Ann dreams of a marriageproposal from her poetic suitor, Eli-until Will Hanby shows her that nobilityis more than fine words.
On a small farm in 19th-century Ohio,young Ann Miller is pursued by the gallant Eli Bowen, son of a prominentfamily. Eli is the suitor of Ann's dreams. Like her, he enjoys poetry and beautifulthings and soon, he will move to the city to become a doctor.
Ann travels to Pittsburgh,accompanying her father on business. There she meets Will Hanby, asaddle-maker's apprentice.
Will has spent years eking out an existence under acruel master and his spirit is nearly broken. But Ann's compassion lights along-dark part of his soul. Through his encounters with Ann's father, a mastersaddler, Will discovers new hope and courage in the midst of tremendousadversity.
When the Millers must return to Ohioand their ministry there, Will resolves to find them, at any cost. If Will canmake it back to Ann, will she be waiting?
Read an excerpt here: http://www.rosslynelliott.com/books.php
Rosslyn Elliott grew up in a military family and relocatedso often that she attended nine schools before her high school graduation. Withthe help of excellent teachers, she qualified to attend Yale University,where she earned a BA in English and Theater. She worked in business and as aschoolteacher before returning to study at Emory University,where she earned a Ph.D. in English in 2006. Her study of American literatureand history inspired her to pursue her lifelong dream of writing fiction. Shelives in the Southwest, where she homeschools her daughter and teaches inchildren's ministry.
For more about Rosslyn, visit her website: http://rosslynelliott.com
GIVEAWAY:
To celebrate the release of her debut novel, Fairer Than Morning
The Review:
My Ranking: 9 out of 10 stars
Ages 16 & up
I was a little apprehensive about reading this book. The first reason being its a Christian Romance, which I often find myself disappointed with, and secondly that its a debut novel. But it looked so good and I was eager to try out a new author so I dove in with great expectation, and boy was I surprised!
I was immediately enraptured by this beautiful, unique tale about two struggling souls whose lives intersect and change them forever. Not only was I amazed at the excellent writing, but I also was stunned to find out how much of the events in the book, along with the characters, were actually historically accurate. After reading the afterword, I was simply like "whoa!" and was left wondering how Rossyln was inspired to write Ann and William's story. It was so neat learning about these characters who I'd never even heard of before. I just gotta say....Too. Cool.
The personality Rossyln built into these characters made me totally fall in love with them; especially William. My heart was torn in two for him. The struggles he went through...and the abuse he faced. I felt myself on the verge of tears as I read through some of his scenes. It was heartbreaking, yet it made his character extremely easy to connect with. I found William to be the perfect "hero" for this book and I think he and Ann made the perfect match.
Ann was also very lovable. She cared so much for her family yet longed to branch out and make her own life. She was so sweet and compassionate -- exactly what Will needed. While I connected more with William, I found Ann an excellent main character.
Sensuality:
A man lays with a girl before marriage. The scene is not described but we know what happens because of how much guilt he feels afterward. It also says he knew she was a virgin before because of the bed sheets.
Violence:
A man kills another by gunshot. There also is frequent physical abuse(punching, kicking, etc) but is not described in great detail.
To conclude I have but one thing to say: Go get this book...NOW! ;)
3 comments:
Sounds awesome! I'll see if I can find a copy. :)
Jane, this was a good, good night for me to read your kind review. Thank you so much for your encouragement and your considered words! I am grateful that you could describe the book so well and yet not give away any surprises.
What makes me happiest is that you loved it and found the story of Ann and Will moving. I did too, when I first heard their story at a little house museum in Ohio, so I feel honored to have been able to tell it.
Thank you very much for helping me end a long day on such a positive note!
And one more thing...if you have a chance to post this review on Amazon at some point, I'd really appreciate it! We debut authors need all the help we can get. :-)
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