Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

historical fiction

A ticket to another world: Review of Forest Child by Heather Day Gilbert

When I can’t travel the world, I pick up a book, and good fiction is a ticket to another world. Heather Day Gilbert’s series of Viking stories is guaranteed transportation to another time and place.

The first book, God’s Daughter, was mesmerizing. I had high hopes for the second one, Forest Child, and it didn’t disappoint. (Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of the book from the author but my opinions are entirely my own.)

forest-childGilbert’s Viking stories are some of my favorite stories to read.

In-depth, flawed characters telling the stories in their own voices set me right into the middle of the action and I cannot get out. I am captive to these tales.

In this one, Freydis, the illegitimate child of Erik the Red, sets out to prove her place in the family by plundering Vinland (northern North America). But the reality she faces in the New World is horrific and her own actions will haunt her all the way back to Greenland and the family farm.

Hers is a story that is at times heartbreaking and difficult to read, but her journey is a beautiful picture of redemption. I especially enjoyed the way married life is illustrated in this story (and the previous one). Gilbert has a talent for depicting the realities of marriage without demeaning the relationship. It is one of my favorite things about her stories.

Gilbert gives us a gift in retelling these little-known Viking sagas. More than simply entertaining, they lead us to truths about marriage, forgiveness, love, and community. The Viking era is not one I am overly familiar with beyond the famous names like Erik the Red and Leif Ericsson (both who play roles in these stories and whose names are spelled differently, reflecting their heritage) but Gilbert’s books make me want to read more about them and hop a plane to Iceland.

Book 2 lives up to the high standard set in book 1. Truly, these are remarkable stories.

The story behind the song: Review of Newton & Polly

Even if you haven’t been in church in ages, you probably know the song “Amazing Grace.” You probably know the tune, even if you can’t remember the words.

This beloved hymn of the church has an interesting backstory, and Jody Hedlund is just the author to tell it.

In her latest historical fiction, Newton & Polly, Hedlund recounts the forbidden romance between John Newton, the composer of Amazing Grace, and the woman who would become his wife, Polly Catlett. Theirs was a relationship that almost wasn’t, and the novel takes us on the up-and-down journey of their relationship and the spiritual work that takes place in each of their lives. (I could stare at that gorgeous cover for days!)

Hedlund goes so far to say that if not for Polly, Newton might never have written “Amazing Grace.” What a loss that would have been! (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my review.)

I remember watching a movie years ago called “Amazing Grace,” and Newton plays a part in that story, but this story is all about his troubled youth, his distance from God, and his infatuation with Polly Catlett. It give us the historical background for not only the song but for Newton’s later involvement in the abolitionist movement in England.

In typical Hedlund fashion, the book is chock full of actual historical events (which are listed in the back of the book) woven into a story that kept me turning page after page. Hedlund’s storytelling style is one of my favorites and always makes me more interested in historical happenings after I’m done reading.

As extra material to the book, Hedlund offers some quotes by Newton, and this one ties well with the book:

If you’ve ever wondered about the story behind the song, or you’re curious about what exactly the author meant by “amazing grace,” or you’re just a huge fan of well-written historical fiction, then this book is for you!