A New Book Worth Reading or What to Read While STILL Social Distancing

A New Book Worth Reading 

or 

What to Read While STILL Social Distancing 

A View Most Glorious by Regina Scott--Inspirational Historical Romance

Thanks to Revell publishing and Regina Scott for the advanced review copy of the book. All opinions expressed in my review are entirely my own and not affected by the giveaway


Coraline Baxter is one of the most sought after socialites in all of Tacoma, Washington and wants nothing to do with marriage or dependency on a man. It's 1893 and in spite of a nationwide Panic (recession), she attended college and holds a job at her stepfather's bank, something she's proud of. Cora's mother, on the other hand, feels the overwhelming need to marry Cora off to a wealthy bachelor ASAP! Which is why Cora is standing in a seedy tavern searching for a man who can lead her up a mountain safely. Cora intends to climb Mount Rainer to promote women's suffrage and if she makes it to the summit, she has a deal with her mother to remain unmarried. Nathan Hardee has been through with society since they turned their backs on him after his father took his own life during a financial setback. He's seen spoiled debutantes before and he assumes Cora is no different so he refuses her request to take her to the top of the mountain. However, when he learns of her mother's plan to wed Cora to Cash Kincaid, Nathan relents. He'd rather lead Cora up a mountain than see her (or anyone) married to that scoundrel Kincaid. However, when Nathan demands Cora obey him in all things during the trip, she refuses. Cora, having seen how her mother struggled to support them and relied on men for help, Cora knows that life is not for her. She won't OBEY anyone. Does she have it in her to allow Nathan to guide her safely up the mountain? Can he accept her headstrong nature and still guide her up the mountain?

At over 350 pages this story is LONG! The exciting mountain climbing part only accounts for about 20 pages plus a few more before and after. The rest is more romance heavy. The beginning of the novel starts off slow. The characters annoyed me and I had a hard time getting into it. I read about 100 pages in one night and put the book down just fine. I picked it up the next night and read 100 more pages and felt let down because the action was over. The third night I pushed to finish the book. It didn't make me smile or clap or feel anything special but I enjoyed the story anyway. I especially like how the historical and geographical details are woven seamlessly into the story. Scott never steps out of her story to explain why there's a recession (Panic of 1893). She skillfully shows us Tacoma. We get to see both the glittering society and the out of work laborers agitating for their rights. I appreciate seeing both sides of the recession. We also get to see humble folks who live in the shadow of the mountain and truly love it. The geographical details are outstanding, helped along by the gorgeous promotional materials sent by the publisher. I've been to the Alps in Switzerland so I kind of have an idea of what it feels like to sit in the hot springs looking up at the mountains and how it looks and feels to stand on top of a glacier. (Fortunately no climbing is necessary today!) I loved the part of the book set in what's now Mount Rainier National Park and wished there was MORE of that and LESS romantic drama. I really enjoyed learning about the mountain. It is awesome in the true sense of the word! It was fun learning about another part of the country that feels like a totally different planet from my sea level east coast home.

The romance was predictable and unnecessarily long. It's a romance novel- we know what's going to happen LOL! There's a villain though and I had to skip to the end to see how the villain was vanquished or if, because this is an inspirational novel, the villain had to be redeemed. Fortunately for me, the "inspirational" bits seemed shoehorned in. They weren't necessary to the plot and I didn't really understand the point. Cora's revelation seemed out of character and pointless. I skimmed right over all that and the story worked out just fine without it.

The characters are well done for the most part. At first I didn't like Cora very much. Even though I'm in total agreement with her I found her personality abrasive. She's very cool and analytical at times and completely independent, which I admire, but she lacked empathy for others, particularly her mother. I must be getting old if I feel bad for the MOTHER who is one of the "villains" of the piece. Cora's mother is unyielding, Cora takes after her, but Mrs. Winston is the complete opposite of Cora in her approach to life. Mrs. Winston has had a really tough life. I would have liked more background information. Who is she that she had to marry two scoundrels and raise her daughter on her own before finding a wealthy man to take care of her. Mrs. Winston comes from a different generation. Her only options in life were marriage or teaching/spinsterhood. In the 1890s, there are more opportunities for women thanks to the Industrial Revolution and the emerging women's rights movement. Mrs. Winston doesn't quite understand this and Cora never tries to explain. Mrs. Winston thinks - because that's all she knows- marriage to a wealthy man is the only way for a woman to survive. She doesn't seem to be a good judge of character based on her first two husbands. She doesn't know anything about anyone except the superficial and people see what others let them see. Cora and her mother both have the same goal in mind, they just approach it different ways and don't see eye to eye. I relate to Cora butting heads with her mother and when my mom gets like that, I just tune her out and zone out. I wanted a little more understanding between them. What happened was pretty simplistic.

Cora's stubbornness didn't endear her to me either, at first. When your professional mountain climbing guide tells you he's going to order you about to SAVE YOUR LIFE you don't argue. I'm stubborn and independent too but even I wouldn't turn down a guide who promised to order me around. Yeesh. She improves upon acquaintance though once she fully understands the magnitude of the climb. It was pretty shocking to read how simple she seemed to think mountain climbing was. Once her adventure got underway she settled down and allowed Nathan to guide her. She knew she had to in order to reach the summit and achieve her goal. The whole time she starts to unbend. I like how sweet she is with her stepfather. He's more like a grandfather in the way he dotes on her. Their relationship is touching and I like watching it grow. I do wish Mr. Winston would stand up to his wife though.

Nathan Hardee is a good guy. I liked him right away. He's a little bit rough around the edges but I appreciate that. He chose to leave society behind and move out to the wilderness. He's happier there and more at peace. I appreciate how he tells it like it is and how he refuses to change who he is for someone else. I don't think the romantic journey in the last third was necessary for him at all. The first third was fine. I wasn't crazy about his thoughts on Cora's beauty at first but he soon comes to know her better and realize she isn't just a pretty face. She's kindhearted, passionate, determined (yes stubborn and independent). They're actually a lot alike! They come from the same background with similar backstories. Their mothers are essentially the same person but Nathan has come to accept friends among the Indians, farmers and other people in the wilderness. He rejects all society has to offer. Cora isn't quite there yet but I felt she should have been by the time she came down from the mountain. Nathan's compassion for others and his sense of honor really make him a standout hero. Like his friend Waldo, I was rooting for him to win over Cora. However, Waldo, as kind as he is, is meddling and I don't appreciate meddling. He needs to let Nathan and Cora work things out on their own. He's so sweet and humble he doesn't understand that marriage among society people is complicated. It's not about love, at least not entirely. Nathan understands this. Cora is trying to accept it but still dreams of love.

Cash Kincaid is Cora's suitor and her mother's choice for perfect husband. He's charming and a wealthy businessman. He claims to support Cora's cause but she knows him better than he thinks she does. He's a typical wrong suitor in a period romance and the perfect villain for this sort of story. There's more to him than meets the eye. Cora's mother naturally adores him because she can't see past his good looks and good manners. She loathes Nathan just because he chooses to dress like a backwoodsman and doesn't stay at hotels along the trail. Cash loathes Nathan for personal reasons and probably because he can see Nathan is becoming a threat to his pursuit of Cora.

Nathan's friends are lovely. Henry So-To-Lick and his wife Sally are awesome. Henry is wise and loving. I adore him and Sally together. They're so comfortable together and so happy. She's brave, strong and wholeheartedly supports women's suffrage. (Sadly, as an indigenous woman, she won't be allowed to vote in her lifetime). Their sons, Wickersham and Thomas, know their dad's feelings on the name of the mountain but rather than roll their eyes or make excuses to change the topic, they just laugh. I like a family that can laugh with each other. At the least the "Bostons" TRIED to have the mountain named after an indigenous word even if it was inaccurate. It's better than naming it after some random friend of the British explorer who chose the English name for the mountain. Henry and his family have different opinions and they respect each other's opinions and respect the conversation. It was refreshing to read about a debate that didn't get heated and end in shouting. Imagine that!

The Longmire clan are equally lovely. James and Virinda and their huge family take in travelers and basically invented the air bnb. Elcaine, the oldest son, is serious and literal minded. He's quick to take action when needed and a loving family man. Susan Longmire already climbed the mountain, proving women can do it. I bet she did it more easily than most men too. She's a hardy farm woman and lives on the land. Cora's friend Mimi is a delight. Intelligent and fiercely pro-women's suffrage, she runs circles around everyone, especially the brainless men who don't even know when they're being insulted. I love her and want to be her friend!

I'm glad I took a chance on this book and recommend it to those who like "sweet" romantic adventure stories and want to learn more about another place and time in American history.

The publisher sent these gorgeous promotional materials! If you would like a vintage style postcard, please leave a message in the comments with an e-mail address so I can contact you. I have two of each style to give away!

Banned Books Week 2021

 Banned Books Week 2021

Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier--Older Middle Grades Historical Fiction

Daniel Arabus and his Mum are enslaved by Captain and Mrs. Ivers of Stratford, Connecticut colony and wishing to be free. They SHOULD be free as Daniel's Daddy served in the Revolutionary War and earned the money to buy his freedom. Instead of being grateful Daniel's dad served in his place, Captain Ivers seizes the soldiers' promissory notes given to those who served to be exchanged for paper money soon... eventually... maybe once the Congress in Philadelphia gets around to deciding what they're going to do now they're free from British rule. Daniel and his mother can't wait for the white men to decide. They want to be free, deserve to be free, ARE free but Mrs. Ivers is hiding the money and carrying on as usual. When Daniel steals back the notes, he puts into action a sequence of events that could end with him being dead at the bottom of the ocean or sold into slavery in the West Indies to be worked into an early grave. He's determined not to let that happen for the sake of his mother. She deserves her freedom after the heartache of losing her man to war and finally death. Daniel vows to escape to New York where his family has friends but what will happen once he arrives? What if his journey is all for naught?

This book is one of the top banned books of the 1990s. Published in 1981, written by history scholars, it must have been one of the earliest children's historical fiction novels to honestly portray slavery and racism in the years following the Revolutionary War. The fact this book is set so early and set in New England makes it unusual even today. As a result of much scholarship and debate, the authors modernized most of the language with the exception of the word used to describe Daniel and other people of African descent. They actually DO go there and use THAT word- the mother of all banned words - "n____." Daniel even uses it to describe himself because that's all he's ever heard. Daniel also continually thinks and says White people are smarter than he is. Therefore, lazy parents who don't bother to read the whole book, want this one banned. I didn't like Daniel's lack of self-esteem and the way he kept putting himself down. I do agree that it could be damaging to the self-esteem of young Black students, but it's not a reason not to read the book. We can't know if that's the way enslaved people in the 1770s thought of themselves. Given that many like Daniel's father, fought and died for the new Republic, some probably didn't but Daniel is just out of childhood at 14. He's been told and retold his whole life how White people know more, know better than him. Not even his friendship with the nephew of his enslaver shows Daniel the value of his own thoughts.

Other parents might object to the way Daniel continually lies and breaks the law but if they bother to read the book, Daniel lies to save his life! Slavery in the Caribbean was an automatic death sentence. Work in the sugarcane fields was grueling and hot. The life expectancy of an enslaved person was extremely short. Plus Daniel has his mother to worry about.

This is a coming of age story about a young enslaved boy. As he goes on his journey towards freedom he learns a lot. He learns valuable life skills involved in being a sailor when he had assumed it was mostly standing around singing sea shanties. He learns about the new government forming and what that means for him. He discovers while some Whites are not as horrendous as his enslaver, most really don't care enough to end slavery right now. The Constitution was a COMPROMISE -and a bad one- favoring the southern states. Without them, we would be a loose collection of states, like Europe but tiny, each with their own laws. That would be problematic for many reasons and not to mention the fact the northerners really didn't care about ending slavery any more than the southerners did. It was mainly only Quakers and other fringe religious fanatics like Mr. Fatherscreft.

Some Black readers may object to the character of Tom, a Black man who is nasty and vindictive towards his own race. He wants to be important to Captain Ivers and the White crew so he capitulates and does what they want in order to be respected. I think it's implied he also goes behind their back and helps himself to cargo to sell but is smart enough not to get caught because they trust him.

As the story goes on, Daniel grows in confidence. He learns not to denigrate himself and his race. He STOPS using the very bad n_ word and switches to "negro" which is not so acceptable nowadays either but is more respectful. Daniel learns how to be a man, how to think for himself and make concessions in order to get what he wants in the long run.

I thought the plot started off a little slow and I had a hard time getting past Daniel's constant thoughts about "What do I know? I'm just a ___?" and "White peoples is smarter than us. Once Daniel is on board the ship, the story picks up and it becomes difficult to put down. The writing style is a little stilted and boring. It's not the BEST book about slavery at this time I've ever read and I'd say The Seeds of America Trilogy: Chains / Forge / Ashes is much better written but for the time, this book must have been groundbreaking and shocking. I actually can't think of any other books besides Seeds of America and Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons that even tackle the subject of slavery. I have a feeling this one is going to end up on the banned anti-Critical Race Theory book list if it's still in schools. It's not there yet.Central York (Pa.) Banned Book Club

No, the book offers no redemption for Captain Ivers. He was arrogant and greedy and nearly lost everything but he still will stop at nothing to get his "PROPERTY" back. That's all Daniel is to him. That's the way it was folks. Even the most ardent supporters of the Revolution were ardent supporters of slavery and considered enslaved people property. The authors' note at the end is very good.

A word of caution to devoted fans of the musical Hamilton. Our beloved hero makes a cameo at the end of the novel and let me warn you that he is in no way an admirable or nice man. It was quite a shock but probably more realistic than Lin Manuel Miranda portrays him. He comes across as one of the villains.