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BOOK REVIEW: Angels Watching Over Me
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Click cover to purchase book |
by Vickie McDonough Dancing Word Reviewer
Title: Angels Watching Over Me Author: Michael Phillips Publisher: Bethany House Publishers ISBN: 0-764-22700-9
Genre: Inspirational/Historical/Fiction Katie Claiborne lives a life of wealth and prosperity on her family’s large plantation. Being the youngest child and only daughter in a family with three sons, Katie has been coddled with beautiful dresses and fancy dolls from Europe. Though only fifteen, she is well educated and skilled in both piano and violin.
Mary Ann Jukes, called Mayme, knows only a life of destitution as the daughter of slaves on a mid-sized plantation. Until she is old enough to work beside her mother in the fields, Mayme is responsible for her younger siblings. To keep the children’s mind off the hunger pains gnawing their stomachs, she invents elaborate stories, entertaining the youngsters for hours. When a night of tragic devastation destroys all Katie and Mayme hold dear, the two strangers join forces to stay alive. Can Katie ignore years of prejudice and preconceptions to forge a friendship with a slave? Can Mayme forgive a lifetime of abuse by white men to help for a white woman in desperate need?
Angels Watching Over Me is the premiere book in the Shenandoah Sisters series, a new, historical fiction series by best-selling author, Michael Phillips. Angels Watching Over Me brings readers a unique perspective of the devastation of family and home thousands suffered during the Civil War years. Total opposites, suffering a similar pain, must unite together in order to survive. Michael Phillips does an expert job showing the mental struggle Katie and Mayme face when their worlds collide. The faith message is not forced or contrived, but flows naturally.
I did get bogged down in the beginning with Mayme’s extensive narration, but once the action began, I was quickly pulled into the story. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, A Day to Pick Your Own Cotton, when it comes out. Be sure to catch Angels Watching Over Me, a heart-warming story of friendship, survival, and over-coming the odds.
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