The Adventure of a Lifetime for Two Indomitable Socialite Sisters
In the city of Chicago in 1892, the rules for Victorian women are strict, their roles limited. But sisters Rebecca and Flora Hawes are not typical Victorian ladies. Their love of adventure and their desire to use their God-given talents has brought them to the Sinai Desert--and into a sandstorm.
Accompanied by Soren Petersen, their somber young butler, and Kate Rafferty, a street urchin who is learning to be their ladies' maid, the two women are on a quest to find an important biblical manuscript. As the journey becomes more dangerous and uncertain, the four travelers sift through memories of their past, recalling the events that shaped them and the circumstances that brought them to this time and place.
My review:
I have read several books by Lynn Austin, and they all had one thing in common: they were Biblical fiction. She did a masterful job on the two Biblical fiction series that I read by her. I had never read her other books, as they were pretty much women's fiction. When this book came up for review, I decided I'd check out her other fiction.
Where We Belong is historical fiction, and I discovered that Lynn Austin writes as good of historical fiction as Biblical.......even if it is geared towards women. Granted, the book did have some elements of suspense and mystery, which are my favorite genre's.
Austin came up with a great plot, setting, and time period for this novel. To be honest, I had a little difficulty getting into it at first, but after a few chapters I was able to get caught up in the story. Among other aspects of the book, I enjoyed the dialogue between the sisters and also between they and their companions on their journey.
In her Biblical novels, I felt Austin did a lot of research for her books to be historically and also accurately according to the Bible. In We Belong, that research comes through also. I don't know a lot about the time period and setting of the novel, but Austin did a great job of portraying everything in a historically accurate way.
I did enjoy the book, and most likely will try some of her other novels that are not Biblical ones.
This book was given to me in exchange for my honest review.
About the author:
For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.
It was during the long Canadian winters at home with her children that Lynn made progress on her dream to write, carving out a few hours of writing time each day while her children napped. Lynn credits her early experience of learning to write amid the chaos of family life for her ability to be a productive writer while making sure her family remains her top priority.
Extended family is also very important to Austin, and it was a lively discussion between Lynn, her mother, grandmother (age 98), and daughter concerning the change in women's roles through the generations that sparked the inspiration for her novel Eve's Daughters.
Along with reading, two of Lynn's lifelong passions are history and archaeology. While researching her Biblical fiction series, Chronicles of the Kings, these two interests led her to pursue graduate studies in Biblical Backgrounds and Archaeology through Southwestern Theological Seminary. She and her son traveled to Israel during the summer of 1989 to take part in an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Timnah. This experience contributed to the inspiration for her novel Wings of Refuge.
Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. Since then she has published twelve novels. Eight of her historical novels, Hidden Places, Candle in the Darkness, Fire by Night, A Proper Pursuit, and Until We Reach Home have won Christy Awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009 for excellence in Christian Fiction. Fire by Night was also one of only five inspirational fiction books chosen by Library Journal for their top picks of 2003, and All She Ever Wanted was chosen as one of the five inspirational top picks of 2005. Lynn's novel Hidden Places has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film.
Check out her website at LynnAustin.org.
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