Saturday, January 25, 2014

The End of the Line by Jim Power


Future hope
 
The End of the Line is a current love story between a black woman and a white man living in the Canadian Province of Nova Scotia.  Because racism and bigotry still exist, Jim Power turns the prejudices of two families and friends into lessons for all races.

With compassion and skill, Power masters storytelling his message with ease. His characters become real and situations believable. He adds a touch of history to create an authentic setting, which remains a desired quality in any good book.

After reading The End of the Line, by Jim Power, I wonder if the expectation is that someday, readers will be shocked and appalled by the insanity of the world when people judged each other by the color of their skin.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Twelve Houses by Olga Soaje


Difficult Decisions

 

A captivating piece of written art to provoke thought and reflection on one’s own life is how I perceived Twelve Houses. Olga Soaje did not claim to have written these magnificent words as a self-help book, but I’m making the comparison.

Adversity is part of life, but as the cliché states, it’s how we handle our struggles that matters.  Amelia became a widow after thirty-five years of a loving marriage. Understanding her choices regarding family, work, and relationships, may provide hope for readers.

Amelia’s personal loss kept her artistic love of creating pieces of sculpture. She found it difficult to consider entering her studio. Her two children brought insignificant relief, especially her daughter, who was daddy’s girl.

As time went on, Amelia realized she needed to stop grieving and get back to living. The touching story in Twelve Houses is magnificent as Soaje uses picture-perfect words to convey the concept of recognizing and accepting change. Soaje uses compassion and benevolence to explain how Amelia recovered from the unexpected hard knocks delivered in her life.

Twelve Houses, by Olga Soaje, is an enjoyable story for readers of any age.