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. After earning a B.A. in English Literature at Rowan University, she spent ten years writing drama presentations for church ministry before beginning to write fiction. A lifelong interest in history and mythology has led Tracy to extensive research into ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome and Persia, and shaped her desire to shine the light of the gospel into the cultures of the past.
She has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures.

Visit the author’s website.

It’s like Romeo & Juliet for Plain folks

When we first moved to Amish country, I was entralled with Amish fiction, hoping to glean some understanding about a people with whom I was previously unfamiliar.

I’ll admit it: I got burnt out. I felt like I was reading the same plots with different characters.

I’ve been reluctant to pick up another one in quite some time, but I found a pleasant surprise in Cindy Woodsmall’s The Scent of Cherry Blossoms. Though the story was slow to start, it soon picked up speed, and I was fully invested in the Romeo-and-Juliet plot set in the Plain community.

Aden and Annie, the love protagonists, are separated by their faith communities, one Old Order Amish, the other Old Order Mennonite, and though they work side-by-side and have been friends for years, their relationship is not permitted to progress beyond a working one. The plot is almost frustrating because the line separating the two groups, from the outside, seems almost negligible. Woodsmall, however, writes from personal knowledge — friendship with an Old Order Amish woman — which lends credibility to the story and its characters.

FAVORITES: Likable characters. Enchanting setting. Compelling story.

FAULTS: Aden stutters, and Woodsmall writes that into his dialogue. It’s an important part of his character, but it’s hard to read at times. Distracting, almost. But I don’t know how else you convey a stutter on the printed page. Also, the ending felt abrupt. After all the build-up, I thought, “that’s it?” It wasn’t a bad ending; the story just concluded hastily, I thought.

IN A WORD: Redemptive. It’s Christian fiction, so it ought to be, right? For me, The Scent of Cherry Blossoms redeemed Amish fiction. Maybe I’ll try another one soon.

How about you? Interested in this book? I’d like to give it away.

Click here to read the first chapter.

Leave a comment here on the blog about why you love Amish fiction, or why, if you don’t, you’d be willing to give this one a try.

Want extra chances to win? Share this post/giveaway on Twitter and/or Facebook, then come back and leave another comment letting me know you did one or both of those things. Three chances to enter and win in all.

I’ll pick a winner this time next week and announce it on Wednesday’s blog (March 7.)

And if you liked this review, take a moment to rank it on the Waterbrook Multnomah Blogging for Books Web site below. You could have another chance to win a copy of the book.

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/ranking/16430