Ramblings-n-Writings

Archive for August, 2008

A Daughter’s Inheritance
The Broadmoor Legacy #1
Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller

A few weeks ago I promised to review some of the books I’ve read over the summer. First up is Judith Miller and Tracie Peterson’s A Daughter’s Inheritance.

Lose yourself in the history, opulence, and elegance of the Thousand Islands. Cousins Amanda, Sophie, and Fanny Broadmoor are as close as sisters, but when their grandfather dies, the terms of his will just might destroy their bond. Seventeen-year-old Fanny has never put much stock in the conventions of society. In fact, she has given her heart to Michael, the family boat-keeper. But when she receives a surprising inheritance, she discovers just how oppressive society can be… and that she may be trusting the wrong people. Dare she follow her heart and risk going against her family? What if she loses everything she’s ever known? It all comes down to one choice: What does Fanny Broadmoor want her legacy to be? ~ back cover copy

I would give A Daughter’s Inheritance a 4-star rating on a scale of 1 to 5. The storyline focuses on one of three cousins, Fanny Broadmoor, coming of age in the late 1800s. Some elements of the plot are typical – an heiress, a plotting guardian, and a forbidden love – but when woven together, they make an intriguing story.

The first three chapters are told almost exclusively from Fanny’s perspective with a brief excerpt near the end of chapter 3 coming from another character’s perspective. I thought this was an excellent way to “set the stage” and allow the reader to glean Fanny’s opinion of the characters she interacts with. This technique also exposes Fanny’s naïveté as she places her trust in certain characters.

Fanny, the main character, is a very believable character and I felt like she and the Broadmoors actually existed in history. The descriptions of the Broadmoor home and Thousand Islands paint another believable picture of what living in the 1890s was like for a wealthy.

My only dislike of the book is that the plot is very slow to start and at times lacks suspense and/or excitement. While a slow-moving plot is bearable, I felt overwhelmed by the amount of development and lack of forward motion. Finally, in chapter 19 the plot picks up and some additional twists are added.

Because of the slow movement, I considered putting the book down at times, but I’m glad I stuck it out to the final page. The end intrigued me enough to make me want to read the next book coming out this fall. Watch for An Unexpected Love, book 2 in Broadmoor Legacy.

I was wandering around in the world of blogs today when I found Written Windows. First, I have to say that the design of the site is really neat. =) Second, if I had kids, I would be a huge fan of Written Windows.

The blogger, a mother of two, reviews children’s books and writes short summaries about the stories. Her reviews are categorized by age group (she covers ages 1 through 9) as well as a few other categories like audio, homeschooling, counting, and resources.

An excerpt from blog greeting:

The purpose of this blog though is to give a small jump of resources for moms/child caretakers who just need some more options. I realize there are many books out there and to cover them all is nearly impossible. I will give my honest opinions of each book I post and hope you too can find something you can enjoy and enrich a child’s vocabulary, critical thinking, imagination and their love of the written language we posses.

Another amazing thing about Written Windows is the number of reviews. The blog was started in February and already contains 247 posts (July contained 112 and August already has 69!).

If you are a mother with young children searching for books to read, check out Written Windows. Or if you know someone who would benefit from this blog, definitely tell them about it!!!

I mentioned before that I’ve been spending quite a bit of time studying my family tree and that the history I am learning has prompted story ideas. I promised to tell you a little about those ideas…

On both sides of my tree, I have relatives that immigrated to America. My father’s side came in the 1700s mainly from an area that is now part of Germany and they settled in Pennsylvania.

My mother’s side came much later in the early 1900s. Her father came over in the 1930s from Czechoslovakia, and her mother’s parents came sometime before 1918 (my grandmother was born in America). In the years preceding my grandfather’s arrival, various other relatives, mainly his aunts and uncles, immigrated too.

As I work on finding documents and other interesting facts about those who came from Slovakia, I’ve been wondering what it must have been like to leave everything you know and cross the ocean.

So, if you put all that together, one of my main characters will leave Slovakia to come to America. She is given the responsibility of caring for a young child and delivering that child to her father upon arrival in America. They’re able to travel 2nd class on the ship, but are detained during the immigration process. (To me, the idea of traveling 3rd class (steerage) is over done, probably because of the Titanic.)

Another idea includes a sparking romance between the child’s father and the main character. I’m also considering some type of suspense – theft, murder, mistaken identity – or something like that onboard the ship with the consequences following the main character once she leaves the boat.

As I’m developing my ideas, I have a few questions for you. You can leave your answer in the comments or send me an email (kara at skalacreative dot com – insert the appropriate symbols)
1. Have you read any novels about the life of an immigrant? If so, what were the titles? What did you think of the novels?
2. Besides homesickness, what other emotional struggles do you think the main character would have?
3. In your opinion, what would make for a good conflict onboard the ship?

Thanks for taking the time to help me out! =)