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Now on to our latest book review:
Why should you read a novel about the Influenza Epidemic of 1918? You’ve probably heard, if not read, about it.
I recently discovered The Orphan Collector, a novel focused on this epidemic, and I could hardly put it down.
Why?
I worried about the characters—would they overcome their many challenges?
Multiple plot threads kept me interested in more than just whether the characters would survive the epidemic
When the influenza epidemic strikes Philadelphia in 1918, Pia, a shy German immigrant in her early teens, struggles to keep her family alive and together.
In the midst of this devastating plague, well-intentioned strangers send her to an orphanage.
She experiences both the highs and lows of human behavior: selfishness, cruelty, bigotry, prejudice, and deception, as well as friendship, kindness, forgiveness, and sacrificial love.
The Orphan Collectortakes readers with Pia as she wages a heroic battle for her family’s and personal survival.
Major Characters:
Pia Lange—young protagonist, she must mature and struggle with difficult personal qualities to survive and help her family
Finn—Pia’s Irish neighbor, a kind teen who becomes her loyal friend
Bernice Groves (Nurse Wallis)—Pia’s neighbor whose losses bring out her best and worst qualities as she deals with orphans, grieving parents, and the world
Mother Joe—director of St. Vincent’s Orphan Asylum, where Pia was forced to live; she employs the severe discipline frequent in that era, but also shows wisdom at times
Dr. and Mrs. Hudson—sympathetic couple who employ Pia as their nanny
Max and Ollie—Pia’s twin baby brothers for whom she risks everything
Strengths:
Strong plot
Sympathetic major characters draw readers in
Antagonistic characters are shown as multi-dimensional people whose weaknesses may arise from factors beyond their control.
Weakness:
A situation or two seems a bit contrived.
Content review:
Includes descriptions of the symptoms and after effects of influenza infection that may disturb some readers
Very limited violence
No descriptions of physical intimacy
Some mild profanity
My Recommendation:
If you enjoy an engaging story with heroic yet realistic characters, and you don’t flinch from the realities of an epidemic, The Orphan Collectorwill be a rewarding read.
Reader, is there a story you love with heroic characters in extreme situations?
By the way, it’s not too late if you’d like to find out more about joining My Renaissance in Venice tour in September, 2025! Just send me a comment if you’d like more information.
Why would I read and write about Caleb’s Crossing, a historical novel set on the east coast of seventeenth-century North America, when my primary fiction interest is Renaissance Europe?
Thanks to recent research discoveries about my family’s ancestors, I learned that one of my 10th great-grandfathers arrived in America 15 years after the Mayflower landed (in 1620). Although many of this novel’s characters spring from the author’s imagination, her deeply-researched portrayal of the era’s physical, political and religious background helps me understand the context of my ancestors’ lives.
Why should you read this historical novel that came out over a decade ago?
The story is engaging, yet complicated
You’ll find out about living conditions faced by early English settlers
You’ll observe the complex relationships between English settlers and Native Americans
You’ll learn about the beliefs of the Puritans, settlers who dissented from them, and the Native Americans in the region
You’ll get a unique view of the mixed early history of Harvard College (now University)
Author Geraldine Brooks traces two major threads in Caleb’s Crossing:
The impact of English settlers on the Native Americans in the regions where they co-existed.
Brooks writes that Caleb, the title character, was the Native American historical figure who inspired this novel. According to historical records, he and Joel Iacoomis were the first Native Americans to complete their undergraduate degrees at Harvard (in 1665).
In the final pages, Bethia wonders if Caleb would have been better off if she hadn’t accepted his friendship and eventually gone to Harvard.
The life story and choices of Bethia, the young female protagonist.
Early in the story, she writes about her mother’s death in childbirth, but then says “I killed my mother.”
Throughout the novel, the author explores why Bethia believes that statement, as well as the interplay between the transplanted English culture she lived in and her contacts with Native Americans, and how both shaped her beliefs and actions.
Major Characters:
Note: all but Caleb and Joel are fictitious, although some are modeled after historical figures
Caleb—sympathetic male protagonist, member of Wampanoag tribe of Noepe (Martha’s Vineyard) who meets Bethia by chance and befriends her
Bethia Mayfield—female protagonist, she’s the quick-witted daughter of immigrants whose father is a missionary to Native Americans and the minister of the English church in Great Harbor
Makepeace—Bethia’s older brother, less intellectually gifted than she is
JoelIacoomis—brilliant son of the first Wampanoag convert to Christianity
Samuel Corlett—fellow at Harvard who tutors young scholars; he meets Bethia when she works for his father, Master Corlett, a preparatory school instructor
Anne—young Nipmuc Native American girl, she comes to the preparatory school because of her gift for learning
Strengths:
This novel is extremely well-researched; the characters are memorable, and the plot contains many twists that hold readers’ interest.
Weakness:
A few plot points didn’t seem credible to me, especially as regards Bethia’s openness to Native American culture.
Content review:
This novel contains mentions of off-stage violence and discussions of sexual intimacy.
My Recommendation:
If you’d like to learn more about Native Americans’ interactions with the first English settlers they encountered, or perhaps have an interest in 17th-century U.S. history, Caleb’s Crossing is an entertaining way to absorb that information, with the caveat that the author used her imagination to create the characters’ personalities and actions.
Reader, can you recommend other novels about colonial North America?
My Update and an Invitation:
I have exciting news and an invitation for readers who’d enjoy a relaxed, curated journey to Venice and the surrounding countryside:
I’ve been invited to share my knowledge of Renaissance Venice during a 7 to 10 day journey in September, 2025. This tour will combine the highlights of Renaissance Venice with time to focus on reflection and personal renaissance during our stay at a comfortable residence in the countryside.
I’m looking forward to sharing my passions for the Renaissance and for writing fiction with interested group members. I hope the journey and our conversations will inspire each guest to pursue their dream, whatever it may be. I’m pleased to partner with Travel Impactful, a unique tour company with values I support.
This will be a small-group tour for 15 to 20 guests. If you’d like more information, click YES button below, insert your name and email address, or submit a comment below.
These dog days of summer (in my hemisphere) are a great time for a rewarding new look at a familiar story.
How did Abraham Lincoln, arguably the greatest U.S. president, make the amazing leap from country boy in rural Kentucky to the White House?
Nancy Horan’s recent historical novel, TheHouse of Lincoln, offers hints as it reveals how Lincoln’s years in Springfield, Illinois, impacted him.
Brief Summary:
In an entertaining and suspenseful yet historically accurate way, Horan focuses on the complicated background shapinglife in the Illinois capital through the stories of three families:
Mary Todd Lincoln (the family she and Abraham created, as well as her family of origin)
a Portuguese immigrant family, the Ferreiras, whose daughter, Ana works as a domestic for the Lincolns
a free Black family, the Donnegans, whose members play varied roles in the Underground Railroad
TheHouse of Lincoln begins with Ana’s arrival in 1849 at age 9 as part of a group of 130 Portuguese immigrants from Madeira who escaped after harvesting sugar cane in Trinidad.
The author weaves together the story of the Lincolns and Springfield, Illinois—with its Portuguese immigrants, state government, Underground Railway participants, and slave catchers.
Early in the story, the author gives a clue about the historical (and future) conflict in Springfield, when Mrs. Alsop, a White abolitionist widow whom Ana companions, tells her, “This area was settled early on by New England abolitionists. But it was also settled by Kentucky corn crackers and other uplanders from down South. We may live side by side in this town, but we don’t always understand each other.”
The novel ends in 1909 after a celebration of Lincoln’s 100th birthday.
Characters:
Ana Ferreira – protagonist, a sympathetic young Portuguese immigrant who works for the Lincoln family. The story unfolds mostly through her eyes.
Cal (Calli Patterson) – Ana’s childhood best friend; her mixed racial heritage plays a major role in their relationship and the story as a whole
Mary Todd Lincoln – Abraham Lincoln’s wife; the author fairly portrays Mary’s strengths and weaknesses, revealing the background from which the contradictory aspects of her character developed.
Abraham Lincoln – the author shows Lincoln’s roots and humanity as well as the elements of his character that made him great
William Donnegan – adventurous Black cobbler, he conducted escapees from slavery to their next destination in their struggle for freedom
Spencer Donnegan – William’s brother, a barber (to Lincoln and many others) and African Methodist Episcopal preacher in Springfield; he used his talents to write an eloquent address to the people of Illinois, expressing Black demands for the education of Black children, and the repeal of the new Black exclusion laws restricting the settlement of free Blacks in Illinois
Owen Evans – Ana’s husband, he’s a journalist who reports on the Lincoln-Douglas debates. He supports Lincoln and volunteers for the Union Army.
Joao Ferreira – Ana’s younger brother: along with his Portuguese friends, he supports Lincoln and volunteers for the Union Army
Cameo appearances:
Frederick Douglass – enslaved and orphaned as a boy, he became a famous Black orator who opposed colonization of Blacks to Africa; in 1866, after the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination, he speaks in Springfield, arguing for Blacks’ right to vote and warning about the danger that Blacks’ rights (that had only recently been won) would be stripped away.
Stephen Douglas – Lincoln’s opponent in both the campaign for the U.S. Senate from Illinois (in which Douglas defeated Lincoln in 1858) and the presidential race (which Lincoln won in 1860). Douglas didn’t want to offend Southern states by opposing slavery. He declares that only all White men are created equal, while Lincoln insists that Blacks are equal to Whites. His character comes across as weak, especially after Ana hears him tell a lie–that Lincoln would make war on slavery in slaveholding states.
Strengths:
The House of Lincoln brings to life the historical figures of Abraham and Mary Lincoln and their sons, Stephen Douglas, and Frederick Douglass, as well as the fictional characters. The novel also helps readers understand the characters’ (and U.S. society’s) underlying motivations and conflicts.
Weakness:
I found this novel’s beginning a bit slow, but it lays the groundwork for the story, and the pace picks up.
Content review:
The House of Lincoln includes descriptions of some of the violence inflicted on Blacks during this era.
My recommendation:
This novel’s plot is somewhat complex, yet entertaining, suspenseful, and historically accurate. If you appreciate a well-spun plot full of twists and turns, rich characters, and desire a deeper understanding of people and events, you’ll enjoy The House of Lincoln.
Reader, which historical novels have given you new insight into a familiar story?
Can you imagine a captivating novel that involves pioneers migrating to the Oregon territory, Native Americans, and freed Blacks, with friendships bridging all three groups? Rarely does a novel touch on so many topics and weave them in such an interesting way as author Jane Kirkpatrick does in A Light in the Wilderness.
Letitia Carson (Tish), a little-known woman who has toiled for decades as a slave, receives her freedom after Mr. Bowman, her enslaver, dies. In spite of her new status and papers, she seeks a freer life than she can find in Missouri.
Tish learns about the Oregon Territory’s brutal exclusion and lash laws intended to keep Blacks out, but she migrates there after Davey Carson, her common-law husband and an Irish immigrant, promises he will protect her, and that the laws will change.
The author’s rich story fills in gaps between facts gleaned from historical and genealogical records. She brings readers along on Letitia’s action-packed inner and outward journeys, facing bigotry and challenges from nature and humans, as well as finding unexpected joys and friendships.
Major Characters:
Letitia Carson – the protagonist, she’s an intelligent and persistent formerly enslaved young Black woman whose life choices are still quite limited. She took admirable risks.
Davey Carson – a crusty Irish immigrant who befriends Letitia and eventually proposes marriage. Due to existing laws, they can’t legally marry. His heroic moments counterbalance his failings.
Nancy Hawkins – Letitia’s closest friend during the Oregon Trail migration. Like Letitia, she endures suffering during the migration.
The Woman, Betsy – a Native American of the Kalapuya people in the Oregon Territory, she befriended Letitia.
Greenberry Smith – a despicable neighborof the Carsons when they reached Oregon, he had been a slave patroller before migrating. He didn’t leave his views behind.
Sarah Bowman – Letitia’s neighbor in Oregon, she struggles to treat her former slave as an equal.
Strengths:
A Light in the Wilderness has an entertaining plot with memorable characters and authentic setting details; it’s also very informative about the era.
Weakness:
The ending left me curious about how the remainder of Letitia’s life played out. I’d like to read that in the form of a story, too.
Content review:
This novel contains a few descriptions of physical intimacy and violence.
I recommendA Light in the Wilderness to readers who enjoy an inspirational story of adventure with complex characters and deep roots in its historical background.
Reader, what novels of America’s past have inspired you?
