Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

blogging for books

For the days when you're wishing for Downton Abbey: Review of The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky

It’s that time of year where we Americans who are waiting for the return of Downton Abbey are jealous of the Brits (and select Canadians) who are already into season 4 of the PBS Masterpiece series.

governess coverIf you’re in need of something to occupy your time, I’d suggest Carrie Turansky’s new book, The Governess of Highland Hall. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from Waterbrook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program in exchange for my review.)

Julia Foster has been serving with her parents as missionaries in India. When they are forced to return to England because of her father’s health, Julia takes a job as governess of Highland Hall. Sir William Ramsey, a widower and the estate’s new master, is in over his head trying to save the property from financial ruin while trying to manage his two young children and his teenage nieces.

From Julia and William’s first meeting, I felt like this story was part The Sound of Music, part Downton Abbey. Both are stories I love, but I couldn’t decide if I loved this story or not. The setting is alluring, of course, because it’s England in the early 1900s and it’s a manor house, which I will always find enchanting.

But there are a lot of similarities to Downton. I found myself picturing characters from the show in place of characters of the book. That’s not entirely a downside because to me, that shows that the author has done her research and has accurately portrayed the time period. There are also some additional points of view besides the main characters. It didn’t thrill me. There are subplots in the story, and the extra POVs, like from one of the maids and the head housekeeper, are necessary to tell those stories, I guess, but I thought it was only okay.

Toward the end of the book, the action built to a point that I couldn’t put the book down, so I’m glad I stuck with it for that.

Overall, though, I found the plot fairly predictable and the story just okay. Again, if you want to relive the high points of Downton Abbey, this is a good book for that. If you’re looking for something fresh, I’d look elsewhere.

Charmed by the past: Review of Gone South by Meg Moseley

gone southI don’t usually judge a book–for good or bad–by its cover. I’m more interested in the story summary. But let me tell you, the cover of Meg Moseley’s Gone South grabbed me before I had a chance to read an excerpt. The girl on the cover looks like she’s playing dress up, and in a way, her story is one of self-discovery.

On a whim, Tish McComb visits her family’s ancestral home in Noble, Alabama, after moving her mother to Florida. The house is for sale and Tish makes an impulsive decision to buy the place and move from Michigan with no job prospects or friends. Named after the woman whose husband built the house in the Civil War era, Tish expects to reconnect with her past in the town tied to her heritage. But she soon discovers that the name “McComb” won’t win her any friends. She adds to her ostracization by befriending Melanie Hamilton, a young girl with a troubled past whose family won’t let her back into their lives or their home. Together Tish and Mel, along with the help of local antiques dealer George Zorbas, work to prove themselves to the community and do right in the present, even if they can’t change the past.

I was almost 100 pages into this book before I realized I’d read that much. It’s charming like the South itself, and the kind of story that keeps you turning the pages to find out how it’s all going to work out. Tish, Mel and George are all likeable characters with realistic problems and reactions to life’s problems.

This was the first book of Moseley’s I’ve read and it won’t be the last.

Click here to read chapter one.

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In exchange for my review, I received a free copy of Gone South from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group through the Blogging for Books program.