Book Blurb:
If your stepmother were a sociopath, how would you know? And who would you turn to? Life is not as ordinary as it seems for Gaynelle and Vivian, who only understand that the woman they now call 'Mama' is complicated and difficult to please. Is the romantic love that Gaynelle finds at a too-tender age going to last? And will Vivian uncover the truth about her parentage while recovering from a strange illness? Rural South Carolina meets the Roaring 20's in this tale of two sisters who face separation and trauma with the resilience of the young and find their way, despite everything.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/tapestry
Author Bio:
Sophia Alexander writes character-driven historical fiction that grips readers' emotions and surprises them with unexpected twists. A Lowcountry native, she is the award-winning author of the Silk Trilogy. Her writing is inspired by historical fact, genealogical investigations, intuitive guesswork, and fanciful romanticizations. Sophia is a graduate of the College of Charleston and Bastyr University. She lives with her husband in Savannah, GA. Visit authorsophiaalexander.blogspot.com to sign up for her newsletter.
Editorial Review:
With a queasy stomach, Gaynelle regarded the dark hollows surrounding Vivian's blue eyes – hollows which bespoke sadness, dark winter, and disquieted, tormented thoughts. A chill that had nothing to do with the icy hand on her neck trickled down Gaynelle's spine. When the tea kettle whistled, breaking the spell, she shook herself. Too many ghost stories.
In the continuing saga from Book One, “Silk”, this story follows the lives of Caroline Corbett's daughters, Gaynelle and Vivian, after her unexpected death at the end of book one. After that tragedy, the sociopath with one thought on her mind, her own desires and selfishness, Jessie, the woman Clayton turned to after losing his wife, Caroline, is now his wife and the stepmother to Gaynelle and Vivian. As the girls grow up, oblivious to Jessie's misdeeds in the first book but becoming aware of her dangerous ways as they mature, as well as their own desires for independence passed down to them from their real mother.
Vivian is my very own soul child, given into my keepin' by the Lord Almighty himself, and no one on earth will tear us asunder.
Jessie dotes on Vivian, keeping her drugged up and under her watchful eye, as Gaynelle secretly spreads her wings with one of her father's workers, a handsome young man named Tommy Salter. When Clayton attempts to save his daughter, Vivian, from a mysterious illness, he turns to Vivian's real father, Dr. Stephen Conner, his first wife, Caroline's ex-fiance, in order to save her life. Stephen, without revealing his true identity, takes Vivian into his care and away from Jessie's influence. In this new world, in the 1920s, Vivian blossoms, even as her sister blossoms in the arms of Tommy.
A lifetime of dealing with Jessie had taught Vivian that the only things that got past her mama were those that she hadn't had time to catch. Spontaneity had long been Vivian's only hope for any sort of willful, independent action.
But Jessie is still determined to undermine anyone and everything that is related to Caroline. Her jealousy, her secrets, and her criminal past has her manipulating Gaynelle into relinquishing rights to her own daughter, Ginny, when she is born; plus, she has her own eye set on Tommy to fulfill a desire to give birth to a son for Clayton, a feat she has yet to fulfill for him after all the years of marriage.
This is, again, a coming-of-age story in the midst of the burgeoning and fast-paced world of flappers, prohibition, and the Great Depression – and Vivian and Gaynelle find themselves in the midst of it all as their “Aunt” Anna envelopes them into her fashion world, plying Gaynelle with her mother's old books, and fairytales about princesses in towers. Gaynelle is, in truth, a Rapunzel-come-to-life in her own narrative. And Jessie is the sociopath stepmother bent on destroying her and everyone in her way.
While an enjoyable read and a much-needed segway between book one and book three, filling in the story of Caroline's daughters, and adding to the creepiness of Jessie as well as piling up the bodies left in her wake, this book is not much of a standalone read. More of a continuation to book one, which must be read to fully engage with the characters of this book, however the writing style is still very engaging and satisfying. Just when you think you've settled into and figured out the storyline, Ms Alexander has a way of shocking you with something quite unexpected. She does well in developing her characters and the quality of the writing is quite nice. All in all, this is a good and entertaining book as a continuation of book one, standing in the shadow of that five-star read. Again, the author does a good job in preparing the reader for the continuing story to finish up in book three. The following passages lend well to giving the reader an idea of the writing style and character development, and provides a tasteful appetizer to the full-bodied course within the pages.
Amarintha hadn't been wrong about her stares, Jessie knew – and she purposely unnerved folks with them at times. But that wasn't generally why she stared. It was her calling to remain vigilant, especially when mysterious goings-on were afoot. Through the years, she'd learned that the ignorance of others had inevitably been their downfall – though she envied their carefree lives, she scorned their simpleminded, self-centered views of the world. People were, by and large, a gullible, rash lot. Even the clever ones were so wrapped up in their own personal dramas that they could miss a freight train barreling straight for them. Well, not me. Gonna make sure I'm not blindsided by any such devilry.
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Little did Gaynelle know how well the story really did fit her own situation, for Tommy, like the prince, had been tormented by the young woman's caretaker, who had also taken his beloved when she was yet a babe from her real mother. He, too, had been wandering aimlessly through the wilderness after the assault by the old sorceress's likeness. Now, in the steps of the prince, he was very close to reuniting with his beloved, and bliss was very nearly within his grasp – if only life were as predictable as a fairytale.
*****
“Tapestry” by Sophia Alexander receives four stars from The Historical Fiction Company
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To read the review on "Silk", the first book in the series, go HERE
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