Libbie Hawker

“Why this relentless, this secret optimism - this resolve, hard and hot at the base of my spine, and buried none too deep in my breast? The cancer that gnaws at us is too hungry to be sated. And I am but one man - one man. Christ Jesus, I always believed You were merciful, but this is a monstrous cruelty, to make me dream of a time when evil may fall… I cannot help but know it. Against all sense, I believe. Somewhere, beyond the ragged edge of night, light bleeds into this world.”

This show more is the fictionalized telling of the real Anton Starzmann, a friar, who finds himself in a marriage of convenience with a widow once his brotherhood is dissolved by the Nazis. As the war inches closer and closer to their village, Anton remains focused on his faith - doing what he can to lead, provide for and to protect his new family and his new home. His own acts of resistance small at first, but not unnoticed. And when the darkest night comes to Anton, all he can do is endure and cling to the dawn.

Although I enjoy WWII books in general, I really liked this one. Anton is a person like any other, struggling with a world gone mad, struggling with his faith, continuing to move ever forward - the only way he knows how. People like Anton are what we look for when we read the WWII genre, the ones that restore our hope in humanity, our hope in goodness, in light. show less

We have all heard of Odysseus' journey and the fanciful tales he brought back while being away for 20 years after the War of Troy. We have heard the stories from Odysseus' point of view, now the H Team brings us the stories from the point of view of those that he told the tales about. Through Penelope, we find out how she ruled singularly as a Queen, through Telemachus, we learn what it was like to grow up without a father and King, we learn the stories behind the Kyklops and Sirens and the show more witch Circes as well as Calypso.

I have loved reading the past stories that the H Team has cooked up and couldn't wait to read what they have developed for Odysseus. Seven different stories and points of view woven seamlessly together to tell of Odysseus from the other side. To me, this was an ingenious way of getting to know the real Odysseus, as he was known as a trickster. In this context, the gods and goddesses still existed, however, some of the mythology was dispelled. I enjoyed reading every different story on their own and couldn't wait to see who would give me insight into Odysseus next. The themes of Odysseus' tales stayed true, pride, oath, service, gratitude, survival and perseverance are still strong subjects throughout each tale. While I appreciated each story, there were several that stuck out for me. Penelope and Telemachus' tales were those of survival. I was impressed with Penelope's cunning and skill to stop her people from attacking her home in the absence of a king and her ingenuity to make money for her land. Telemachus was an interesting character for me, I felt his pain at his father's departure and wanted him to grow into a leader as much as Penelope did. Circe's tale also entranced me. Instead of a witch who trapped Odysseus on an island, Circe has been banished to the island with her handmaids and has been making do on her women-led island. When Odysseus arrives, he is a problematic for the women and uses them at his will. Overall, I was amazed at how Odysseus' story changed from the point of view of the other characters and how I was still entranced by the amazing journey and stories that have been created.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

This book is an exploration of polygamy – i.e., plural marriage – how it forms and how it operates. It’s an exploration of a topic that is controversial because of its place in early Mormon society and curious because it runs contrary to how much of society has organized itself. I live in the American South and am a Protestant Christian. Southern Christians would never deign to practice public plural marriages. (Polyamory is another matter, practiced but only only in secret!)

In this show more book of historical fiction on the nineteenth-century American frontier, three women have their stories converge by circumstance. Through very different experiences, they all marry one man and encounter all of the nuanced jealousies one would imagine in that relationship. Yet somehow – and Hawker wants to explore this in detail – they decide to work together in a form of a sisterhood. In the author’s note at the end, Hawker explains that the profiles for these characters were drawn from her relatives, and the desire for peaceful sisterhood is true. And the “true” story actually contains five wives, not three.

I liked this book because it talked about something that I didn’t know much about. Again, polyamory, not polygamy, is the name of the game in the evangelical American South. But I really didn’t like the ending. It seemed to whitewash everything into a fairy-tale ending – “…and they lived happily ever after.” I would have liked some deeper drama there instead of an idealization of being sister-wives. I understand that diverse opinions will always exist about this topic, especially among those whose families have participated in such an arrangement. Nonetheless, the ending just was not compelling enough for me.

Those interested in the history of the American frontier will find this story interesting, especially about the pilgrimage from the American midwest to Utah. Further, those interested in religious history, including frontier religion, Mormonism, and the broad cultural piety that enveloped early America, will find much to digest here. Save for the practice of polygamy, most of the nuances of the Mormon religion are not explored here, and a light sprinkling of Christian piety abounds in its place. Finally, the story has a tinge of feminism to it. It celebrates strong women who make choices for their lives and for their families’ lives, even amidst a patriarchal society and a fool-headed US president.

Polygamy does not necessarily lead to weak women. That’s the main theme I take from this book. I wish it didn’t whitewash the difficulties in the denouement of the book. Rather, I follow Ralph Waldo Emerson that part of personal strength consists of being able to live with contradictions. These women show how they found strength in the midst of contradictory times and uncertain (and discomforting) experiences. Perhaps the next generation will write a book about similar themes in our times. show less

It is The Great Depression in the United States, a time of devastating poverty; families torn apart, starvation, crops ruined, no work. Del Wensley, wife of an up and coming End Times preacher knows what is expected of a wife in God fearing Kentucky. When she catches him being unfaithful and learns of repeated indiscretions, she has had enough and takes to the rails, joining the hobo life of those times. Fortunately for her, she meets Luisa who is well schooled in the way of hobo society as show more she works her way back to the son and uncle she has left behind while she tries to earn money. They form a strong bond, demonstrating that they are more benevolent and charitable than the moneyed class or the pious, hypocritical self proclaimed do gooders.

This is a heart wrenching but hopeful story. Beautifully descriptive, I felt as if I were on those railroad cars, looking out into the changing terrain as the women crisscrossed the America of the 1930s. It was fascinating learning about the hobo culture, poor individuals living a dangerous life, traveling from place to place looking for work and guided by a strict moral code. I loved the evolution of Del from someone who inherently knows there is something wrong with the position in life to which has been prescribed to an independent, clever, self sufficient woman in control of her destiny.

Although reflective of the time in which it was set, I saw this also as an allegory for our times, especially regarding the perceived role of women among religious zealots as well as the gap between the rich and the poor that lives on and the insensitive treatment of those struggling just to make a living.

I wasn’t sure about this book when I read the synopsis, but I am so glad I chose to read it and highly recommend it. Olivia Hawker (pen name) is a captivating story teller.

Thank you to #netgalley, @hawker.books and #lakeunionpub for the ARC. show less