Lady in Waiting

It has taken me a while to get to my next book review, but here it is! Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner is two tales woven together as one.  The reader is first introduced to a modern-day Jane - a recent empty-nester and antique shop owner, who is shocked to find that her husband wants a break from their marriage after 22 years together. In the midst of her struggle to work through life's unexpected events, she finds an old ring that immediately intrigues her when she sees that it has a Latin inscription including her name, Jane, on the inside of the band.  After several chapters, the reader leaves modern-day Manhattan to travel to 16th century England, and is introduced to a young Jane, who is grieving the death of her benefactor, Queen Dowager Katherine, and struggling to find her new place in a life over which she has little control.

I must admit that I am generally not a fan of novels written in this format. It is frustrating for me to flip back and forth between two stories, never getting quite enough information in one story line before being forced to switch to a new one! At first, this book was frustrating for me in that way as well.  It also isn't clear how the two stories parallel until later in the novel, other than the obvious assumption that the ring found by the modern-day Jane once belonged to the 16th century Jane. However, this novel won me over.  By the time I cycled back to modern-day Jane, I was interested to see what would happen to her next, but what really held my interest in this story is the historical half of the tale. As a big fan of English history, I enjoyed seeing Meissner's speculations about what Lady Jane Grey's life might have been like.  So little is actually written about her, and I personally liked Meissners suppositions!  Also, toward the end of the novel I was able to see many parallels between the two lives - an aspect of the story that gave me reason to think.

Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. The author's imagination clearly shines in the historical sections of the story, even if I was not captivated by the modern sections.  For this reason, I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review: Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski

Have you ever wondered if you would be the same person, with the same strength of character, if you lived under different circumstances? I certainly have. Mike Yankoski not only wondered, he tested himself by becoming homeless for five months! Would he be able to endure the daily hardships of life on the streets with the integrity and faith he lived his life as an upper-middle class college student?

This book chronicles the daily thoughts and experiences of Mike and his friend as they spent time on the streets in five different US cities. He allows his readers to see what people on the streets go through, think, and feel as he relates to them as I never could - one of them. He details unexpected acts of kindness, along with unspeakable acts of violence, disheartening acts of thoughtlessness, and troubling acts of desperation by people just trying to make it to the next day alive. The frank and genuine writing allows the reader to feel like he is along for this journey, too.  The reader will hurt along with the people he reads about, smile with joy when Mike finds half-eaten food for his dinner, and tense up with frustration as one Christian after another treats Mike and the other homeless people he meets as if they don't even exist - or worse, as if they don't even matter.

It would be difficult to read this book and come away unchanged. This is the second book I have read about homelessness, and just as the first one did, this book challenged the way I view the homeless people I encounter.  It has given me a greater compassion for them and a greater understanding of their lives.  It drives home the point that these are real people, the majority of whom did not necessarily choose to live this way, but are doing the best they can to survive the circumstances they now face. This book has made me want to have a plan in mind for how to help people when I have the opportunity! Thankfully, the book has some ideas, and the publisher, Waterbrook Multnomah, has also made available an action plan for those who are challenged by reading this book.  The Action Plan can be found here. You can also read the first chapter of this book online here.  I hope you decide to read this book, and allow yourself to be challenged and changed by what you find in the pages! I don't think you will be dissapointed if you do.

*As compensation for providing this review, I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah.

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