February 1, 2014

Enchanting historical tale with a minor present day story

The Beautiful AmericanThe Beautiful American by Marilyn Holdsworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this book would be more about a present time person with some diary sprinkled into the story. This book was just the opposite. A story set in the present time was minimal - maybe just 5% of the overall story, while the historical story was the dominant storyline.

Abby Long goes to an auction an sees an antique desk that she falls in love with. She bids a bit high, but wins the auction. She meets Nathan Edwards as she is leaving the auction. They strike up a relationship that blossoms into something more, but before we are treated to a story about Abby and Nathan, they find an ancient diary wedged in a hidden drawer.

From that point forward the entire work is taken over by the story of Jasmine, a slave girl taken in by the Monroe family and treated as a family member. At first the story felt a bit like an intrusion, but then the more I read it, the more interested I became. The only negative is that when the present day story comes back at the end, it feels like an intrusion.

The historical portion of the story, the majority of the book, was detailed and brought brilliantly to life. The present day story could have been left out entirely without losing anything.



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