The Belle of Chatham by Laura Frantz

 

Title:  The Belle of Chatham

Author:  Laura Frantz

Narrated by:  Pilar Witherspoon

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 22 minutes

Source: Physical review copy from @laurafrantzauthor @revellfiction @greatreadsbookpromo and audio review copy from @NetGalley.  Thank-you!

Do you have a favorite movie, show, or book that features the Revolutionary War?  I enjoyed the Kent Family chronicles series by John Jakes when I was a teenager.

Maebel and Coralie Bohannon live in the small town of Chatham, New Jersey. When American soldiers arrive, they open their home to American officers.  Coralie is enraged as she is a loyalist who is secretly engaged to a British lieutenant, Eben Gibbs.  Eben grew up in Chatham, but his family left and moved to New York City as the revolution broke out.  Mae and Coralie’s brothers are fighting on the American side.  Mae finds herself attracted to American general Rhys Harlow, who is staying with them.  She finds herself torn between her patriotism, growing love for the general, and her sister.  Will Mae find true love while also keeping the love of her sister?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This novel was set in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War.

·       I loved the quotes at the start of each chapter from historical figures from the Revolutionary War.  It was a perfect read for the 250^th anniversary of the United States this year.

·       This novel had great themes such as romance, espionage, family bonds, sisters, and forgiveness.

·       I took turns reading the physical book and listening to the audiobook for this one.  The narrator was great.  Both formats were wonderful for this intriguing story.

·       There are not enough books about the Revolutionary War, and I was happy to read about it.  I also loved the real-life historical figures that were in the story, such as George Washington, and the facts, events, and battles

·       This was a Christian book and featured clean romance.

·       Mae was a strong character and stayed true to her believes and doing what was right.  I loved the romance and relationship between Mae and Rhys.

·       I enjoyed the side characters as well, especially Lucy.  Lucy is a forthright person who is there when Mae really needs her.

·       I have enjoyed every Laura Frantz book that I have read.  She writes excellent historical fiction with detail to bring me into that time period and also writes fascinating characters, moral dilemma, and romance.  I really need to read Frantz’s backlog. 

·       The tension between the two sisters felt real and palpable.  I loved this relationship and wish we had more follow-up with Coralie at the end.

·       The epilogue was great. 

Overall, The Belle of Chatham by Laura Frantz was an excellent historical romance set during the Revolutionary War with unforgettable characters, espionage, family drama, and forgiveness.

The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers

 

Who do you look to for words of wisdom for living your life?  While I tend to usually look first to the Gospels in the Bible, Fred Rogers or Mister Rogers was a Christian and good man who had many words of wisdom for being a good person and living a good life. 

Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister and was the host of the PBS TV show, Mister Rogers Neighborhood.  I sadly did not have PBS where I lived and did not become familiar with Mister Rogers until I was an adult.  Mister Rogers believed in “Love thy neighbor as thyself” and had a lot of thoughts on how we all could do this.

The introduction of this book was a sweet story by Joanne Rogers about her husband, how they met, their romance, and what kind of person he was, which overall, she said was a kind person.  I think we could all use this type of kindness in the world right now.  The book is a short book filled with quotes, observations, short stories, and anecdotes.  There is also a short biography of Fred Rogers at the end.

A few of my favorites:

“When I was a boy, I used to think that strong meant having big muscles, great physical power; but the longer I live, the more I realize that real strength has much more to do with what is not seen.  Real strength has to do with helping others.”

“There is no normal life that is free of pain.  It’s the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.”

“Often our periods of losing come the greatest strivings toward a new winning streak.”

“All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world.  That’s one of things that connects us as neighbors – in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.”

“We want to raise our children so that they can take a sense of pleasure in both their own heritage and the diversity of others."

“It’s very dramatic when two people come together to work something out.  It’s easy to take a gun and annihilate your opposition, but what is really exciting to me is to see people with different views come together and finally respect each other.”

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘ Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”

Overall, The World According to Mister Rogers:  Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers is a book that I am going to keep in my nightstand for something to pull out and read when I need cheering up.

Book Source:  Gift from my mother-in-law. Thank-you.