I’m a big fan of Roseanna M White’s historical romances. I’ve enjoyed her series of spy novels, set against the backdrop of various US conflicts. I especially enjoyed her trilogies set in and around World War I London. So I was on the lookout for her next series.
But I wasn’t expecting a series set in the South during the American Civil War.
It’s not my favourite setting in terms of time or place, because while they claimed the South claimed the war was over the state’s rights to govern themselves, it comes back to their right to own slaves. If the war was merely around state’s rights, there would have been white slaves as well as black slaves, and we wouldn’t still see the effects of slavery and racism 150 years later.
As such, I found it difficult to empathise with either of the main characters. Cordelia is a nice enough young lady, but she is sheltered and naïve (to the point where she’s noticed she and her slave have similar unusual features, but hasn’t realised her slave is actually her half-sister).
Phineas Dunn is a nice enough young man, but has completely bought into the Southern lie that black slaves are somehow subhuman (despite the presence of mixed-race slaves and apparent acceptance of how mixed-race slaves are conceived).
I guess both characters were products of their upbringing.
Neither had ever been put in a situation where those beliefs might be challenged. As a result, I wasn’t interested in either character at first. But I was interested in two of the black characters, Selina and Luther, and the main reason I kept reading was to find out what happened to them.
I’m glad I pushed through, because the second half of the Dreams of Savannah was excellent. Delia and Phin changed and grew as people, there was a solid underlying Christian message, and I realised I was interested in finding out whether Delia and Phin would get their happy-ever-after, against the wishes of Delia’s father.
While I'm not a big fan of American Civil War stories, Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M White has a strong and worthy message, and is worthwhile reading. #ChristianFiction #BookReview Share on XWhile this is never going to be my favourite Roseanna M White story, the writing is excellent, the story has a strong and worthy message, and is worthwhile reading.
Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Roseanna M White
Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna has a slew of historical novels available, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new British series. She lives with her family in West Virginia.
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About Dreams of Savannah
But Phineas Dunn finds nothing redemptive in the first horrors of war. Struggling for months to make it home alive, he returns to Savannah injured and cynical, and all too sure that he is not the hero Cordelia seems determined to make him. Matters of black and white don’t seem so simple anymore to Phin, and despite her best efforts, Delia’s smiles can’t erase all the complications in his life. And when Fort Pulaski falls and the future wavers, they both must decide where the dreams of a new America will take them, and if they will go together.
Find Dreams of Savannah online at:
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While I was born and raised in the American South and have lived in 3 southern states, books set during the Civil War also do not appeal to me. Andersonville, the infamous POW camp is within an hours drive of my home, so maybe it’s because reminders of the horrors of that time are still very much around. There is some excellent historical fiction set during the era, though. I found Jocelyn Green’s Civil War-era series to be fascinating and historically accurate and sensitive. Tracy Groot did a great job with The Sentinels of Andersonville. I have just recently “discovered” White’s books. I think I will stick to her backlist first.
I haven’t read Jocelyn Green’s books, and I know just enough about Andersonville that I wasn’t sure about reading that one either.
Roseanna White’s books set in England are excellent, and I’ve also heard good things about A Stray Drop of Blood (her Easter story), but I’ve yet to read that one either.