Title:Across The Wide River
Author:Stephanie Reed
Publisher:Kregel
Publication Date:2011
Pages:176
Source:Kregel Blog Tour Program|My FTC Disclaimer
Purchase:Amazon|Barnes And Noble
Rating: 5 Books
Synopsis:
Lowry Rankin knows all too well the cost of freedom; after all, his family’s red brick home is the first stop on the Underground Railroad north of the Ohio River. He’s seen friends beaten for the color of their skin. He’s watched simple farmers make a difference. He’s even risked his own life transporting escaped slaves to the next “station”. But will Lowry be able to conquer his greatest fear when he’s called to speak out?
Author Bio:
During her childhood, Stephanie Reed’s family would often pass through Ripley on their way to her grandparents’home. The signs she read there about the Rankin house were what prompted her to write Across the Wide River and The Light Across the River. After working for nearly a decade with the Dayton Metro Library, Stephanie is now a volunteer spotter for the National Weather Service. She lives with her husband and two children in Dublin, Ohio.
My Review:
I’m a huge historical fan. I love a good novel that captures the images, sites and sounds of days gone by. Stephanie Reed capture all these and so much more in her novel. I was instantly taken to back to a time and a place when freedom didn’t always come free. While written to be a fiction novel, it’s based on a real family and home. The love of God shines through each word, each page, each character.
The Rankin family. Wow. I admire them. They are family who risked their lives, their home, to aid the slaves that were escaping into freedom through an underground railroad movement. This story is so full of amazing characters and a plot line that’s worth shouting about. Each character made their way into my hearts and will be there for a long time to come. But, one character really stood out for me. Lowry. Bless his heart, he is someone I would have loved to have known. He took on the world so to speak. He was but a youngster, just 13 years of age, and yet he took on the responsibility of helping the slaves from one “station” to the next “station” and then returning home and acting as if nothing happened, and continued on with day to day life. All the while, God is guiding him.
I truly loved this story and it was a fairly fast read as you become engrossed in the story. I highly recommend it to others as well, with a high 5-Book rating, especially if you love historical novels, and a well written Christian story. Well done, Ms. Reed! I can’t wait for more work by this amazing author!
