Book Review: Inheritance of Beauty

The Inheritance of Beauty

About the Book:

Beauty, like truth, is enduring. But only one can set you free.

Maggie Black came of age in the lush, fragrant lowcountry of South Carolina—spending her days with her beloved brother and the boy she would grow up to marry. But when a stranger arrived one summer, Maggie couldn’t imagine the evil he would bring with him. And though she escaped with her life, the ramifications of that fateful summer would alter all of their lives forever.

Now, some eighty years later, Maggie and her husband George are spending their remaining days in a nursing home, helpless as age slowly robs Maggie of her ability to communicate. When a mysterious package arrives, followed closely by a stranger whose identity haunts them, Maggie and George are hemmed in by a history they’d rather forget.

As the truth reveals itself, George knows he must face the past and its lifetime of repercussions. It’s the only way to free himself and his precious wife—if it’s not too late.

The Inheritance of Beauty is a rich and enchanting story about age and beauty and the ability of true beauty to transcend one's life.

My Comments:

This book tells about a time near the end of the lives of these folk and the climax is a little supernatural.  I enjoyed the book and until is was about half over, I wouldn't have classified it as Christian fiction, except for the publisher.  The second half gets more religious, but the supernatural elements are those generally seen in Christian fiction.  I don't know what else to say about the book without giving the story away, but again, it was a heartwarming good story.  Grade:  B

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  I was not obligated to write any review, much less a positive one.

Saving Cicadas by Nicole Seitz: My Review

About the Book:  When single mother Priscilla Lynn Macy learns she's having another child unexpectedly, she packs the family into the car to escape. Eight-year-old Janie and Rainey Dae, her seventeen-year-old sister with special needs, embark on the last family vacation they'll ever take with Poppy and Grandma Mona in the back seat.
The trip seems aimless until Janie realizes they are searching for the father who left them years ago. When they can't find him, they make their way to Forest Pines, SC. Priscilla hasn't been to her family home in many years and finds it a mixed blessing of hope, buried secrets, and family ghosts.
Through eyes of innocence, Janie learns the hard realities of life and the difficult choices grownups make. And she must face disturbing truths about the people she loves in order to carry them in the moments that matter most.

My Thoughts:  Usually when I read a book I sit down almost immediately to write a review--a short summary of the plot along with my thoughts about the book--did I like it?  Why?  Why not?  I couldn't do that with this book.  Every time I thought about a summary, I wrote spoilers.  While reading the book I moved from loving it, to not, and then back loving it. So, what should I say?  It is a book far more about characters than plot.  It has a strong pro-life message.  It is fiction, but if you believe that what happened in the novel really could happen, then you espouse a theology incompatible with the beliefs of most Christians--but as a literary work, the story does work, it is effective.  The author, in a note at the end of the book does tell the reader she used literary license and that she doesn't believe the story could really happen.  The book is Christian fiction and despite what I said in the previous sentence, it does promote traditional Christian values, particularly the value of life.


The story is told in the voices of Janie, who is eight and a half, and Mona, who is her grandmother.  Sometimes I needed to check the beginning of the chapter to see who was talking, but again, on the whole, the technique worked.   


So, would I recommend the book?  Yes.  Upon further reflection, I loved it, and I think my readers will too.


To purchase from Amazon (and give me a small commission):Saving Cicadas


Thanks to the Thomas Nelson blogger program for providing a complimentary review copy.  You can read other reviews here.