The Teacher Book Review.

Title: The Teacher.
Author: Miss Katie Hepner.
Gene: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance, Women's Rights, Biblical Worldview.
Plot: When orphaned fifteen-year-old Maria Dalton takes the job of Chesterfield's new schoolteacher, she gets more than she bargained for in the commission. The Grady boys, the troublemakers of the small relatively peaceful town, were successful in forcing out the last teacher, Robert Merrill, and intend to accomplish the same with Maria. Knowing this, eighteen-year-old Wesley Elliot, the school supervisor's son and good friend of the former teacher, decides to go back to school to protect Maria from the Grady boys. Working as a clerk when he's not in school, Wesley is in the perfect position to help Maria when she is unfairly accused of breaking a window during her first day of school and leaves the poor orphan looking for an opportunity to repay him for his kindness. Two years pass by peacefully and then the Civil War breaks out, interrupting the steady pace of life in Chesterfield. Wesley, with his mother's permission, enlists on the Union side and during the war keeps his mother and siblings well supplied with news and earnings sent home while also having several noteworthy adventures. During his absence, Maria finds the opportunity she looked for to repay Wesley's kindness to her and then finds herself besieged by the admiring young men of the town.
The turmoil caused by the war hasn't even ended yet before Darwin's Theory of Evolution becomes the talk of the town and the Women's Rights movement begins to gain momentum, causing many people to reconsider where they stand in their opinions. Wesley and Maria both stand firmly on the Word of God and never waver to the end, each representing the common views of the time, especially Maria who represents the little known views of the women of that time period before the Women's Rights movement disillusioned the majority of the youthful generation following the war.
Likes/Dislikes: The homeschooled authoress wrote this book when she was fifteen and for a first go at the noble profession of writing, it's pretty good. However, there is a lack of useful description and the pace is rather unsteady, moving too fast and causing the reader to feel like they must hurry to finish the book. The scenes, while very good and engaging of themselves could have done with a bit more explanation here and there. Some readers don't like a lot of description in books; I understand that and have no objection to it, so long as there is given at one point or another during the story some sort of rough sketch to give the mind something to envision. The characters were all drawn very well and I liked each one {expect the Grady boys of course} immensely and the arguments presented by the characters were all very good. Modern day readers must be aware, however, that our modern culture is vastly different from the Civil War one and therefore they ought to remember that the authoress isn't trying to attack or offend what society now takes for granted; she is simply trying to present us with the views of the women of that era in the most creative manner possibly and I applaud her for doing so!
Rating: G; I highly recommend this book to all readers, especially families with pre-teen and teenage children.
Date Report Written: March 19, 2011.

Giveaway!

Okay, it's not my giveaway but it's still worth telling you about. ;)

The giveaway is hosted by Austenesque Reviews and the prize is Margaret Sullivan's The Jane Austen Handbook. That is a really good book; trust me, I've read it before. ;) Go to this link for further instructions on how to enter the giveaway: http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/jane-austen-handbook-margaret-c.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FVVDyR+%28Austenesque+Reviews%29

God bless! :)

Proverbs 17 NKJV.

"Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting with strife.

A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, And will share an inheritance among the brothers.

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.

An evildoer gives heed to false lips; A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.

He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

Children's children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father.

Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool, Much less lying lips to a prince.

A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; Wherever he turns, he prospers.

He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends.

Rebuke is more effective for a wise man Than a hundred blows on a fool.

An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly.

Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.

The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

Why is there in the hands of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, Since he has no heart for it?

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, And becomes surety for his friend.

He who loves transgression loves strife, And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.

He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy.

A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back, To pervert the ways of justice.

Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him.

Also, to punish the righteous is not good, Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.

He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.

Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive."

Mine is the Night Book Review.

Title: Mine is the Night.

Author: Liz Curtis Higgs.

Gene: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance, Biblical Retelling.

Plot: Following the rebellion of Prince Charlie and his Scottish followers against King George of England in 1746, many rebels are rounded up and executed while their wives and daughters are left in terrible danger. Marjory Kerr and her daughter-in-law Elisabeth Kerr were unceremoniously kicked out of the former's estate upon the death of her sons Donald and Andrew who had supported Prince Charlie; stripped of their titles, homeless and out of money, the two women return to Marjory's hometown of Selkirk in the Lowlands of Scotland where Marjory's long-neglected cousin Anne Kerr lives. Anne proves to be of a forgiving and charitable nature and lets her tarnished relatives move into her tiny house with her. Elisabeth, a Highlander and a weaver's daughter, promptly finds work the Monday after they arrive and sews shirts for Michael Dalgliesh, a tailor and Anne's childhood crush.

Rumors travel quickly in the small town of Selkirk and it isn't long before everyone knows that Bell Hill, one of the local estates, has been bought by Admiral Lord Jack Buchanan, a favorite of King George's. Suddenly out of a job, Elisabeth considers her options and trots up to Bell Hill when said estate is hiring household servants and applies for a position as a dressmaker. Elisabeth receives a favorable reception from Mrs. Pringle, the housekeeper, when she does the work of three days' mending in one without complaining and sews a beautiful gown for her, finishing it just in time for Mrs. Pringle to wear it when the Admiral arrives. Unexpectedly, Elisabeth finds the Admiral to be a generous man who promptly hires her to sew dresses for all of his female staff and pays her well. As Elisabeth spends six days a week over the following summer sewing dresses, she and the Admiral befriend each other and then begin to fall in love; there is one major complication to their future and that is that Elisabeth is the widow of a rebel and needs the king's pardon before she can marry the Admiral.

Meanwhile, Anne and Marjory also have their own dramas going on and all three women lose sleep when their tales reach their climaxes, yet they never once lose faith in God's loving care and provision.

Likes/Dislikes: This is the sequel to Here Burns my Candle by the same author and concludes the Kerr women's exciting adventures. This is also the first book by Mrs. Higgs that I've read and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of writing and was very impressed with the book. I especially enjoyed that it was a 1746 retelling of the book of Ruth. However, there is one scene where Elisabeth finds herself in grave danger {though she is rescued of course} which reminded me that this isn't the kind of book young girls should read, however much I enjoyed it. Other than that, this book is highly recommended! To download the free first chapter, go to
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/2011/01/19/sneak-peek-mine-is-the-night-by-liz-curtis-higgs/

Rating: PG-14 or 15 and up for content and reading level.

Date Report Written: March 12, 2011.


I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Publications and was not required to write a positive review.

Key Largo Movie Review.

Title: Key Largo.

 Starring: Humphrey Bogart {Frank McCloud}, Lauren Bacall {Nora Temple}, Lionel Barrymore {James Temple}, Edward G. Robinson {Johnny Rocco}, Claire Trevor {Gaye Dawn}, Thomas Gomez {Richard "Curly" Hoff}, Harry Lewis {Edward "Toots" Bass}, and John Rodney {Deputy Clyde Sawyer}.

 Gene: Black-and-White, Action/Adventure, Classic.

 Year of Release: 1948.

 Plot: Frank McCloud is returning from the Second World War and has come to Key Largo {of the coast of Florida} to visit the father and widow of his dead comrade. When he arrives at Mr. Temple's inn, he meets a questionable group of people hanging at the bar who snare at him and tell him to beat it, thinking he's planning on staying at the inn. When he tells them he simply wants to see Mr. Temple they brighten up and send him out to the dock where he finds the crippled old man sunning himself and meets the lovely Nora Temple who, after the twosome have heard the story of how their beloved husband and son died, shows him around the inn. A storm is expected so McCloud willingly helps Nora tie the boat down and get the shutters all closed up in preparation for it.

 The pace really picks up when the other guests of the inn start acting very suspicious and get the Temples and McCloud thoroughly alarmed. When they protest against their behavior, the now confirmed villains march them up to meet the reclusive boss of the gang who turns out to be the deported gangster Johnny Rocco. Having lost his will to fight, McCloud seems cold and distant as Rocco interrogates his new prisoners and tests McCloud by handing him a gun and telling the former soldier to shoot him. McCloud refuses which disappoints the Temples and the kidnapped sheriff's deputy, but when the deputy grabs the gun and turns it on Rocco, it is discovered in a tragic manner that the gun was never loaded.

 Now fully under the control of the gangsters, the prisoners are forced to hang out in the bar downstairs where they listen to the hurricane outside blow and rage, unnerving Rocco and finally sending a tree crashing through the window. McCloud begins to lose his callous exterior and regain his will to fight as he is witness to Rocco's brutality. When it comes time for the gangsters to leave the island, they enlist McCloud to pilot the getaway boat, the stage for the final showdown between good and bad.

 Likes/Dislikes: Rocco first comes into the film in a bathtub but nothing graphic is shown thankfully. Several men, including two innocent Indians and the deputy, lose their lives off camera to the hardened gangsters, but other than that this is a pretty good movie and is recommended for all viewers save the very young.

 Rating: Most black-and-whites aren't rated; my rating is PG.

 Date Report Written: February 15, 2011.

A Glimpse of History.

Despite having a liking for history and learning all I can about it, I have never had a very keen desire to learn anything too detailed about World War II though I have over the years picked up odd bits of information here and there such as who Rommel was. It wasn't until a week or two ago when my mother, my youngest brother and I were flipping channels on our television one night after dinner and stumbled upon an engaging and very interesting film based upon a true story. The movie had been made around 2002 and starred Adrien Brody: it was called The Pianist. The next day after watching the majority of this gripping movie, I reserved from our local library the movie on DVD to watch again and the original story written by Wladyslaw Szpilman. I started reading the book when my parents brought it home on Tuesday and read the majority of it yesterday afternoon, concluding the day by watching the movie with my whole family in the evening. I've never read anything quite like it before and it sure as heck beat Anne Frank's diary to dust! At the back of the book were included excerpts from the diary of Captain Wilm Hosenfeld, the German officer who saved the Jewish pianist's life toward the end of the war and the German occupation of Poland. One of the entries stood out to me more than the others and I decided to post it here for your enjoyment and perhaps enlightenment also. I give it as it was printed in the book and trust you to draw your own conclusions from it.
"1 September 1942
Why did this war have to happen at all? Because humanity had to be shown where its godlessness was taking it. First of all Bolshevism killed millions, saying it was done to introduce a new world order. But the Bolshevists could act as they did only because they had turned away from God and Christian teaching. Now National Socialism is doing the same in Germany. It forbids people to practice their religion, the young are brought up godless, the Church is opposed and its property appropriated, anyone who thinks differently is terrorized, the free human nature of the German people is debased and they are turned into terrified slaves. The truth is kept from them. They can play no part in the fate of their nation.
There are no commandments now against stealing, killing or lying, not if they go against people's personal interest. This denial of God's commandments leads to all the other immoral manifestations of greed – unjust self-enrichment, hatred, deceit, sexual license resulting in infertility and the downfall of the German people. God allows all this to happen, lets these forces have power and allows so many innocent people to perish to show mankind that without him we are only animals in conflict, who believe we have to destroy each other. We will not listen to the divine commandment: 'Love one another.' Very well, then, says God, try the Devil's commandment, the opposite: 'Hate one another.' We know the story of the Deluge from Holy Scripture. Why did the first race of men come to such a tragic end? Because they had abandoned God and must die, guilty and innocent alike. They had only themselves to blame for their punishment. And it is the same today."