About the Book
Book: Soon the Dawn
Author: Linda Brooks Davis
Genre: Historical fiction
Release Date: February 9, 2020
Ella thought becoming a mother to five daughters a month after marriage would be difficult. Sixteen years later, letting go is even harder. What should be a joyous time of Amaryllis spreading her wings as she graduates from the College of Industrial Arts… isn’t.
Ella fears that Amaryllis will lose a grip on her faith, her upbringing, and the goals Ella believes she should have. Will Ella’s mother-in-law’s high society friends puff up the girl until Amaryllis loses sight of what’s important? If Amaryllis stays away, can Ella trust that the Lord will keep the girl safe? Can she trust Him with her daughter’s well-being period?
Of course, she can! But will she?
When everything begins to crumble around her, Ella must decide where she will place her trust—in her own capable hands or in the Lord’s sovereign ones.
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My Thoughts:
Sometimes books take me by surprise in both good and bad ways. This one happened to be one of those. I appreciate that the author writes fictional characters based on her own ancestors. The author also shows the grit and tenacity, especially the women, had as they experienced what some would call horror in their lives. If anything, this story definitely reminds the reader not to take for granted those you love.
Ella is a mother of six beautiful daughters. Like any mother she is concerned as her eldest begins to leave the nest. The year is 1922 and Ella hopes for a good one. Her husband Andrew and she have already battled many other obstacles in their lives and together she knows they are a strong team. But what the year 1922 held for Ella was almost more than she could bear, even for me as a reader.
By the cover and the blurb I went into this story without the knowledge of the tragic circumstances that would unfold. For such a small novella, the author packs a punch and the story is well written. Hope does shine through, but it was just not the story I really was prepared for. This is the first in Author Davis's new series, and I do hope Ella gets a happier storyline.
The reviewing of this book was hard for me. The author knows her craft, the story was very depressing for me.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to give a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
About the Author
Linda and her beloved husband Al worship and minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio and dote on six grandchildren. Readers may contact Linda through her website, www.lindabrooksdavis.com.
More from Linda
When the Backstory Is Tragic
Family lore abounds in my family tree, much of it tragic. There’s the Boyd Irish crystal heiress who forsook her heritage for love in 1747 colonial America. The Billingsley American patriot hanged in his front yard by Tories in 1776. The Brooks great-grandfather who lost his three brothers in the Civil War and its aftermath. And the De Graffenried Swiss baron who brought a group from Switzerland to establish New Bern, North Carolina in 1711 and was captured by Indians.
Among the most tragic stories is how my grandmother, Ella Pyle Banks, buried 5 daughters and 2 husbands. Mama Ella and Papa Tribble’s story has waited years to be told. Part of it is the inspiration for my latest novella release, Soon the Dawn.
Ella Jane Pyle met William Tribble Banks in Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma statehood. They married in Elmore City in 1904 and welcomed seven girls over the next 18 years. Papa Tribble, a kind and sensitive one-armed man, farmed. And Mama Ella, known for her salt-of-the-earth character and neighborliness, was the one folks called on to tend their sick and prepare their loved ones’ bodies for burial. She possessed a will of iron, but her voice was whisper soft. I love the story about how Papa tried to kiss her while they were courting, and she responded with a slap. “No kiss from me until you’ve proposed.”
When I decided to write for publication, I knew I would create stories based on my family’s experiences. There are transatlantic stowaways, rejection by Quaker brethren, murder of a groom at his wedding reception, prisoners of war, deaths by lightning, fortunes won and lost, and more disease and death than I can imagine. With such drama hanging on the various branches, how could I not include these stories?
What’s an author to do with such tragedy?
Tragedy and loss are integral parts of life on fallen Earth, but triumph invariably attends each loss. Wellness follows disease. Light peeks through the darkness. Blessings attend tragedies. And life follows death. It’s the space between the two that intrigues me as a storyteller.
My task, then, in creating a story inspired by Papa Tribble and Mama Ella’s experiences was to find the colorful strands among the black, the shining light amid the darkness, and the blessings tucked into the folds of the woe.
Soon the Dawn contains dark and light strands and many colors between. But it’s the stitching—Jesus—who binds the strands together. He turns an ordinary morning into a hint of the “Sweet By & By.” As the delicate aroma of the Rose of Sharon, He scents the sultry stillness before a summer storm. And He wraps the bitterness of grief and failure in the richness of His incomparable grace.
I offer Soon the Dawn to Jesus as a tale that reaches beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary because of His grace.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s
Dusty Deliberations, February 22
Library Lady’s
Kid Lit, February 23
Sara Jane Jacobs,
February 23
Texas Book-aholic,
February 24
Lighthouse
Academy Blog, February 25 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
Rebecca Tews,
February 25
Inklings
and notions, February 26
Betti Mace,
February 27
Ashley’s
Clean Book Reviews, February 27
For Him and My
Family, February 28
Connie’s
History Classroom, March 1
Bizwings Blog,
March 1
deb’s Book
Review, March 2
Happily
Managing a Household of Boys, March 3
Artistic
Nobody, March 3 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
Locks, Hooks
and Books, March 4
She
Lives To Read, March 5
Babbling Becky L’s Book
Impressions, March 5
Truth and Grace
Homeschool Academy, March 6
Pause for
Tales, March 7
CarpeDiem, March 7
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away the grand prize of a handmade 8×12 wooden cross suitable for shelf or hanging with winner’s personalized engraving on back!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/1086b/soon-the-dawn-celebration-tour-giveaway
Thank you for sharing you honest thoughts! Sounds like a must read.
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