Sweeter Than Birdsong takes place in a small Ohio town in 1855. Slavery was still widely acceptable, the Civil War had not yet broken out and abolition efforts were kept very quiet.
Kate Winter, although one of the only young ladies allowed into Otterbein College, has a major stumbling block. She can not speak in public. Her shyness is so extreem that it hinders her social appearance as well as her collegiate studies. But even still, her beauty, soft demeanor and kindness has brought forth two suitors, Frederick Jones and Ben Hanby.
Frederick Jones seems the likely choice. He's well established with plans on becoming a lawyer. His family is prominent within the town and he is extremely charming.
On the other hand, Ben Hanby is kind, convicted and passion for music. His plans are less for prosperity, as he intends to become a minister, just like his father. He is convicted in the cause for freedom for slaves and he uses his love for music to help change the hearts of many.
When Ben and his mother, working for the underground railroad, go on a mission to free a few Kentucky slaves, Kate somehow gets involved as well. And her heart is moved... for the abolition movement and for Ben. But with Kate's overbearing mother, a true courtship with Ben seems impossible.
Will Ben and Kate ever find favor together? Will Kate find her true voice and overcome her gripping fears? Will all of their efforts be in vain?
This book is amazing... The kind of book you can't wait to get back to. It is beautifully written and the content is deep, thrilling and moving. You go on a roller coaster ride along with the characters... adventure, dispair, hopelessness, exhaustion, fear, love, forgiveness. It is a beautiful story. I felt tense coming up to the end, thinking there was NO way it would be able to tie up... there weren't enough pages left! But Elliott did a brilliant job of pulling it all together nicely. There was only one loose end that I was left curious about... but really, it makes no difference. I can not express to you how much I loved this book. Definitely the best book I've read so far in 2012!
And it's partially true! In this historical fiction, it seems there is more history than fiction!
5 Stars!!!
I received a complementary copy of this book in return for my honest opinion. This is it.
But wait... There's MORE!
So to celebrate the music in all of us, Rosslyn and Thomas Nelson are hosting this "sweet giveaway".
- A Brand new iPod Nano (Winner's choice of color!)
- Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott
- Sweeter than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliott
So grab your copy of Sweeter than Birdsong and join Rosslyn and friends on the evening of the 28th for an evening of fun.
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Nicole, thank you for your praise in this review--you really made my day! :-) I'm so glad you enjoyed the novel.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure you may already have posted this to Amazon, so thanks TWICE for supporting new authors as well as for your thoughtful review.
Your very welcome! I'm flattered you read my review! I look forward to reading more from you in the future.
DeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. I see you offer priceless info. Will definitely come back for more of this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by the Book Nook blog. Reviews are posted almost daily and giveaways occur every few weeks. Hope you visit often!
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