The Sleeping Night is a heartbreakingly stark but realistic portrayal of the racial inequalities and injustices that existed far too long in Southern culture. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2012/07/12/the-sleeping-night/ ( )

I love all Barbara Samuel's books, but this one is a step above - I think because the stakes are so high.

In the South, around the time of the Last Great War, you could die for the feelings these characters had for each other, white, black, woman or no.

I was so afraid for the main characters, the only thing that kept me going was knowing that Ms. Samuel wouldn't devastate me with a tragic ending.

The region and times are well portrayed, the characters so real-to-life that the story sucks you in, and not let you go until you finish it.

Then you'll be sad it's over. ( )

Yesterday, I finished The Sleeping Night by Barbara Samuel (aka Ruth Wind). Ms. Samuel does a tremendous job of writing about interracial or cross-cultural romances, and I found this romance between a white woman and black man in Texas right after WW2 did not disappoint. In part, this was timing, as I had just been reading about this time period in the South, but based on some of her other romances, I think the author is at her best when depicting the emotional pain of a couple trying to navigate a "forbidden romance." You know at the beginning some of the outcome, but I was still on the edge of my seat at one point. I really enjoyed it. ( )

Stunning writing, compelling plot that made me think (and laugh, and cry). I'm in awe of Barbara Samuel's skills as a story-teller. ( )

Another powerful work by Barbara Samuel. The backdrop for her romantic story is jaw-dropping to say the least. I’m not sure that most romance novelists would feel comfortable setting such a tale in Jim Crow Deep South America right after WWII and make that romance interracial. It raises a lot of issues and emotions that may not be exactly conducive to a romance; yet, I’ve learned that this author isn’t afraid to explore some dark with her romantic light.

She explores all the horror that such a setting entails: lynchings, belittlement of the African-American population as well as single independent women, and an environment in which simply glancing in the wrong direction can cause death. The author isn’t afraid to show the starkness of such a situation and put her characters smack dab into it.

Yet, I think all that bleakness stands as a sharp contrast to how beautiful love can be in such circumstances. Angel’s and Isaiah’s love for each other starts in childhood and grows into a potent power for good in their lives. There’s a ton of obstacles to overcome to get to the good, no less that attempted rape, murder, and harassment in broad daylight on the town’s main road in public. But the journey there is powerful in all that adversity and the author really knows how to draw her readers into that same journey. Her romance is beautiful and top notch.

I also enjoyed the historical tidbits the author includes with her powerful story. The plight of WWII-ravaged Europe and the Holocaust are explored in the letters exchanged between Angel and Isaiah. The American WWII home front also finds some page time in widowhood and the ever-heartbreaking telegraphs telling a family of a loss.

I liked the look at post-WWII rural Texas, too. The author shows us how even though they sacrificed for our country, the returning African American soldiers were not respected or treated differently at all. Everything was ho-hum regularity back home, and I liked how the author showed that was so jarring for the returning soldiers. Going from respect to condescending attitudes must have been a real eye-opener. There are some powerful lessons in this novel along with the romantic beauty of it.

A powerful love story in such a bleak setting makes this a historical romance to treasure. It moves the emotions strongly and gives the reader a glimpse into a dark part of American history. It’s a historical romance that teaches as well as transports emotions away. This is another homerun from this author for me. I’ve definitely got to look into more of her works. Highly recommended for any historical romance reader who doesn’t mind some dark with their light. ( )