Thought Provoking Historical Fiction with a Touch of Magic
I am very pleased to have received this copy of REMEMBRANCE from Bookish First and Forge Publishing. I found Ms. Woods book intriguing from the start but in some ways a little confusing at first. I’ve read many books such as this one that shift back and forth in time. Maybe in this case it was the shift from present time to 1857 and then to 1791 in Haiti and back to the present time briefly before a shift to 1857 and 1791 again that made it confusing. Perhaps the events introducing the character of Abigail in 1791 and then Margot in 1857 interspersed with modern day would have been an easier order for me. Once I got to the chapter from 1852 titled “Remembrance” the story moved very quickly for me. From pages 122-411 I did not want to put the book down.
The idea of slavery and people ever feeling it’s acceptable to own someone else is a concept hard for me to understand. Exerting power over someone else, separating families, and treating others as less than human is a horrible part of our country’s history and that of others. Rita Woods has used three strong female characters of Abigail, Margot, and Winter to write about three different time periods and how their lives were affected by the slavery inflicted upon them. Each of these women have some magical powers they learn how to use to protect themselves and others. The lives of these women intersect in time with each other and also a modern day woman named Gaelle who has some of the same otherworldly powers. I wish the character of Gaelle had been developed more. She is there but on the periphery of the story.
I will end by saying I think REMEMBRANCE is a very well written book which many people would enjoy reading.
The idea of slavery and people ever feeling it’s acceptable to own someone else is a concept hard for me to understand. Exerting power over someone else, separating families, and treating others as less than human is a horrible part of our country’s history and that of others. Rita Woods has used three strong female characters of Abigail, Margot, and Winter to write about three different time periods and how their lives were affected by the slavery inflicted upon them. Each of these women have some magical powers they learn how to use to protect themselves and others. The lives of these women intersect in time with each other and also a modern day woman named Gaelle who has some of the same otherworldly powers. I wish the character of Gaelle had been developed more. She is there but on the periphery of the story.
I will end by saying I think REMEMBRANCE is a very well written book which many people would enjoy reading.