Sydney Avey

Dynamic Woman — Changing Times

Historical and Creative Adventures:Two Book Reviews

Apr 19, 2016 | Book Reviews, Uncategorized | 0 comments

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/131141663@N02/25606980134">Alexandra</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">(license)</a>Historical Adventures–The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton: Novel, by Jane Smiley

Reading books written in or about past eras brings perspective to present day conundrums. Is America more polarized than ever? Not according to Lidie Newton’s experience in the Kansas Territory of 1850. At that time, the issue that divided the country was slavery. Smiley’s engaging narrative explores the challenges of trying to live peacefully among people who are passionate on two sides of an issue, where morality, social and economic drivers, family relationships, and self-interest are hopelessly tangled.

Smiley does a masterful job of presenting her young heroine’s dilemma against a backdrop of history. How do we communicate in a hostile environment? What is at stake? When is it time to take action? Lydie’s reluctance to commit one way or the other may not be admirable, but her confusion is genuine. Readers who enjoy the adventure of survival against the odds and the challenge of thinking through moral dilemmas will like the book.

Jane Smiley has just written a sweeping new saga that spans 1919 to 2019. Read about it on LitHub

Creative Adventure–Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Sometimes we get bogged down by expectations–our own and others– and we forget our first love. Does the world need another writing book? Perhaps not, but I needed this book to remind me creative expression is the love that drove me to write. Elizabeth Gilbert gives us bite-sized readings in six sections that map to attributes of creativity.

I used this book in my morning devotional reading. The readings inspired me, reassured me, and made me laugh. At once reverent and irreverent, Gilbert tackles the myth of suffering for one’s art with cheerful aplomb. If you have lost your joy, you will find it again among these pages. Gilbert tells stories that a poke us in the ribs and invite us to lighten up. her dialogue between the Martyr and the Trickster is a hoot! Big Magic is big fun–conversational in tone, engaging in manner, and energizing in purpose.

photo credit: Alexandra via photopin (license)

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Crafting a Novel Around a Real Person: An Interview with Sydney Avey – WRITE NOW!

Crafting a Novel Around a Real Person: An Interview with Sydney Avey – WRITE NOW!

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