Bethany House Blog Tour: Love Comes Calling

Author: Siri Mitchell

Genre: Romance, life

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 364

Time period: 1920s

Publisher and price: Bethany House, $14.99

My overall opinion: This is the first book that I’ve read by Siri Mitchell, and to be entirely honest (as my reviews always are), I was a little disappointed. Overall, I’d say this wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t the perfect book for me. I didn’t connect at all with the heroine, Ellis…though that sounds strange in light of the fact that I completely followed how her brain worked. The author’s note revealed that Ellis was ADHD, which made sense. I also wasn’t really a fan of the way that the first person voice worked for this particular story. Finally, I always had trouble with picturing Ellis at the correct age. I found myself seeing her as being about 14 instead of her actual age of 19 or so (at least, marriageable age). Picturing the heroine as being younger than she is was kind of a serious problem here. All in all, I didn’t hate the book, it just didn’t catch me as much as I’d hoped. I won’t keep it. However, I am open to reading other books by Siri Mitchell, as it may have just been this one that wasn’t quite for me.

**Bethany House sent me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I wasn’t required to review it positively, and all opinions etc are my own. I wasn’t paid for this review.**

Movie: Great Gatsby

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Genre: Life…?

Primary actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan

Length: Almost 2 ½ hours

Based on: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Time period: 1920s

Quote: “Old sport” – catchy!

Rating: PG-13

Year it came out: 2013

My overall opinion: Well! I went back and forth about whether or not to review this one – and decided I would, as I think my readers will find it interesting. But reviewing it means I have to at least attempt to organize my thoughts on it, and that is a challenge.

So why did I go for an 8? Because I enjoyed it…I think. At any rate, I found it fascinating and impossible not to finish watching. But I also don’t whole-heartedly recommend it, nor do I agree with the basic concept/morals that were conveyed in it.

Be advised: I’m not trying to avoid spoilers, not really, so look out – there probably are some.

What did I like? It was impossible not to like, or at least feel empathy for, Jay Gatsby himself. I don’t approve of what he did or how he lived. Sure, he might have loved Daisy, but pursuing a married woman like he did is wrong. But at the same time, I felt like DiCaprio did a good job with the role and you couldn’t help but empathize with him a little.

And then the fashion of the time! I once wrote a paper about fashion in the 1920s, and it was really interesting to research. That whole time-period is just fascinating to me, so I really enjoyed that aspect of this movie – seeing their fashion, vehicles, houses, and way of life was amazing. I was also a little horrified by how utterly pointless their lives were…nothing but endless parties. It was disturbing.

And then what I didn’t like. I wasn’t overly fond of Daisy at all. Actually, I loved her looks (wow, that sounds awkward…). Like, her bobbed blond hair and brown eyes were adorable. But I didn’t like her as a person. Besides which, her behavior as a married woman was wrong. Just plain wrong. Be advised, there are a few somewhat objectionable scenes – keep that in mind before you watch it.

So all in all, what did I think? I’m not quite sure. Will I watch it again? I don’t know. I think the only movie I’ve been more confused about was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I think I’m glad I watched this, or at least, I don’t entirely regret it. Good movie? Not sure. Bad movie? Not all. But yeah – there’s my thoughts in brief.

TV Show: Downton Abbey Season 3

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Genre: Period drama, life, family

Series or set: Downton Abbey

Number in series: 3^rd

Primary actors: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens

Length: Nine episodes, with the last one being the two hour Christmas special

Based on: Possibly a real family?

Time period: 1920s

Rating: TV-14, I think

Year it came out: 2012

My overall opinion: I enjoyed this! I ended up watching it all really quick – checked it out on an impulse from the library on Friday afternoon, and watched it all before returning it on Sunday morning. So yeah…I flew. But yes, it was good and I greatly enjoyed getting to know everyone even better. Their highs were lovely, their lows were sad, and I can say no more without spoilers, so I’ll stop. All in all? Good series and I’m excited for Season 4!

A Passion Redeemed

Author: Julie Lessman

Genre: Romance

Series: Daughters of Boston

Number in series: 2^nd

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 477 (trust me, the pages FLY by!)

Time period: 1920s

Publisher and price: Revell, $14.99

My overall opinion: Wow. Julie knows how to keep her readers on the edges of their seats! I’m about to start book three and am quite persuaded that the whole series is brilliant and I have NO idea how in the world Julie came up with so many fascinating twists and turns – it’s stunning. My apologies…this review is disorganized. So it goes. I feel like the family situation here is going to be super awkward, and wouldn’t actually work in real life – Faith and Charity were both engaged to their sister’s future husbands at one point or another. Yeah. Awkward. Also, a word up – Julie’s books are on the more passionate end of Christian fiction. Save for older readers. Finally, I don’t always really agree with some of the decision and actions made by or done by the characters, even when the book makes them out to be fine – I feel like they are rather less conservative about some things than they should be. However, despite these few problems, I still managed to LOVE this book and come out giving it a 9.5! Obviously the main character is named Charity (SO COOL), and so this book has been on my to-read shelf for years – only now did I finally get to it! On page 466, I was persuaded that there was no way all the loose ends could be tied up by the end – but by page 477, ta-da! The book was finished and somehow, everything WAS resolved! The whole book was fascinating and impossible to put down. The drama is constant. And can I just say…I love Patrick and Marcy’s marriage (they’re Faith and Charity’s parents) and I want my marriage to be like that when I’ve been married as many years as them. All in all? This book had a few things that I wasn’t entirely on board with. But it’s definitely worth my time and I can’t wait to read book 3 later this week!

A Light in the Window

Author: Julie Lessman

Genre: Romance, Christmas

Series: It’s the prequel to the Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change series’

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 407

Time period: 1920s

Publisher: Revell

My overall opinion: What a lovely read this book was! I enjoyed it so very much – delightful to get back into a Julie Lessman book after quite some time without. Before I continue, I should mention that Julie writes fairly passionate romance, compared to what most Christian romance is. There’s nothing explicit, but it’s more passionate than most that I read. The characters are wonderful. The hero, Patrick, was to die for, and the heroine, Marcy, was adorable. I loved them all! The locations, set in the 1920s, are well-drawn and I had no problem picturing them clearly. There are a few funny scenes (always a bonus in almost any book), and many sweet ones – Julie writes those with great skill. Again, the people are the best part of it! This was a wonderful book that I greatly enjoyed.

Blog Tour: Ashton Park

Author: Murray Pura

Genre: Life, family

Series: The Danforths of Lancashire

Number in series: 1^st

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Historical fiction

Number of pages: 373

Time period: 1916-1923, World War I

Publisher and price: Harvest House Publishers, $13.99

My overall opinion: What a delightful book this turned out to be! I enjoyed getting to know the entire Danforth family so much. If you’ve heard anything about this book, you’ve probably heard that any fans of Downton Abbey will enjoy it. Having not yet seen Downton Abbey myself, I can’t speak to the truth of that statement – but from what I’ve read, I think it’s probably true. Certainly, anyone with an interest in World War I fiction will find this an interesting book! There were a lot of characters, and especially at the beginning, I had a bit of trouble keeping them apart. However, there was also at the beginning a Cast of Characters sheet – which I ignored, as I hate flipping back and forth to that kind of thing. So it’s at least somewhat my own fault that I had any confusion. As the book continued, however, I grew quite familiar with all of them, and attached to many. There was plenty of excitement and unexpected plot turns. This book will keep you guessing! Ashton Park – overall, a good book that I’ll keep in my library. Definitely anticipating the next one! Recommending for any fans of World War I fiction, period dramas.

**The author sent me a copy of this book for review purposes. I was not recompensed in any other way for this review, and wasn’t required to be positive.**

Ellie’s Haven

Author: Sharlene MacLaren

Genre: Life, adventure, romance

Series: River of Hope

Number in series: 2^nd

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 416

Time period: 1920s

My overall opinion: What a joy to return to Sharlene’s writing! I so enjoyed it in the first River of Hope book, Livvie’s Song. This book was also a delight! The girl on the front? She’s perfect. Have I mentioned that Livvie is perfect on her book? She is. And Ellie is perfect here. The hair, the face expression, it’s all exactly what is described in the book. Anyway, this book centers on something quite like a mail-order bride, only the couple knew each other even less than the average mail-ordered bride. It was an interesting concept, and certainly one that worked. This book had just a tad of humor, an exciting story, and a sweet story, all smoothly blended into one lovely book. Definitely one I’d recommend! Can’t wait to read Sofia’s Secret at some point.

Tyndale Blog Tour: All for a Song

Author: Allison Pittman

Genre: Life, adventure, growing up

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5 high

Type: Historical fiction

Number of pages: 357

Time period: 1920s

Passage from book: Go here to read about it on Goodreads.

My overall opinion: Over a year ago, I read For Time and Eternity and Forsaking All Others by Allison Pittman. I didn’t love them, but they were okay for a one-time read. But when I saw this book come up for review on Tyndale, I decided I would give Allison another try – the 1920s are a fascinating time-period, and the cover was most interesting. So I requested it…and wow. I was very happy after that. This book caught me much more – possibly because I found the subject and the time period much more interesting. So much happened in the 1920s! This one is the story of a young country girl who is swept up in the sometimes erroneous revival movement that filled America. Through it, Dorothy Lynn is challenged about both her faith and her lifestyle. I loved reading about the 1920s (my most recent obsession), enjoyed learning everything there was to learn from this book (Aimee Semple McPherson – fascinating), and found Dorothy Lynn a good heroine. On a side note…apparently the author did a great job describing Aimee, a real historical person, because she looks JUST like I pictured her when I read about her. I will plan to read more by Allison Pittman!

**Tyndale Publishers supplied me with this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to post a positive review, nor was I paid in any way other than the book.**

Say to This Mountain

Author: Bodie Thoene

Genre: Historical fiction, adventure, life

Series: The Shiloh Legacy

Number in series: 3rd

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 447

Time period: 1920’s, 1930’s

Main characters: A lot. David (yes, as a child, from Zion Chronicles), Max Meyer, Trudy, Birch, Jefferson, Ellis, Becky

Exciting events: The beginning of the Great Depression

My overall opinion: Bodie Thoene is amazing. This book was good!

A Thousand Shall Fall

Author: Bodie Thoene

Genre: Life

Series: The Shiloh Legacy

Number in series: 2nd

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 428

Time period: 1920’s, the stock market crash

Main characters: Trudy, Birth, Max, David, Jefferson

Exciting events: There are several, including a ship burning, the stock market crash, swindlers, and more!

My overall opinion: I enjoyed it! I’m loving finding the characters (and parents of characters) from The Zion Chronicles series and The Zion Covenant series. J The way all these books connect is amazing!

Movie: Singin' in the Rain

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Main characters: Don, Cosmo, Kathy

Genre: Musical, comedy (somewhat), life, romance

Primary actors: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds

Length: Not quite 2 hours

Based on: I believe it was inspired by the song "Singin' in the Rain" but other than that...

Time period: 1920's

Year it came out: 1952

My overall opinion: I enjoyed it a lot! Some of the costumes on the women were way too much leg, and I seem to remember reading that some of the dancing was a bit sensual (though I didn't notice that it was terrible), but other than that, this was a really fun movie! The songs, like Singin' in the Rain, Good Morning, Make 'em Laugh, All I Do Is Dream of You, they've been running through my head constantly ever since. :) Definitely catchy! I recommend this movie.

Oh, fast fact. Cyd Cherisse, who stars as the sweet and pretty heroine in Brigadoon, (one of my favorite films) was also in this one. However, she was a much different character. One of my least favorites in the movie.

Movie: King's Speech

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Main characters: King George VI, Lionel Logue

Genre: Sort of a documentary.

Primary actors: Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Geoffery Rush, Helena Bonham-Carter

Length: Almost two hours

Based on: King George VI's speech problem

Time period: 1920's and 30's

Quote(s): Definitely some good ones. :)

Year it came out: 2010

My overall opinion: I enjoyed it! I should mention that this movie is rated R for language. However, this language is in two short clips (amounting to around 30 seconds all together). The sound can be totally turned down for this. Mom watched it with me, and took care of that, and I missed it all! Otherwise, it's pretty much totally clean. Great movie, and I recommend it.

Livvie's Song

Author: Sharlene MacLaren

Genre: Romance, life

Series: River of Hope series

Number in series: 1st

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 375

Time period: 1920's

Main characters: Livvie, Will

Exciting events: Many!

My overall opinion: Firstly, I was sent this advance copy of Livvie's Song for free. The publisher does not require me to review it postiviely, or even review it! But since I review most of the books I read, this one was definitely on the list, especially since I absolutely loved it! It was a really fun and special story. Also sweet, gently romantic, and very stirring. I'm hoping to be able to interview Sharlene MacLaren soon, here on Austenitis.

(Please click here to go to a special book blurb about Livvie's Song on Austenitis!)