Siri Mitchell
Historical
Fiction
Back of the
book:
Hannah
Sunderland felt content in her embrace of the Quaker faith . . . until her twin
brother joined the Colonial cause and ended up in jail. She longs to bring some
measure of comfort to him in the squalid prison, but her faith forbids it. The
Friends believe that they are not to take sides, not to take up arms. She is
not allowed to visit him, even if she were able to secure a pass.
Jeremiah
Jones, a Colonial spy, needs access to the jail to help rescue men important to
the cause. Upon meeting Hannah, a plan begins to develop. Who would suspect a
pious Quaker visiting a loved one?
But
Jeremiah is unprepared for Hannah, for her determination to do right, to not
lie. How can one be a spy and not lie? Hannah, in turn, is surprised by
Jeremiah . . . for the way he forces her to confront her own beliefs, for the
sensitivity and concern that he shows her despite the wounds he still carries.
About the
author:
Twitter: @SiriMitchell
Email: Siri@SiriMitchell.com
Siri
Mitchell graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and
worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived all
over the world, including Paris and Tokyo. Siri enjoys observing and learning
from different cultures. She is fluent in French and loves sushi.
But
she is also a member of a strange breed of people called novelists. When
they’re listening to a speaker and taking notes, chances are, they’ve just had
a great idea for a plot or a dialogue. If they nod in response to a really
profound statement, they’re probably thinking, “Yes. Right. That’s exactly what
my character needs to hear.” When they edit their manuscripts, they laugh at
the funny parts. And cry at the sad parts. Sometimes they even talk to their
characters.
Siri
wrote 4 books and accumulated 153 rejections before signing with a publisher.
In the process, she saw the bottoms of more pints of Ben & Jerry’s than she
cares to admit. At various times she has vowed never to write another word
again. Ever. She has gone on writing strikes and even stooped to threatening
her manuscripts with the shredder.
Her
tenth novel, The Messenger follows prior
Bethany House releases: A Constant Heart (October 2008),
Love's Pursuit (June 2009), She Walks in
Beauty
(Apr 2010), and A Heart Most
Worthy
(Mar 2011)
My thoughts:
In
the acknowledgments at the back of the book Siri says she refers to the book as
her “Quaker book,” but her husband insisted on calling it her “spy book”. The
information on the Quakers is interesting, but the spy aspect is intriguing.
Whether you look at it as a book about Quakers or a book about spies you are
going to enjoy the story.
I
would have to add that it is about so much more than just being a spy or a
Quaker. It is also a story about being a sister that is deeply devoted to her
twin brother. That devotion goes so far that she is forced to confront why she
believes and acts the way she does.
The
Revolutionary War era doesn’t seem to be very en vogue right now. In fact the
thought of a novel set in this time period kind of leaves me flat. The
difference is that this particular book has the name Siri Mitchell on the
cover. As with all of Siri’s books you will come away from this story examining
yourself and your beliefs.
This
book will go on my pile for possible future book club reads. The book includes
wonderful background information on the era and the Quakers. (In fact I think
you should flip to the back and read it before you read the story.) It also
includes great discussion questions. I can’t wait to share this with all my
bookie friends!
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Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above
for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good
for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade
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Sounds like a good read. Will put it on my TBR list as well!
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