Against the Tide

Good adventure story.
I thought the romance got acknowledged a little too early in the book and so it lost a little suspense. Bane was most interesting when he was breezing through Lydia’s office space, rearranging stuff on her desk just for the heck of it, and flippantly demanding translations of boring documents. Once the mystery of him was gone, the book lost some sparkle. So, that part probably could have been strung out some more.
Some of the dialogue got a bit anachronistic. But the characters and plot were very enjoyable.

Lydia Pallas grew up surrounded with instability, but she is finally content with her comforting home and rewarding job as a translator for the U. S. Navy. She meticulously organizes her surroundings so that, for the first time in her life, she feels she's in control of her life. However, her landlords are now threatening to throw her out of the only stable home she's ever had. She needs to raise several hundred dollars to buy her home by December. Seemingly fortuitously, Alexander Banebridge (Bane), a friend of her boss, offers to pay her a lot of money for some free-lance translation work. Even though Lydia begins to question the odd requests of Bane, she finds herself attracted to his cleverness, charm, and sense of humor. Soon, she show more is swept up into a dangerous world of opium smuggling.

I have a lot of good things to say about this book. I loved the late 1800's Boston setting - it's a time which lends itself easily to romance. Although there were a few moments that I wondered if the language was historically accurate, I felt Camden did an excellent job with her research into opium trade. Despite (or possibly because of) Lydia's OCD quirks, she was very lovable. I really found myself empathizing with her pain - losing her family, the stress of raising money to buy the only home she's ever felt safe in, and her feelings for Bane. On the other hand, I inwardly groaned at her devotion to Bane and his cause. I totally understood WHY she was in love, but cringed at the foolishness of loving a man who claims he has no interest in marriage, but doesn't mind a bit of flirting. But love is foolish, often, isn't it? I was sort of torn - I empathized with her frustrations with Bane, but I also wished she would find herself a nice dedicated man. This is a similar conundrum I felt while reading Jane Eyre - I wanted her to live happily ever after with the man she loved, but I thought she was risking too much by loving him. I guess that makes it more romantic, in some ways?

The other thing that I really appreciated about this book (though my attention was only drawn to it because I'm about to lead a book discussion): the questions that Camden provided at the end of the book were really deep! I didn't realize how many sticky philosophical and spiritual questions were brought up in the story until I read the discussion questions. And they're not spiritual questions that have an obvious "right-if-you're-REALLY-a-Christian" answer, which is what a lot of end-of-book discussion questions in Christian Fiction seem to be. Personally, I don't see the world in black and white, so I love the opportunity to discuss grey.

For more of my reviews see my blog: http://rachelreadingnthinking.blogspot.com/ show less

Against the Tide, by Elizabeth Camden, is a riveting tale of intrigue, romance and dedication to righting the wrongs of the world.

Lydia Pallas is a young woman on her own in the world–making her way by her own determination and the unique mix of languages she knows thanks to spending her childhood aboard a ship. She works for the United States Navy, translating documents–at least, until she meets Alexander Banebridge.

The intense young man is as irritating as he is attractive and Lydia soon finds herself swept up in a whirlwind of adventure as she aids “Bane” in his quest to take on the opium lords of the nation–a quest that comes with a price.

The story gives the reader an inside look at a dangerous campaign against the opium show more trade in the late 1800′s–a fascinating adventure complete with interesting characters, a well-thought-out plot and depth of understanding.

Lydia is likeable and easy to connect with, while Bane remains a bit of a mystery to the reader. Both characters are carefully developed over the course of the book, with more of their personal backgrounds revealed to the reader as the tale progresses.

My biggest hesitation regarding this story was the fact that the hero, who was spurred on toward his goal after turning his life over to Christ, becomes romantically entwined with the heroine when she clearly claims a pantheistic belief, or no belief at all. Scripture advises us to guard ourselves against the influence and counsel of the ungodly–by allowing himself to fall in love with a woman who is not surrendered to Christ, our hero places himself in a potentially dangerous predicament. Worse, this is a situation that the author never addresses.

Aside from that folly, this book is quite the adventure with plenty of intrigue, danger and drama. Every time I put it down, I couldn’t wait for a spare moment to pick it up and delve back into Bane and Lydia’s story once more. In short it is a rich narrative of riveting intrigue.

I received a complimentary copy of Against the Tide from Bethany House Publishers, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review. All writing, thoughts, and opinions are solely mine. show less

This author swung away and it was a brilliant move! I have a tendency to believe that viewers - even those seeking a female lead - are harsh judges when it comes to the female protagonist. Camden didn't even try to give her character "super" characteristics. She obviously investigated the time period and injected a very believable weakness - opium addiction, which was the source of her strength and determination throughout the book to help eradicate the drug .

Audio. I kept seeing this book pop up for me so I finally went for it. At first I thought I was going to be disappointed, but then the layers kept building. The book turned out to be satisfying, with good characters who had believable dillemas, plus a fun thriller aspect. It was also a subtle inspirational book, which was a pleasant surprise.

Lydia's traumatic childhood leaves her with lasting needs, yet she is surprisingly resilient. She overcomes great odds to make a life for herself, a life with seemingly great order. Then she meets a man at work who likes to subtly throw chaos into her order, and off we go. This book explores the themes of drug abuse and addiction, redemption, love, and recovery. The historical setting makes the show more addiction and recovery theme safe, so that we can really experience that reality without our modern day prejudices. It also explores the human need for connecting with God and our tendency to try to do it all on our own, killing ourselves in the process. Thumbs up!


NOTE: I felt there might be some historical inaccuracies, but being from the south I wasn't sure so I was able to look past them. In the end the drug addiction theme was very well explored, and not commonly found, so I think the book is a worthy offer. Also the historical aspect is pretty minor so not terribly distracting unless maybe you live in the area. show less

Enjoyable, adventurous, and emotionally satisfying is how I would describe this historical romance. Lydia is proud of her life as an independent woman who has managed to create a comfortable life for herself after having been raised in an orphanage. This is even more remarkable considering that it is 1891 and Lydia works for a translator for the U.S. Navy--the only female at her Boston office. When the mysterious Alexander Banebridge visits the office, Lydia is curious as to his motives--yet cannot resist the chance to do some extra translating work since money is tight. When Banebridge draws her into his private war against opium Lydia learns that her translating work can have dangerous consequences. Lydia is willing to take some risks show more however, not just for financial gain, but also to get closer to the increasingly attractive Alexander Banebridge.
I think I have a found a new author in the Christian fiction genre that I will have to follow. I liked her creation of Lydia--a strong, intellectual, stubborn yet vulnerable heroine who overcame great odds to obtain her goals. I also enjoyed seeing her open up gradually to the spiritual side of life as she learned to trust in an unseen God. Banebridge was an irritating foil for her at times, but it all turned out well in the end and the author led us on quite an adventure which was quite enjoyable. I also enjoyed learning a bit about the infuence of opium on our society--it was once included in "soothing syrups" for children-who knew?! Highly suggested for fans of historical romances with strong female heroines. I show less

I have re-read this book four times—I think that says it all! It's a book I just keep coming back to. I can't get over how wonderful it is! Bane is the best hero, and Lydia's realistic struggle with overcoming was moving. The suspense is unmatched and balanced out with the sweetest moments.
One of my favorite Elizabeth Camden books!