2011 June 18

Book Review: Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley

Title: Queen of the Summer Stars: Book Two of the Guinevere Trilogy
Author: Persia Woolley
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: June 1, 2011
Paperback: 512 pages
ISBN: 978-1402246401
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction

From the Publisher:

In a country still reeling from the collapse of the Roman Empire, the young King Arthur and his wife Guinevere struggle to keep the barbarians at bay even as they establish the Fellowship of the Round Table. The spirited and outspoken Guinevere skillfully combats an accusation of planning to poison Arthur in a country simmering with unrest and scandal. But Guinevere’s greatest battles are dangers Arthur cannot see—ones she’ll have to fight on her own. And all the while, she must reconcile her thirst for freedom with her duties as queen, and her growing love for Lancelot with her loyalty to her husband. Vibrantly human and touchingly real, Guinevere reigns as a woman poised to discover the true peril and promise of the human heart.

My Review:

Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley is book two of the Guinevere trilogy. As with the first book, Children of the Northern Spring, Woolley continues the Arthurian legend through the eyes of Guinevere, and as with the first book, Queen of the Summer Stars does not disappoint the reader. Woolley expertly sets up the scenes and her characters come to life in this work of historical fiction. It is evident from the beginning that Woolley took her time researching the history of the time period as she goes into extraordinarily vivid description and allows the reader to view Guinevere’s marriage to King Arthur and their live and struggles through Guinevere’s eyes. Readers will further become acquainted not only with Guinevere and Arthur, but readers will also get to know Sir Lancelot, one of Arthur’s best knights as well as the major player in King Arthur’s court. As with every Arthurian legend I have read there are revolts, uprisings, adventure, misadventure, danger and love, making Queen of the Summer Stars a fast-paced and thrilling adventure and one I did not want to end. I look forward to reading the final book in Woolley’s trilogy; Guinevere: Legend in Autumn after truly enjoying Woolley’s masterfully crafted novel, Queen of the Summer Stars, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys strong female characters, well written adventures and Arthurian legends.

I received a complimentary arc of Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley from Sourcebooks. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

Book Review: The Last Letter by Kathleen Shoop

Title: The Last Letter
Author: Kathleen Shoop
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication Date: February 15, 2011
Paperback: 372 pages
ISBN: 978-1456347208
Genre: Fiction

About the Book:

For any daughter who thinks she knows her mother’s story…

Katherine Arthur’s mother arrives on her doorstep, dying, forcing her to relive a past she wanted to forget.

When Katherine was ten, she had loved her mother fiercely, put her trust in her completely, but when her mother resorted to extreme measures on the prairie to save her family, she tore Katherine’s world apart. Now, seventeen years later, and far from the prairie, Katherine has found the truth – she has discovered the last letter.

My Review:

The Last Letter by Kathleen Shoop is a dramatic story of a family’s struggle to do the right thing, to do right by life’s lessons and ultimately, to seek reconciliation. Believable, flawed characters in Jeannie and her daughter, Katherine give readers, through their points of view, a sense of life, or at least life in their family, toward the end of the 19th Century and beginning of the 20th Century. Told from her mother’s point of view when Katherine was but a child and moved with her mother and do-nothing father to the Dakota Territory to live off the land, and then switching to Katherine’s point of view some 17 years later, The Last Letter is well-crafted in the time period and readers will find that the descriptions and storyline bring a sense of being immersed in the 19th Century Midwestern United States. Emotions are at a peak in this fictional, yet realistic tale about a family’s decision, for good or for bad, to move out of city life and to the rural reaches of the Dakotas. Although I thought the characters and their descriptions were well-written, I had a hard time relating to either woman and found the story to ultimately be quite sad. With that said, I do believe The Last Letter would make for an interesting discussion group pick.

About the Author:

Kathleen Shoop is a Language Arts Coach with a PhD in Reading Education. Her work has appeared in The Tribune Review, four Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Pittsburgh Parent Magazine. She lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.

To learn more about Kathleen Shoop please visit her website.

I received a complimentary copy of The Last Letter by Kathleen Shoop from BookSparks PR to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.