“Love doesn’t wait well. Love is always missing the other.”
Ustis Hopewell
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Tidewater Bride is an intriguing look at early colonial life in Virginia. Everything is a study in contrasts: Old World vs. New World, Naturals vs. colonists, slavery vs. indenture. The vocabulary was my largest stumbling block in this book as I had to look up what different articles of clothing were as I had either never heard of them or did not know the difference between various items.
Despite the contrasts between them, I liked that no groups of people were shown as wholly good or evil. While we do not see as much of the Powhatan peoples, they are not painted as either noble savages or ignorant imbeciles. Instead, they are shown as a different people group, neither better nor worse than the encroaching colonists, just different. In the same vein, the colonists are shown as having aggressive members and more peaceful people.
The Tobacco Brides start the story but are quickly put aside for everyday life and the struggles of living in an untamed land. It struck me as odd because of the emphasis on these brides in the synopsis, but that quickly passed as I enjoyed the tense story as trouble begins.
There is a large cast of characters, and all of them acted as I expected from the first introductions. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as each character remained distinct with their own quirks and traits. The children especially are an adorable addition to the cast.
This book is well worth reading, especially if you are interested in Christian fiction in the early colonial years.
Affiliate Links
