When Bethia Mayfield, a spirited twelve-year-old living in the rigid confines of an English Puritan settlement - and the daughter of a Calvinist minister - meets Caleb, the young son of a Wampanoag chieftain, the two forge a secret friendship that draws each into the alien world of the other.
As Bethia's father feels called to convert the Wampanoag to his own strict faith, he awakens the wrath of the medicine men. Caleb becomes a prize in a contest between the old ways and new, eventually taking his place at Harvard, studying Latin and Greek alongside the sons of the colonial elite.
Fighting for a voice in a society that requires her silence, Bethia becomes entangled in Caleb's struggle to navigate the intellectual and cultural shoals that divide their two cultures.
Can't wait to read and review this one. Enjoy whatever you read during this merry time - and maybe Santa will add some books to your stocking. :)
I finally finished the mammoth book The Passage and am now embarking on a little bit of romance...
Juliet by Anne Fortier is going to take me to Italy (a place that holds a special place in my heart as I am heading there to celebrate my birthday, having been there 5 years ago for my birthday)!The blurb from Goodreads:
Twenty-five-year-old Julie Jacobs is heartbroken over the death of her beloved Aunt Rose. But the shock goes even deeper when she learns that the woman who has been like a mother to her has left her entire estate to Julie’s twin sister. The only thing Julie receives is a key—one carried by her mother on the day she herself died—to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy.
This key sends Julie on a journey that will change her life forever—a journey into the troubled past of her ancestor Giulietta Tolomei. In 1340, still reeling from the slaughter of her parents, Giulietta was smuggled into Siena, where she met a young man named Romeo. Their ill-fated love turned medieval Siena upside-down and went on to inspire generations of poets and artists, the story reaching its pinnacle in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.
But six centuries have a way of catching up to the present, and Julie gradually begins to discover that here, in this ancient city, the past and present are hard to tell apart. The deeper she delves into the history of Romeo and Giulietta, and the closer she gets to the treasure they allegedly left behind, the greater the danger surrounding her—superstitions, ancient hostilities, and personal vendettas. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in the unforgettable blood feud, she begins to fear that the notorious curse—“A plague on both your houses!”—is still at work, and that she is destined to be its next target. Only someone like Romeo, it seems, could save her from this dreaded fate, but his story ended long ago. Or did it?
So stay tunned for my review!
I have finally taken up the challenge of reading the 963 pages of The Passage by Justin Cronin. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6690798-the-passageI was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the beginning...so many characters, so many plots, so many ‘background stories’ etc – but now that I am half way through, I must admit that I am really enjoying the ‘other world’ Cronin has created. Sure, his main storyline isn’t new, but the ‘new’ world and the plights the characters face are believable, imaginable and actually a lot of fun to read about.
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I have chosen a few books to take with me on my overseas trip (YIP YAH – I am heading to Dubai, Rome, Florence, Dusseldorf and Singapore) and they are:
The Fire by Katherine Neville http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2848984-the-fire
Loved The Eight and am now eager to read how the story continues
Santus by Simon Toyne http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9580144-sanctus
Sounds like a good one to read on a 17 hour-long flight!
Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9684523-caleb-s-crossing
Absolutely love Geraldine Brooks and can’t wait to read this one. Have had it for a while but am keeping it especially for my travels.
