Golden Poppies: the Gilded Age and the continued fight for freedom

Golden Poppies by Laila Ibrahim is the final book of the Freedman/Johnson trilogy. It is 1894, Jordan Wallace lives in segregated Chicago and Sadie lives in the more tolerant Oakland, California. Their families have been intertwined since Jordan’s mother, Mattie, was nursemaid to Sadie’s mother, Lisbeth. Soon, the two women will be intertwined themselves as they face racial divides and social injustices of the Gilded Age. Jordan soon realizes that even tolerant Oakland has much work to do for all of their citizens. Jordan and Sadie discover that they must work together to overcome their personal and political challenges. At a time when courage, loyalty and the ties of family will be severely tested, will they find the strength to forge ahead as they fight for the rights that have been held back? 

Golden Poppies details the racial injustices of the time and serves as a harsh reality of how far we have come as a nation and how much more we need to go. One of my favorite quotes from the book is: “We must plant the seeds of a liberty tree so that they may eat the fruit of justice we will never taste.” Golden Poppies is a reminder that the work we do to better our lives and our country may not be a reality for us but it could be for future generations. Many reviews have complained that the relationship between Jordan and Sadie was unrealistic. While it may not have been the norm of the day, it was certainly possible. If you enjoyed Yellow Crocus and Mustard Seed, I recommend Golden Poppies. 

Golden Poppies is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba: three women and the Cuban War of Independence

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton is the story of three very different women whose lives are to be connected to the story of a lifetime. Eighteen year old Evangelina dreamed of a Cuba free from Spanish oppression. When she is falsely imprisoned in the Casa de Recogidas, a notorious Havana women’s jail, her story reaches New York. and fuels the feud between two of the biggest newspaper tycoons of the Gilded Age: William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Grace Harrington lands a job at Hearst’s newspaper in 1896, she realizes that journalism is a cutthroat world where one story, one scoop can make or break your career. She’s about to get a story that will change her life forever. When Hearst learns about the beautiful young woman imprisoned, she runs her story and picture, dubbing her “The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba.” Evangelina becomes the poster child for the rallying cry for American intervention in Cuban independence. Marina Perez works as a secret courier for the Cuban revolutionaries, hoping for freedom and the return to the life she knew with her husband and daughter. 

Ms. Cleeton was inspired by her ancestor’s story in the Cuban fight for independence as well as the true story of Evangelina Cisneros. The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba was a bit slow in the beginning but picks up speed as tensions between the US and Spain lead to the Spanish American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898). As I read, I was reminded of the conflict and the events leading to American involvement from my high school and college world history classes. The three women, Evangelina, Grace and Marina, give the voices to the conflict but it was Marina’s story that held my attention as she is relocated from her farm to an impoverished and disease riddled camp. Overall, The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba highlights a part of history that many do not remember; however, it is not a book I would read again. It was a book that was highly praised but fell flat for me. I liked it but I wasn’t wowed by it. This book was my first by Ms. Cleeton and I may or may not read her other books.  

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

The Masquerade: a love story set in the Gilded Age

The Masquerade by Melanie Dobson is a novel in her Legacy of Love series. Set in the Gilded Age, on Mackinac Island, Elena Bissette has the summer ahead of her. A summer of trying to find a husband, if her mother has anything to say about it. After the financial fallout of her father’s business partnership being dissolved, the family is in dire straits and their once high society position has left them scrambling to find their way back up. Every single girl will be eyeing the most eligible bachelor of the summer, Chester “Chase” Darrington, who wants nothing to do with the girls but focus on his own business ventures. Elena and Chase meet, by accident, in an isolated place and neither one tells the other who they really are. Under the night sky of the island, they fall in love, but the real world and their social obligations threatens to bring it all crashing down on them. Will they fight against their true feelings for each other?

I have been a fan of Melanie Dobson’s since I read her book, Catching the Wind, and with each new book I enjoy her stories even more. I enjoy the historical settings with the issues of the time as well as the faith and struggles with God of her characters. The questions the characters have are relatable to questions that many believers have had or will have in their life. While the story formula is familiar, I call it the “Pride and Prejudice” formula, it is a formula that works. I loved reading Chase and Elena fall in love. I screamed with frustration when they missed “meeting” each other at the social events on the island. And cried when the truth revealed themselves and the animosity that ensued. However, I loved the ending and closed the book with satisfaction. I loved each character in this beautiful love story. I highly recommend The Masquerade.

The Masquerade

is available in eBook