Genre:
Magical Realism/Historical Fantasy
Description:
“James-Cyrus
Hoffmann has just inherited his grandfather's farm, and with it a
mysterious cabin deep in the woods on Hoffmann mountain, a cabin he
has dreamed about since childhood. When James-Cyrus enters the cabin,
he is vaulted back through time to the Civil War era, where he meets
Elizabeth, the brave young woman who lives there, and Malachi, a
runaway slave.
James-Cyrus'
neighbor, Cora, knows all too well the tragic history of the cabin.
When James-Cyrus tells Cora about Elizabeth, Malachi, and his
fantastic vault back through time, the two devise a plan to change
the past and right a wrong that has haunted the Hoffmann family for
generations. But can they find the key to unlock the past in time to
change what history said happened to Elizabeth and Malachi?”
Author:
“Smoky
Zeidel is a novelist, poet, and earth mage, whose love of the natural
world is thematic in all she writes. She taught writing and
creativity workshops for many years at venues throughout the Midwest
before succumbing to her bohemian urges and moving to Southern
California. Her work has earned her two nominations for the
prestigious Pushcart Prize.
Smoky
lives in a ramshackle cottage in the hills outside Los Angeles with
her husband Scott and a plethora of animals, both domestic and wild.
After
breaking with her former publisher, Smoky took all her books off the
market and went on an 18-month sabbatical from writing, during which
time she pursued her love for fiber arts, sculpture, and painting.
But words are in her soul; she signed a new publishing contract with
Thomas-Jacob Publishing, LLC.”
For
more, visit Ms Zeidel's website or like her Facebook page.
Appraisal:
The
Cabin was a captivating
story that drew me in quickly and wouldn’t let me go. Set in the
Allegheny Mountains of Virginia, where there was a deep connectedness
that transcended the tangible between the women and the land.
Catherine and Corrine are sisters who inherited a strong connection
between each other as well as the land. Their grandmother, who was
part Cherokee Indian, called it mountain magic as she taught them to
respect the spirits of water, stones, trees, and plants. The story
starts in the pre-Civil War era of 1846 with the birth of Elizabeth
to Corrine, she also had a toddler son named Cyrus. Catherine’s
talents were in midwifery and she stayed on to help William with the
kids after Elizabeth’s birth while Corrine recovered from her
difficult delivery. William was a traveling preacher who made rounds
regularly and was often gone for long periods of time. When Corrine
was feeling stronger she felt the pull to spend some time in the
woods gathering slippery elm, other stock herbs, and mushrooms. After
filling her basket, but before she headed back, she uncovered a fairy
stone. Marveling at its cross shape she decided to take it home as a
gift for William.
The
story is compelling and mysterious as the plot moves forward and a
couple of unforeseen twists complicate some matters considerably. The
descriptive scenes are well written and easy to suspend disbelief as
the scenes and conversations between the characters were written
realistically. I found this an amazingly wonderful story of family
love and possibilities beyond the expected.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No
significant issues with formatting or proofing.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate word count:
45-50,000 words
No comments:
Post a Comment