Monday, February 10, 2014

Book Review ~ Songs of the Shenandoah



Book: Songs of the Shenandoah
Author: Michael K. Reynolds
Publisher: B&H publishing group
Publishing Date: January 2014

Type of book: historical fiction, 1860-1867

My interest in this book: This series has been incredible and there's no way I would deny myself the pleasure of reading this last book of the series.

Ideas expressed/message/plot: the Hanley family is brought back together only to be thrust apart again in the midst of the outbreak of the Civil War. Masterfully crafted, Reynolds carries us through both sides of the Civil War and the overwhelming challenges the Hanley clan faces.

Favorite Characters, quotes/lines: "To be a dreamer you must always first be a fool"(124).

"He had learned in his service as Chaplain that his most important responsibility was availability. God did the most amazing things through him when he allowed himself to be interrupted" (218).

"She looked down on the smoldering and cadaverous rolling hills" (258) (of Gettysburg, day 3).

When I finished this book I felt: Honestly, I closed my eyes and basked in the entirety of the story for a few minutes. Michael, my friend, you can preach! Wow. What great messages in this book! And, no, nothing comes off "preachy." It's real life and real conversation. I love it!

Overall: This storytelling is crafted by a master. Don't miss this Heirs of Ireland series. I think it should be in every Christian school's curriculum and that of Home Schoolers as well. This is a not-to-miss epic saga of love, history and God. I recommend this book to History lovers, those who enjoy a good Civil War story and those who simply love a rich and solid read. This book is no-doubt bookshelf worthy.
5 stars


Giveaway! Simply reply to this post in the comment section below about one of your favorite historical reads or time periods. You get an extra entry if you tweet about the giveaway or Reynolds' book(s). Just leave a link to the tweet and I'll make sure you receive that extra entry. If you have yet to post a review of one of Reynolds' books, I'll give you an entry for that as well. (New reviews only, sorry!) Just post the link to the review in the comment box. (suggestions for posts: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Christianbook.com) *Giveaway ends Wednesday, Feb 12th at 5pm PST.

The Prize: One randomly selected winner will receive a hard-copy of one of Michael's books in the Heirs of Ireland series. 
  








12 comments:

  1. What a lovely giveaway ! My favorite historical reads is the Cadfael series by Ellis Peters (British medieval mysteries).
    Janka
    janka(dot)halcinova(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Oooo....Janka, I'll have to try that. I love medieval!

      Thanks for entering and stoping by!

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    2. I'll have to try that, too :-) I love medieval as well!

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  2. I would love to win a copy of the 3rd book in this series!
    I love historical fiction and my favorite time period to read is American, mid to late 19th century, so I think this would be right up my alley...

    pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Patty, have you read any of Julie Lessman's novels?

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  3. My favorite historical fiction series would probably be "Hood" by Stephen R Lawhead. He repaints the Robin Hood adventures after years of studying Welsh documents chronicling such a man during the Middle Ages.

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  4. Oh, I LOVE that one! I just found the following 2 books at the Christian Outlet to add to my collection. Can't wait to read them all. I fell in love with Hood, Lawhead's research and writing are fantastic. For sure, this is how Robin Hood was meant to be told.

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  5. I love the Medieval Age, the Restoration period, the Age of Enlightenment, the Gilded Age, the American Wild West, and WWII :) And, if it happens to be a film, I definitely enjoy period pieces, of course like those aired on PBS and especially Masterpiece Theater :)

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  6. Here's my RT link: https://twitter.com/jgraumann/status/433269939852435457

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  7. My favorite historical read this year was Forget Me Not by Amber Stokes. It's so good. :) My favorite time periods in fiction are the American Wild West, WWII and Regency UK.

    https://twitter.com/AlyssaIsWriting/status/433411339415851008

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  8. Congratulations to Janka who won our drawing this month!

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  9. Thank you so much, very excited about it!

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