Thursday, June 17, 2010

Book Discussion: The Frontiersman's Daughter

Welcome to the second book discussion hosted on "Seasons of Humility!" I am "pleased as punch" to be discussing The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz today! (Just like Granny Henderson was "pleased as punch" to get a kiss from Ian Justus! Who wouldn't be? If you have the book with you, you can find the scene on p. 192.)

Laura Frantz is not only a talented author, but a sweet friend, as well! If you don't already read her blog, be sure to check it out at LauraFrantz.net. Some of her recent posts have included some fun and exciting information about her latest book Courting Morrow Little, which looks like yet another wonderful read! Do I see another possible book discussion in the future? =)

Also, be sure to come back next week for "Vacation Week" here on my blog! I will be posting an interview with Laura on Monday, June 21. So fun!

Before we get started, I must say that if you haven't read the book, there will most likely be spoilers given throughout the course of this discussion. If you're the kind of person who doesn't mind spoilers, then we'd love to have you join us anyway! If they do bother you, however, then I hope that this post will at least encourage you to read the book sometime. =) I highly recommend it!

Now, here's the description of the book from Revell:

"One woman searches for love--and herself--in a wild land.

Lovely and high-spirited, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father's ties to the Shawnee Indians and her family's past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded. As she faces the many trials of life on the frontier, Lael draws strength from the rugged land. But the arrival of a handsome doctor threatens her view of her world, her God, and herself. Can the power of grace and redemption break through in this tumultuous place?

This epic novel gives you a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman who would not be defeated."

And here are the questions I've come up with to get us started:

  • Do you think that a relationship between Simon and Lael could have ever worked? Did Simon become who he was because he was denied a relationship with Lael, or would his true identity have revealed itself no matter who he ended up with?
  • Lael truly has a heart for her homeland. If you were in Lael's position, would you want to stay and teach at Briar Hill (civilization) or would you decide to go back to Kentucke (the wilderness)? And off of that question, how much do you think where we were raised affects our behavior and choices later on in life? Do you feel close ties with your hometown?
  • This question is definitely a spoiler, so beware to those who haven't read the book! ;) But I simply have to ask it: What do you think of Lael's choice of men? What are your feelings about Captain Jack? Ian Justus? Do you think Lael really loved Captain Jack? Or do you think that her feelings for him were something else, especially because he played such a big role in her past? I'm very curious to hear what you all have to say about this!

I know this is only skimming the surface of this rich, deep novel. I read it last fall, and I might not remember as much as I should, in which case I apologize. But I hope these questions will at least get a good discussion going, and then feel free to take it wherever you want to! Any thoughts you want to share about this book are welcome!

So . . . let's start discussing!

29 comments:

Michelle said...

I want to address all the questions, but right now I only have time for the middle one. So I'll definitely be back later today.

I probably would have stayed in Briar Hill, but I'm a thoroughly modern girl who is not all that certain she could leave civilization behind. However, I do completely understand why Lael went back to Kentucke.

I also believe that where we are raised can affect our outlook. While I've moved away, those mountains are home, and the time I spent there it does shape who I am. The older I get, the more I realize that.

Can't wait to come back later, and continue talking!

Kav said...

I want to tackle all the questions as well, but right now I'll respond to the same one Michelle did.

If you time traveled me back to Briar Hill right this very second I probably would have stayed and taught. But, if I'd been raised as Lael had, I would have run kicking and screaming from civilization!

I definitely think we are a product of how and where we are raised and I think there's a bond that goes through generations. I was born in Ireland and immigrated to Canada when I was quite small but the pull to all things Celtic is incredible strong. It's in my blood!

So, I think sending Lael back east was an exercise in futility. She'd already experienced the freedom of the wilderness and there was just no caging her as a young woman.

And Kentucke or Kentucky -- anyone know when and why the change in spelling? And are they still pronounced the same?

Michelle said...

Kav,

Laura probably knows the exact date the spellings were changed. I know it was early though, I'm imagining sometime in the 1780's. By the time we became a state in 1792, it was spelled Kentucky.

As for pronouncing, I say Kentucke as CAN-TUCK. I'm not 100% certain if that is correct, but I suspect I got that from my Kentucky history professor.

Laura Frantz said...

Hi Amber, Kav, Michelle and everyone! What a nice way to wake up:) Such good questions and comments. I will just answer one for now though I'm very anxious to return and answer the other 2. After I clean my house this morning!

As a girl and young woman growing up in KY, I never realized how much my homeplace was a part of me. Now that I'm MUCH older, the pull to be home is very strong. And it seems to worsen as I age instead of lessen. You'd think it would be the other way around?! My brother, who lives in Spain, feels the same. I don't think I could have written TFD without having left the state. It was born out of my intense homesickness for home. Even Morrow's longing for a home reflects that.

Kav is so right when she said sending Lael to Briar Hill was an exercise in futility. Kind of like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Now Lael was no sow but she wasn't silk either. Her father could handle Indians and the wilderness and his own convuluted past but he didn't know what to do with his daughter.

Love that Michelle is a KY history student like moi:) I think we got dosed with it in 4th grade and then we never stopped. Since there was no uniform spelling back then, Kentucke became Kentucky around the time of statehood as Michelle said. I love in The Last of the Mohicans when Nathaniel was talking about Kentucke and pronounced it much like Michelle says here.

Back soon:)

Casey said...

I don't have much time either, but your final question intrigues me.

I am a sucker for the underdog. I actually wanted to see Lael marry Captain Jack, especially after that waterfall scene. Sighhhh, I know like I said, a sucker. And I wondered for the course of the book if I would be satisfied with Lael's choice, but I was and I think it was because of her growth. Coming to Christ and chosing a man who lived his life for God was the best choice for her. Though I must admit I felt sorry for Captain Jack. He was such a strong character.

I think Lael loved him on a certain level, but I also don't think she would have married someone else, if she truly wanted Jack. She was too strong of a character.

Wish I could stay longer, but hopefully I will be able to come back!

Kav said...

Oh Casey, I fell in love with Captain Jack too!!! Perhaps because there was a sense of danger about him? But there was an intensity as well. He certainly commanded any scene he was in...and when you think about it, he wasn't in the book a lot and yet we all fell for him!!! I think he has his own fan club! I swear if I get another male dog I'm going to call him Captain Jack. (that's an honour, by the way)

In the end, I was content with Lael's choice. I like the way Laura developed the relationship between Lael and Ian. Started with sparks and slowly simmered even when they were at odds. She really had me pulling for two men at times, which doesn't often happen in a novel...come to think of it, I don't think it ever did!

I have a question. What do you think about Lael's relationship with her father? And how much it has to do with the way she perceives herself? Interestingly enough, the major relationship in the beginning of Courting Morrow Little is between father and daughter, though the Littles have a completely different relationship then the Clicks.

Laura Frantz said...

I must admit I'm still gettting hate mail about Captain Jack - lol, as they say! I didn't plan on creating two heroes and, as I've said before, I cried when I wrote CJ out of the novel. I wanted to resurrect another man like him in CML and give him the happy ending the first didn't have. Sounds strange, perhaps, but I liked that type character so much I couldn't let him go. Casey, I admire your honesty in saying you wanted CJ to prevail yet Ian was the more godly choice. I seem to have a penchant for waterfall scenes! There's another in CML right before a wedding night.

Kav, you always amaze me as to what you pull out of a text:) Lael's relationship with her father was conflicted, definitely. I had a reviewer tell me that it was the first CBA novel she'd read where the father was an unbeliever. Since my own father was absent in my own life, I unintentionally keep writing about fathers and daughters. I so envy those who have the close relationship I didn't. Morrow's father is my ideal though I was very fond of Lael's father as he was so capable and a Daniel Boone prototype (my hero). In The Colonel's Lady you have yet again another father-daughter relationship with an entirely different twist than the first two.

Back to mopping:)

Amber Holcomb said...

Hello everyone! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and discuss this fabulous book today! :)

MICHELLE: First of all, thanks for sharing the information about Kentucky and helping to answer Kav's question! :)

Second, I think I understand what you mean. As far as modern conveniences go, I'm generally a fan. ;) But I absolutely love nature, and I'd like to think that I could rough it some if I had to!

I live near the ocean AND near the forest, so I'm blessed to enjoy a variety of scenery--from hills to the waves. :) And I'm enjoying being back home for the summer, although I absolutely love Oregon, too! So much of God's creation to enjoy out here on the West Coast--and I'm sure it's the same where ya'll live, as well. ;) It would be so neat to go see Kentucky for myself someday!

Anyway, thanks for sharing!

KAV: That's an interesting point. :) If we were Lael, the choice seems obvious. But being ourselves--raised in a different place and time--then the choice would probably be a lot more difficult to make. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that!

And that's so cool that you were born in Ireland! I took an Irish Literature class last fall, and I absolutely loved it (the teacher was wonderful and had such a passion for the topic!). Anyway, I would love to go to Ireland someday, too! The music, the landscape, the people...it sounds grand!

LAURA: Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today! :D I think it's so fun to have the author discussing her book with us!

I can imagine that experiencing the emotions of your characters for yourself helps you to write about them that much more authentically. I wonder if I'll feel a strong pull towards my hometown when I'm older? As much as I love it even now, I still have a bit of that adventurous spirit in me that wants to go to new places. :) But I'm not TOO adventurous--I still like having the comforts of home, too!

EVERYONE: Thanks for your thoughts on that second question! :)

Amber Holcomb said...

CASEY: Oh yes! That final question... It intrigued me to hear your thoughts, too, so I just had to ask it! ;)

I had such a hard time knowing who I wanted Lael to choose, as well. I think you make a wonderful point in that Lael is a strong enough character that whoever she chose would be the one she really wanted to choose! And I also agree that Ian was the right choice, in that she needed to marry a man who loved God and would encourage her own faith.

I really feel that there was a certain level of intrigue involved when it came to Captain Jack. So I think you're right that she loved him in her own way, but perhaps part of that love was also born out of curiosity--the "call of the wild," perhaps.

Thanks for sharing! :)

KAV: I agree! Captain Jack has a certain "aura" about him, and a lot of women like the "bad boy" types. ;) I'm not sure if Captain Jack really qualifies as that, but her certainly would be a lot more dangerous to live with than Ian! It was practically impossible not to fall for him, at least to some extent. ;)

Anyway, I think the TV series (and I'm sure the book) "Christy" kind of did the same thing for me in that I was rooting for both David and Neil at different times. :)

Oh, what a great question about the father-daughter relationship! I have to go now, but I'll try to stop by later today or tomorrow to respond to more questions!

Happy discussing! :D

~Amber

Carla Gade said...

What an exciting conversation here!

Lael, Lael! I'm glad she stayed in Kentucke, for she was true to herself. Had she gone back to Briar Hill to teach she would have lived with a terrible longing for home. I know that feeling and it took me many years to learn to "be content in whatever state I'm in". My own tiny Massachusetts hometown is now 350 years old and was bought from King Philip "for the price of a white man's shirt". There's lot of history there for me, as well. It influenced my life positively in many ways, and as I've learned to move on, Lael, may have. But even as I carry with me my own heritage I can remain the same in any place for the most part, Lael surely would have been frustrated living in the constricted and civilized world. My worlds are do not have that much of a contrast.

Carla Gade said...

About Lael's choice of men. Oh, Captian Jack. Didn't we all become infatuated with him? I think that's really all that it was for Lael. I think the pull was very strong and full of mystery and adventure. Simon showed his true colors and I'm glad that did not work out. I think Ian was the perfect man for her - both passionate and they shared a common interest in helping people medically. Though it was a stormy start I think aspect revealed both Ian and Lael setting aside their own egos and preconceptions, but ended up being a delightful match.

Michelle said...

I think we all fell in love with Captain Jack. Laura, I know I first looked for your website when I finished reading the book, and I wanted to know what happened to Captain Jack. I didn't really start reading blogs regularly until the beginning of this year though.

I do think Lael loved Captain Jack. I think it was love mixed with a certain amount of fascination of the unknown.

Will be back with more later, gotta go back to work! I think I could talk about Captain Jack all day.

Kav said...

Carla, for some reason I've always had a pull to Maine as well. I think partly because so many great children's books were set there. It seemed to be the place where adventure could happen!

You know, thinking about Lael's attraction to three very different men got me to thinking about her relationship to her father. To me it was almost hero-worship -- her father was more legend than flesh and blood dad and I think each choice she made in men reflected the desire for something lacking in her own relationship with her father.

Simon -- his complete attraction and fixation on her -- ultimately unhealthy, but to a girl who was lacking in a traditional father, certainly appealing.

Captain Jack -- the closest she could get to man like her father. Perhaps subconciously, trying to capture her father's love and attention through Captain Jack?

And Ian -- well, he was the balance she never had in a male role model and a perfect father choice for her own children when they come.

Amber -- thanks to you for hosting these book chats. I enjoy them tremendously as you can tell. :-)

Amanda Stanley said...

Oh Amber, I am SO excited you posted this!! It looks wonderful and your questions are great! TFD is one of my favorite books ever- second only to CML ;) and it’s a JOY to be able to talk about it again!!

Truthfully, I never really liked Simon. Sure, he had a few “likeable” moments, but he seemed to be the kind of person who only looked out for himself. I have to give him credit for realizing he made a mistake by not marrying Lael, but then again, he did her (and us) a favor. He didn’t handle situations the way an honorable, true hero should. He was the polar opposite of Ian Justus- *swoon* I LOVE a Scottish accent! Ian had a strong, unshakable strength, and yet the kind of genteel humbleness that makes a girls heart flutter- you can also add handsome protector and faithful Christian to his repertoire, the kind of man that is a true leader and will be the head of his home and love and honor you the way God intended. *double swoon* Goodness, I’m typing with one hand and fanning my face with the other :)

But, before Ian came on the scene, I really thought Captain Jack was gonna be Lael’s hero. And I think there is a part of me that’s just heartbroken that he wasn’t. He was so mysterious and powerful and dangerous (still typing with one hand here girls) and I also liked the fact that he was older than her- yes, I’ve always had a thing for older guys ;) So, after seeing their chemistry it was kinda hard for me to switch my hearts affections to Ian. I think Lael “thought” she loved Captain Jack. She loved her dad and his way of life seemed to call out to her, so maybe Captain Jack embodied that dream in her eyes. But I think it was Ian who showed her how to love. Simon broke her heart, and Captain Jack only touched her heart, but Ian, dear Ian, diligently worked to put her heart together, woo and claim it, first for Christ and then for himself. Goodness, is anyone else warm? Or is it just me :)

And as for your second question, (which I seemed to have skipped over in all my swooning and fanning, LOL) if I was Lael, I would have went back to my roots too. Kentucke made up who she was, it was carved into her heart, called out to her across the distance. Lael never wanted to be at Briar Hill, it was like caging a beautiful wild bird who was born to be free and fly high. But I think the experience was to her benefit. Unlike Morrow, Lael was strong from the start, and needed the “softening” that I think her time at Briar Hill afforded her. I also think it gave her a new love and appreciation for her homeland. She grew up a lot through the responsibilities that were laid out before her at her homecoming. Again her strength was called upon. But over time and through circumstances (and Ian), the softening and trust that had started to grow would come into full bloom. The events that happen throughout our life (and God of course) are what shape us, but the way we were raised is the filter that everything is sifted through. Our childhood is not easily dismissed or forgotten- after all, there is a reason why they’re called our “roots” :)

Gosh, I think as soon as I’m done with my current read (Deeanne Gist’s “Maid to Match”), I might have to revisit Lael and “her men” again- all this talk has me missing them something fierce! Can’t imagine what it’s like for Laura ;)

Thank you again Amber for this AMAZING post!! And I’m sorry if I got a little carried away and stopped making sense after my Ian and Captain Jack comments ;) Ya know, I think Red Shirt was a combination of what I loved most about Ian and Captain Jack! Thank you Laura, Red Shirt certainly filled whatever gap was left open with the writing out of Captain Jack- for me anyway ;)

Blessings,
Amanda Stanley

adge said...

Hey,
I am just stopping by, but the whole Lael staying or going to Kentucke is something that a lot of people have to question when it comes to life: Move to the city or the country? That would have been a very difficult thing to decide, but I like how Amanda answered.
I also like how a lot of people have addressed the Captain Jack and Ian comment. I have to say that this was one reason why I really liked TFD, because I wasn't expecting any of the twists and turns.
Have a good day,
Adrienne

Amber Holcomb said...

Oh...I had such a long comment addressing each of your comments, and when I clicked "Post Comment" it didn't go through. :(

I'll have to try again sometime, but I don't know if I have the heart right now. *sigh*

But I'll let you know that I think all of your comments are wonderful!!! I really, really wish that hadn't just happened. I'm sorry!

~Amber

Heather said...

Hi Laura and Amber and everyone!~
I loved this book and am anxiously awaiting my copy of Morrow (I suppose she's taking a canoe up the Arkansas river? She's taking her sweet time at any rate!)

There were several points to this book that were unique and unexpected and that is what made me love. I freely admit I am a bit of a snob and have read some books that have me rolling my eyes when the hero/heroine get together because its so cookie cutter. With Lael, it was a long and winding road, as it is in life.

I felt that when she finally did find love-- she found it in a true in honest way. By having her heart broken or breaking a heart or two herself-- that complicated meandering way most of us find that special someone. To me, Captain Jack is like that perfect boy you have a crush on in the 8th grade--- perfect because you make most of it up in your mind as a teenage girl ;) In the end she wound up with someone who was real and suited the grown up Lael, and not the dreaming teenager.

I also appreciated that Laura didnt get them together because it would have seen like romantic impossible fluff. Because really...in those time...a woman marrying a native (or atleast native living) man would have to give up a great deal and she would have been shunned from society for the most part. It would have just been a collision of cultures, unfair as it is. Because many a white man married native women and still functioned in white society (I've got several instances in my own family) but it just didn't work the other way around.

I dont know why, but I personally was always curious about the relationship between the mother and father--- how such two mismatched people came together and what kept them together. I mean...I dont know if I would have been able to stand being alone in a cabin with some bratty kids for months on end and not knowing where my husband was. I wonder why the mother (as grudging as she was) stuck it out.

I also wondered if there would be any closure for Lael and her mother since they were always so on edge with eachother.

Anyhow....Loved the book, know I'll love Morrow....and Laura is such a great person and writer! I hope perhaps some of the characters will see more adventures in later books (batting eyes toward Washington) but I know I'll love whatever she puts to paper :)

Laura Frantz said...

Your comments give me goosebumps! Really! Every one of them. They're unique and real and refreshing and so much more. A writer never knows how a reader will like her books and it's especially daunting when ALL of you here are writers!

I will say that Lael was intrigued by Captain Jack for many reasons, one of which was her belief that he was the key that would unlock her father's past. Since Ezekial never spoke of his captivity, Lael had a deep longing to know about that part of his life. But she never found out because CJ was as elusive as he was.

Lael's parents were very mismatched, truly. I've read accounts of women who literally lost their minds living in the wilderness and she was on the edge in TFD. If she'd left him (and she wanted to), the stigma would have been very great. There were almost no divorced people in that day. I've had quite a few readers mention their sadness over Lael's relationship with her mother. I don't know why I wrote them that way as I am so close to my own mother yet I know many mothers and daughters who aren't.

On the other hand, Daniel Boone's wife, Rebecca, bore him 10 or more children and then adopted more when a relation died and reared them in a one room cabin - alone - with Boone away much of the time. Now she's my real hero:) It was rumored (still is) that Daniel was away for so long (2 years at one stretch) that she had a baby by his brother, Ned (remember Neddy?), but she believed Daniel was dead. Well, lo and behold, he returned:) That child was said to be Boone's favorite daughter, Jemima.

Amber, I know exactly how you feel when comments are lost - SO frustrating!! And I'm like you - sometimes you just don't have the umph to post them all again. What a strange day it's been - we had a power outage for about 4 hours that forced me offline and now my boys and Randy are off on a camping trip and I'm alone in my house for the first time in 16 years! No kidding:)

Love you all and thanks so much for the wonderful comments. This book talk is so much fun! Can't wait to see which novel you pick next!

Casey said...

Another waterfall scene, oh Laura you did??? I think tonight will seriously be the night I delve into Morrow. :)

Kav, he DID command every scene! Filled it with power and even passion, it was wonderful. I agree that I don't think I have ever been more unsure about which hero that heroine would chose in a book. Most are pretty obvious, but you want to see them get there, but this one, wow, it gave me goosebumps as I raced through to find out who she would really fall for.

Simon was never an option, I knew that from the moment she started courting him. He wasn't worthy of her anyway.

I loved this book, makes me want to go read it again. :) SO glad you put this book on the poll, Amber!

Laura Frantz said...

Bless you, Casey, for loving that waterfall scene! And CJ was a scene stealer:) That kind of character gets away from you and kind of takes over. I'm only meant for him to be a foil to Ian but he ended up winning Lael's heart and mine in a huge way.

Amber, I forgot to answer your very interesting question. There are some similarites between Christy's Dr. and Ian, though Neil was much more haunted and intense than Ian. I love a good Scotsman:) In fact, I'll give you a rare peek at upcoming books. My next hero is an Irishman. But my NEXT hero is another Scotsman. My editor asked me if I woudl make him so. I was happy to oblige:) Maybe she fell in love with Ian, too?!

Amber Holcomb said...

OK! Here's the plan: I'm going to post individual comments, thereby avoiding the risk of losing another big, long comment! ;)

LAURA: I certainly hope you don't get hate mail (even if it's about Captain Jack)! You're too sweet for such a thing!

All these references to Courting Morrow Little are leaving me "Miss Eager McBeaver" over here! Another waterfall scene? Be still my beating heart! ;) I'm so excited, Laura!

And I'm sure a lot of what a writer knows/feels goes into their writing--including relationships that did or did not work in their own life (like father-daughter relationships). There is such a depth of emotion in your writing! Keep up the great work!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

CARLA: That's so great that you have learned to be content wherever you are! :) I think perhaps Lael was beginning to learn that lesson towards the end of the book, particularly symbolized by her turning away from the dark woods at the end in order to run into Ian's embrace. Knowing she had a relationship with God, I think she had come to the point where she could go wherever she needed to be--in this case, with her new husband. :)

And I think you make a great point about Lael and Ian--they shared a common passion. I think that must be a very important part of a relationship, to have similar goals and similar interests. :) Also, their hearts had to be in the same place--in God's hands!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

MICHELLE: Yes, we could talk about Captain Jack all day, couldn't we? (I guess we kind of did that yesterday!) ;)

Perhaps he did hold a certain fascination for all of us. It certainly kept us reading! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

KAV: The way you described those three relationships is very insightful! I'm sure that when people have a void caused by a missing father-figure, they would look for that attention elsewhere. In Lael's case, because Ian pointed her to God, she was able to find supreme satisfaction and contentment. And since Ian pointed her to God, he was just the right man for her! :)

Thanks for sharing!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

AMANDA: I'm so glad you could join us today! :) And the fact that this is your second favorite book, with Courting Morrow Little being your favorite, makes me even more eager to read CML!

Anyway, what a deep comment! I think you make some wonderful points about the three men in Lael's life. Simon did us and Lael a favor for sure, but I can't help but feel sorry for him, and especially his wife! :(

As for Ian--yes, you have to love those Scottish accents and strong but gentle personalities! ;)

And Captain Jack really did seem to play a big role in the book! I agree that it was hard for us as readers to let him go, because we got to know him long before Ian and we were drawn to the unknown. Laura certainly did a great job of helping us live through the feelings Lael lived through! :)

I just love the way you concluded about the relationships:

"Simon broke her heart, and Captain Jack only touched her heart, but Ian, dear Ian, diligently worked to put her heart together, woo and claim it, first for Christ and then for himself."

Wow! That is a lovely line, Amanda! :D

As to the second part of your comment, I think that is a fabulous point--Lael needed the experience at Briar Hill to help her grow and mature, and to humble her. It was hard, but the situation seemed to help her realize and truly know where she belonged.

Amanda, your writing is beautiful! Very poetic. :) I'm so glad you shared your thoughts with us about this wonderful book!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

ADRIENNE: Amanda did describe it well, didn't she? :)

And yes, Laura did a great job of keeping us all curious as to what would happen next.

Thanks for visiting!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

HEATHER: Wow! You have a lot of great insight, Heather, and I think you did a great job of describing it! :D

I agree that the emotions conveyed in this novel, and the way the relationships were dealt with, were very true to life. It was quite realistic, and although it was hard to see hearts get broken and see the pain that was endured on all sides, that is how it really DOES work in real life!

And I love the way you describe Captain Jack's and Ian's roles in Lael's life! ;) I definitely think that Lael had idealized Captain Jack in her mind, and that life would not be what she would really want if she settled with him. Ian was indeed the mature and right choice for her. :)

As for the mother and father, and then Lael and her mother, I too am curious. It's interesting to think about, but not hard to believe. And I think it's nice that all the pieces weren't put together perfectly and that some things were left to the reader to ponder.

Thanks so much for your comment! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

CASEY: I know! Another waterfall scene! I certainly can't blame you for not waiting to start the book! ;) I would have a hard time, too!

I'm glad you enjoyed the discussion! It certainly is a wonderful book to discuss! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

LAURA: First of all, thank you so, so, so much for joining us in our discussion today! And for letting others know about the discussion! I really appreciate it, and it's been so wonderful to hear your thoughts on your own book! :)

Second, thank you for sharing those tidbits about Daniel Boone! Very interesting! And I, too, admire his wife--she had a lot to deal with for sure!

Third, thank you for sympathizing with me. ;) As you can see, I came up with a solution today, just in case my uncle's computer decided it didn't like me again! ;) It just means that there looks to be a ton of comments, when their all mine! Oh, well. :)

And finally, thank you for answering my question and for the exciting news about your upcoming heroes! You're right--Neil certainly was a very haunted man, and his personality is not quite the same as Ian's. :) But it makes me happy to hear about anohter Scottish doctor just the same! And I can't wait to read about the future Irishman and Scotsman! Yay!

Thanks again, Laura, for everything!

~Amber