The Sea Captain's Wife

The Sea Captain's Wife by Beth Powning, 2010

We read this selection for book club and we all enjoyed it very much.

Premise:

Azuba Galloway, daughter of a shipwright, sees ships leaving for foreign ports from her bustling town on the Bay of Fundy and dreams of seeing the world. When she marries Nathaniel Bradstock, a veteran sea captain, she believes she will sail at his side. But when she becomes pregnant she is forced to stay behind. Her father has built the couple a gabled house overlooking the bay, but the gift cannot shelter her from the loneliness of living without her husband. When Azuba becomes embroiled in scandal, Nathaniel is forced to take her and their daughter, Carrie, aboard his ship. They set sail for London with bitter hearts.

Their voyage is ill-fated, beset with ferocious storms and unforeseen obstacles that test Azuba's compassion, courage, and love. Alone in a male world, surrounded by the splendour and the terror of the open seas, she must face her fears and fight to keep her family together.

Review:

This was a well written novel and found that the subject matter was very interesting. The story takes place in the 1860's and it portrayed the ups and downs of seafaring at that time. The research which went into this was meticulous and I learned a lot just from reading it. I had a clear picture of how life what life was like and Beth Powning brought everything to life from her characters to the ship to the voyage. Azuba was a very strong and determined woman who wanted so much to travel and be with her husband and she got her wish although life on board a ship at that time was far from easy. The simple pleasures that we take for granted were not available at this time.

It was amazing to hear how the weather played such an important role in the success or failure of the job. They would sometimes be left adrift waiting for the winds to blow the right way so they could continue to their destination.

It must have been terrifying sailing at that time when food and hygiene were luxuries and you also had to worry about pirates and the captain had to be very tough or else one small mistake could jeopardize all his sailors and cargo.

A riveting tale which I could not put down. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Rating 4 1/2 out of 5

Forever Yours Review

Forever Yours by MJ Smith, 2009, 262 pages

Synopsis

Forever Yours is an engrossing and sweeping saga of a novel about love, war and bittersweet reunions. Europe is torn apart by World War II and a feisty and beautiful heroine, Liz, answers the call to battle as a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Philip, her childhood friend and superior in the air force, is in a position of authority to stop her, but Liz is determined. Before she leaves on a dangerous reconnaissance mission, the two share a passionate night and Philip proposes, giving her his grandmother's ring. Liz's plane goes down during her mission in enemy territory while Philip is sent to train with an elite team of paratroopers. The two discover other loves during their time apart, each thinking the other is lost forever. Will these two star-crossed lovers find each other or will a war that has destroyed so much destroy the greatest love each has ever known? Smith's characters come to life and this perfectly constructed novel captures the mood of war-torn Europe.

Review

I love the character of Elizabeth who is a very strong and resilient woman. It was refreshing to see a woman play such an important role in the War as usually only the men are highlighted. She was very brave and loved to fly.

Her love, Philip MacLeod, is also a pilot in England's Royal Air Force during World War II. He proves to have outstanding leadership skills and is well liked and respected by his superiors and peers and is given promotions. He is shocked when he discovers that his childhood friend has joined the Air Force as a pilot.

Philip and Liz have always had feelings for each other but had not acted upon them before now. They are brought together and then torn apart but even after years of separation, there love and bond still remains strong and they are able to find their way back to each other.  

Forever Yours is a truly touching, romantic novel who discover love for each other and their country. They suffer through much loss but their devotion to each other and their missions is commendable.

I really enjoyed the book apart from the editing. There were some mistakes and enough of them that I found it distracting sometimes and found that it took away from the enjoyment of the novel.

All in all, a very good debut novel and I look forward to reading more from Ms Smith.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Please feel free to check out the interview I did with Ms. Smith which can be found under http://bookgoddessno1.blogspot.com/2010/02/jackie-m-smith-interview.html

I WAS SPOTLIGHTED

I was delighted when I found out that I was being featured on bookishwonderland's site. What a sweetie!!! Thanks!! Check her out at her link below.

http://bookishwonderland.blogspot.com/