New Harmony by Leon E. Pettiway - #bookreview

The day belonged to the dead, and our lamenting floated down the worn steps of Calvary Baptist Church, past grave markers and upturned stones, drifted down Chestnut Street and onto Main, around the bend, and down into the next hollow. From where I sat on the front pew, I heard Pastor Jones scream...

***

It has recently come to my attention that I must make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Author Marketing Experts. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

***

The Blurb

This moving work of African American women's fiction honors resilience, belonging, and the complicated inheritance of love.

Nestled in the quiet beauty of New Harmony, South Carolina, a family saga unfolds against the backdrop of the deep-seated memories of Jim Crow in the 1950s. Margaret grows up in a family where she learns what it means to be both "colored" and female—first as a daughter discovering the harsh injustices around her, and later as a mother fighting to protect her own. When violence tears her world apart, the murder of her son tests the limits of her love, faith, and resilience.

As Margaret reckons with loss, this story of small-town grief turns toward community, memory, and the fragments of hope found in storytelling. This stunning work of literary fiction explores themes of cultural heritage and long-held family secrets that shape her understanding of the past— and guide her toward healing in the present. The result is a thought-provoking, poignant, emotional portrait of one woman refusing to be erased.

In a blend of Southern and historical fiction based on real-life themes, New Harmony illuminates the lived experiences of black women in the Jim Crow South.

New Harmony: A Mother's Story of Love and Loss is Pettiway's debut novel and the first in a series of thematically linked works exploring community, identity, and the enduring bonds of family.

Come home to New Harmony— where healing begins.

My Review

There is so much to unpack in this amazing story that I hardly know where to start.

The book begins with the main character, Margaret, grieving for her murdered teenage son during the 1940s in America's South Carolina. The narrative then moves back in time to the late 19th century and we follow Margaret from childhood. We walk beside her as she encounters injustice, bigotry and racism. However, we also rejoice with her as she falls in love, gives birth to her children and ultimately finds inner peace. That's not a spoiler as it is obvious that is where the book is heading from the very beginning. 

We see her grow from child to woman; we watch her experience both joy and heartbreak, and it was impossible not to feel empathy for this character. She carries the burden of her forebears who were enslaved on the very plantation where she still lives. She is shored up by her faith and it was this, alongside the love and support of her family and friends, which enabled her to emotionally survive. 

The author has put together a powerful story with such multi-faceted characters that I felt that I knew these people personally. I was slightly bereft when I turned the final page and had to leave them behind. 

The novel contains a good mix of prose and dialogue, both of which move the story on at an appropriate pace. The setting is atmospheric — the superiority in the Big House is palpable, especially when contrasted with Margaret's loving home.

The book provoked quite a reaction in me, just as an excellent and well-written book should do. I was angered on behalf of Margaret and her friends and family when they experienced such bigotry and racism. 

This was a five-star read for me. Whilst I found the ending a little long-winded, I nonetheless felt it deserved a top-score rating for the powerful emotion that it caused in me as a reader. It was an excellent book to read and I wholeheartedly recommend it. 

Please be aware that the book contains outdated derogatory language which was common to the time period.

Book Details

ISBN:  979 8989182053

Publisher:  Melshin Press

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  374 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Author Website

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Leon E. Pettiway, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), the Venerable Lobzang Dorje, is Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, Bloomington. He has conducted research that integrates geographical and criminological theories to explain crime patterns in urban areas. In that regard, he has published articles on the impact of race and ghettoization on patterns of crime participation, the role of environmental and individual factors in arson, the relationship between an individual's drug use and criminal participation in the formation of crime partnerships, and the criminal decision-making process of addicts and nonusers in light of various environmental cues. Upon the conclusion of a major field research project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, he completed Honey, Honey, Miss Thang: Being Black, Gay, and on the Streets, a Finalist for the 9th Annual Lambda Literary Award (Temple University Press), which examined the lives of drug addicted, gay transgender women who commit a variety of crimes, and Workin' It: Women Living Through Drugs and Crime (Temple University Press) which chronicled the drug use and crime participation of a group of inner-city women. Before his retirement, his intellectual work centered on the construction of knowledge and how Eastern and Western philosophical traditions might be integrated into criminological theory and the administration of justice. His upcoming publication, Only for the Brave at Heart: Essays Rethinking Race, Crime, and Justice, critiques the ways the American mind has thought about race, crime, and justice. In using the Buddhist and Afrocentric perspectives as a vehicle for social commentary, he provides a path to liberate our thoughts concerning these important issues.

He is a fully ordained Buddhist monk, one of only a handful of African-American monks in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. In retirement, he focuses his attention on his spiritual practice, teaching Buddhism, and writing.

You can also find Leon at:

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(ARC and media courtesy of Author Marketing Experts)

(author photo courtesy of the author's website)

(author bio courtesy of African American Literature Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

Like Me by Katharine Light - #bookspotlight #blogtour

Today I am shining the spotlight on Like Me by Katharine Light. It's a novel about second chances with a teenage crush later in life.

The Blurb

When exhausted single-mum Jess returns to Manchester for her twenty-year school reunion, she’s hoping for nothing more than a well-deserved break from reality. What she’s not expecting is to bump into her secret teenage crush, hot single-dad Sam, or to remember quite how much they have in common. 

But they live so far apart, their kids aren’t always easy, and there are events in their shared past it’s best not to revisit. Surely the idea of a future together is just a crazy dream in their messy, adult lives? 

Though when Sam invites Jess to accompany him to a mutual friend’s high-profile wedding, the years they spent apart once again melt away. What will it take for them to be together? Can they use their second chance to finally get it right?

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1739578008

Publisher:  Katharine Light

Formats:  e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  371 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Vinted

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Katharine Light was born in Glasgow and lived there until her family moved to Manchester when she was ten. While in her teens, she began writing stories for her younger sister Emma. These mostly centred around a naïve heroine and a 1980s pop star (some would say the hero was modelled on John Taylor of Duran Duran).

She did a degree in psychology at University College London, and after a year travelling, worked in corporate film production for several years, before taking a break to raise her children. 

For many years she wrote mainly during the holidays, around her busy work for a local church.

Her first novel Like Me, published in 2023, was shortlisted for The Selfies Book Awards 2024. Her short story My Arms are Empty which is based on an episode from her second novel Me Too recently won the City University competition City Writes. 

She is a director of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, with responsibility for organising their conferences, gatherings and awards ceremonies. 

Katharine lives in London with her husband and quite often at least one of their adult children. She loves singing, walking, painting, looking at art, and going to the theatre.

You can also find Katharine at:

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(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

Reading Roundup for May 2025

 

And here we are at the end of another month...

The Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron

This book will be a delight to middle grade readers who enjoy fantasy.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

More Than Murder by Jayne Chard

This is a fun and entertaining cosy crime book from a debut author.

If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin

A moving account from Mary as she watches her son be crucified.

Troubled Times for Tilly by Kay Seeley

Troubled Times for Tilly is set in Victorian London and is an enjoyable read.

If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Be Mine by Lizzy Barber

This is a powerful and compelling novel that I couldn't put down. It was my favourite read this month.

If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Not Moving Out by Jon Rance

I enjoyed reading this rom com very much and it has a lot to offer.

If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Agatha Christie by Lucy Worsley

As you would expect from the author and historian, Lucy Worsley this book has been expertly researched and written.

If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

The House at River's Edge by Rachel Burton

I  love a dual time line narrative when it is well done, as it definitely has been in this book.

If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Remember by Patricia Shanae Smith

 I rarely give books a five star review but this one was well deserving.

If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story by Peter James

I was rather disappointed by this book.

Libby and the Parisian Puzzle by Jo Clarke

I enjoyed this book very much. It is aimed at middle grade readers and it's my granddaughter's favourite.

The Woman Who Met Herself by Laura Pearson

This is a gorgeous book, simultaneously full of heartbreak and joy. 

If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Books I am Partway Through

Rainbows and Lollipops by Mo Fanning

The Last Train to Freedom by Deborah Swift

Great and Horrible News by Blessin Adams

The Rabbi's Suitcase by Robert Kehlmann

The Golden Bell by Robert L. Stone - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

As the serving boys came out of the house carrying jugs of wine, Moses ibn Ezra took a moment to admire the garden, which had almost reached perfection on this fine May evening. Roses bloomed between lilies and flowering grasses. The hornbeam hedges shimmered. Green catkins danced against darker leaves. Moses breathed deeply, savouring the honeyed scent of the mock orange bushes, and running his palm over the cool grass beside his divan.

A dozen poets lounged on divans and cushions around the lawn, dressed in the fine linen robes and turbans of courtiers and scholars, sober browns and maroons brightened by flashes of colour at the cuffs. The men were talking quietly, waiting for the poetry contest to begin...

***

Arriving in Córdoba as a young man in 1088 to learn medicine, Yehuda Halevi is enchanted by a world in which Muslim, Jewish and Christian courtiers share poetry and philosophy in their elegant gardens. Here he falls in love with Deborah, the spirited daughter of his host. In this turbulent world, however, Yehuda also encounters invasions and pirates, book burnings and bandits.Driven by conflict to move from city to city, Yehuda and Deborah are often parted – but always in the hope that they will one day return together to Córdoba. As Yehuda’s fame grows as a poet and as a philosopher, his writings become increasingly mystical but also increasingly restless, for he yearns to travel to the holy city of Jerusalem. In 1140, as an old man, he must finally decide whether to stay with his family or begin the perilous voyage towards Egypt and Crusader Jerusalem…In this beautifully evocative story, Robert L. Stone transports the reader to twelfth-century Andalucía as he traces the extraordinary life of a man determined to devote himself – and his exceptional talent – to a greater truth.

***

This excellent book spans parts of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. I have not read many books set during that period so this made for really interesting reading. It is ambitious in scope and relates the oft unstable religious and political environment in existence during this period of history. 

Although this is a work of fiction, the author has clearly completed extensive research which gives this novel a scholarly feel whilst also being easy to read.  Whilst the backdrop is complex, the characters enable this book to keep the reader engaged and although it is intellectual in feel, it carries the reader along with it very nicely.

The book follows the life of Yehuda Halevi. He was a well written and fully fleshed character who was easy to engage with. I enjoyed accompanying him on each step of his journey, and the author's descriptions made Yehuda's world feel very relevant. I equally enjoyed reading of his wife, Deborah, who Mr. Stone portrays as a strong female character within a very patriarchal society.

Well written, it's excellent narrative and dialogue propels the story forward, making it well worth reading.  I learned much about both the time period and the places that Yehudi travelled. There is much attention to detail which enables the reader to feel very close to the story and setting.

What this book demonstrates clearly is that during the time period in which it is set different faiths were able to co-exist harmoniously and indeed learn from one another. It is a book that is very relevant to todays society and is well worth reading.

ISBN: 978 1915036537

Publisher:  Stony Mere

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  304 (paperback)

Amazon UK

About the Author:

Having gained a PhD in history and political anthropology from Cambridge University, Robert L. Stone has worked for many years advising governments on strategies to fight poverty, particularly in the wake of conflicts. He has a lifelong interest in how different cultures and ethnicities relate to each other - this, combined with his love of literature, is the inspiration for The Golden Bell.

(book, photos and all info. courtesy of Random Things Tours)

(all opinions are my own)

Silence by Shusaku Endo - #BookReview

 

"News reached the Church in Rome. Christovao Ferreira, sent to Japan by the Society of Jesus in Portugal, after undergoing the torture of 'the pit' at Nagasaki had apostatized. An experienced missionary held in the highest respect he had spent thirty-three years in Japan, had occupied the high position of provincial and had been a source of inspiration to priests and faithful alike."

It is 1640 and Father Sebastian Rodrigues, an idealistic Jesuit priest, sets sail for Japan determined to help the brutally oppressed Christians there. He is also desperate to discover the truth about his former mentor, rumoured to have renounced his faith under torture. Rodrigues cannot believe the stories about a man he so revered, but as his journey takes him deeper into Japan and then into the hands of those who would crush his faith, he finds himself forced to make an impossible choice: to abandon his flock or his God.

The recipient of the 1966 Tanizaki Prize, Silence, is Shusaku Endo's most highly acclaimed work and has been called one of the twentieth century's finest novels. As empathetic as it is powerful, it is an astonishing exploration of faith and suffering.

***

I can honestly say that I have never read a book quite like this one and I am finding it difficult to find the words with which to review it as it is so different to my usual reading fare. I probably would never have picked this up in a bookshop or library but it came to me on loan from my son who had read and enjoyed it.

It was originally published in 1966 in Japanese and it has been excellently translated by William Johnston. 

It is an interesting consideration of the early days of Christian missionary work in Japan. Although fictionalised, it is based on 17th century accounts of such work when missionaries secretly entered Japan in order to minister to a hidden Christian community.

Although this book is based within a Christian perspective, I believe that it is much more about humanity than faith. We see the lengths which the Japanese are prepared to go to in order to protect their own culture and belief system. Equally, we witness the similar extent of the Christian missionaries in their attempt to introduce and progress their own beliefs to a people whose authority does not seek any such religious or cultural change.

There are several occasions in which the main character, Father Rodrigues, aligns his own situation with that of both Christ and Judas. However, reading this book as a non Christian it raised some very thought provoking questions in my mind. 

Rodrigues was expecting to suffer and to be tortured for his attempts to support the Christian community. However, what struck me as shocking in this book was that he was able to stand by his beliefs whilst watching others being brutally tortured or executed in his name.

As always, I will not be giving any spoilers here but suffice to say that the book has an interesting conclusion.  I am very glad that I read this book and even though it was not a comfortable read, I do recommend it.

ISBN@ 978 1447299851

Publisher: Picador Classic

About the Author:

Shusaku Endo was  born in Tokyo in 1923 and was raised by his mother and an aunt in Kobe where he converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of eleven. At Tokyo's Keio University he majored in French literature, graduating with a BA in 1949, before furthering his studies in French Catholic literature at the University of Lyon in France between 1950 and 1953. 

A major theme running through his books, which have been translated into many languages, including English, French, Russian and Swedish, is the failure of Japanese soil to nurture the growth of Christianity. 

Before his death in 1996, Endo was the recipient of a number of outstanding Japanese literary awards: the Akutagawa Prize, Mainichi Cultural Prize, Shincho Prize, and Tanizaki Prize.

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd - #BookReview

"I am Ana. I am the wife of Jesus ben Joseph of Nazareth. I called him Beloved and he, laughing, called me Little Thunder. He said he heard rumblings inside me while I slept ............ That my husband bent his heart to mine on our thin straw mat and listened was the kindness I most loved in him. What he heard was my life begging to be born."

Ana is a rebellious young woman, a gifted writer with a curious, brilliant mind, who writes secret narratives about the neglected and silenced women around her. Raised in a wealthy family in Galilee, she is sheltered from the brutality of Rome's occupation of Israel. Ana is expected to marry an elderly widower to further her father's ambitions, a prospect that horrifies her. A chance encounter with the eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything: his ideas and his passion are intoxicating.

Taking Ana on a journey she could never have imagined, The Book of Longings is a glorious evocation of a time and a place where astounding events unfolded, and of one woman's fate when she fights to make her voice heard.

***

This is a work of fiction and in my review I will not be commenting on it's accuracy to either the Christian Bible or the Jewish Torah. The author presents Jesus in an historical light as opposed to a religious one, other than within the Jewish community in which he lived.

This book is about Ana, his fictional wife, rather than about Jesus himself. Jesus is portrayed only in as much as he impacted her life and is not the main character. She is fourteen at the beginning of the book and unlike most girls of the period is literate. In many ways that is the main theme of the story. The author gives a voice to women of the time who have been silenced through history. As interesting as that is, I could not help but feel that Ana was a 21st century woman transplanted into history and with a modern feminist attitude.

That said, I loved reading about how strong these women were. At a time when nothing more than marriage, and that of their fathers choice, would have been expected for them. Ana in particular, has quite other ideas. She is headstrong, resolute and determined to live life through her own choices. She makes for a compelling character.

The meticulous research needed for this book has clearly been well done and has resulted in a book which is carefully told. The chapter in which the crucifixion is described has been movingly portrayed  not only by the way the author describes the brutality of such an execution, but she brought alive how it must have felt to stand at the foot of that cross watching their husband, son, friend die in such an horrific manner. 

The book is rich in atmosphere and imaginatively written. She evokes the sights, sounds and smells of the period which made for a captivating and compelling read.

I have read Ms  Kidd's novels The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings, (you can read my review here) both of which were equally well written. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

ISBN:  978 1472232496

Publisher: Tinder Press

About the Author:

Sue Monk Kidd was raised in Georgia. She graduated from Texas Christian University in 1970 and later took creative writing courses at Emory University, as well as studying at Sewanee, Bread Loaf, and other writers’ conferences. In her forties, Kidd turned her attention to writing fiction, winning the South Carolina Fellowship in Literature and the 1996 Poets & Writers Exchange Program in Fiction.

When her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, was published by Viking in 2002, it became a genuine literary phenomenon, spending more than 2½ years on the New York Timesbestseller list. It has been translated into 36 languages and sold more than 6 million copies in the U.S. and 8 million copies worldwide. Bees was named the Book Sense Paperback Book of the Year in 2004, long-listed for the 2002 Orange Prize in England, and won numerous awards. 

In her forties, Kidd turned her attention to writing fiction, winning the South Carolina Fellowship in Literature and the 1996 Poets & Writers Exchange Program in Fiction. Her short stories appeared in TriQuarterly, Nimrod, and other literary journals and received a Katherine Anne Porter award and citations in Best American Short Stories’ 100 Distinguished Stories.

When her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, was published by Viking in 2002, it became a genuine literary phenomenon, spending more than 2½ years on the New York Times bestseller list. It has been translated into 36 languages and sold more than 8 million copies worldwide and was named the Book Sense Paperback Book of the Year in 2004, long-listed for the 2002 Orange Prize in England, and won numerous awards. For over a decade, the novel was produced on stage by The American Place Theater, and in 2008 it was adapted into a movie by Fox Searchlight, which won the People’s Choice award for best movie and the NAACP Image award for best picture. The 2019 off-broadway production at The Atlantic Theater won the AUDELCO VIV award for best musical. The novel is taught widely in middle school, high school, and college classrooms.

Kidd serves on the Writers Council for Poets & Writers, Inc.  She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Sandy, and dog, Barney.