Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko
Book Description: (From publisher website)
When unexpected circumstances leave Honor Penworthy destitute after the death of her grandfather, she is forced to leave her Maryland plantation—and the slaves she hoped to free—and seek refuge with a distant relative. With no marketable skills, her survival hinges on a marriage arranged through the Quaker community to local glass artisan Samuel Cathwell. Samuel is drawn to Honor, but he has been unwilling to open his heart to anyone since scarlet fever took his hearing as a child.
Set against the backdrop of dramatic and pivotal moments in American history, the Quaker Brides series chronicles the lives of three brave heroines, fighting to uphold their principles of freedom while navigating the terrain of faith, family, and the heart.
My Review:
This historical fiction has a unique twist with the hero being deaf. Honor and Samuel are thrown together into a marriage of convenience with his orphaned nephew as a son. The move west throws them into situations where they have to depend on each other and Honor has to learn a rudimentary sign language to be able to communicate with her new husband.
I haven’t read too much about the history of sign language and I wish it was talked about a little more in this book. I felt like it glossed over many of the issues that they may have run into with Samuel’s hearing impairment and Honor suddenly could just talk and translate to him right away. I found that slightly unrealistic when I know how hard it is to learn sign language now. However, it really was thinking outside the box with the topic at hand. Slavery was also a huge issue at this time, and I found that very realistic. There was also abuse discussed in this book which is not a popular topic of the time.
This book was given to me for review by Tyndale Blog Network. The opinions contained herein are my own.
