A Sound Among the Trees - Susan Meissner

Title: A Sound Among the Trees
Author: Susan Meissner
Paperback: 324 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook
Published Date: October 2011
FTC: Asked to review through Blogging for Books


I read a review of Susan Meissner's novel A Sound Among the Trees a few months back over at Luxury Reading and it sounded like a pretty good book.  I can't remember where I stumbled upon it, but I found out about Blogging for Books which offered this as one of their review books so I signed up.  I only request books I want to read and review.  Nice little deal.

Back of the book:

As a young bride, Susannah Page was rumored to be a Civil War spy for the North, a traitor to her Virginian roots.  Her great-granddaughter Adelaide, the current matriarch of Holly Oak, doesn't believe that Susannah's ghost haunts the antebellum mansion looking for a pardon, but rather that the house itself bears a grudge toward its tragic past.

When Marielle Bishop marries into the family and is transplanted from the arid west to her husband's home, she is soon led to believe that the house she's just settled into brings misfortune to the women who live there.

With Adelaide's richly peppered superstitions and deep family roots at stake, Marielle must sort out the truth about Susannah Page and Holly Oak -- and make peace with the sacrifices she has made for love.


My thoughts:

I'll admit that I love war novels and since this one centered around the Civil War in America it seemed like a good book.  At first I was really disappointed.  While great writing, the first few chapters revolved around Adelaide and Marielle.  I just wasn't getting interested in their story.  I mean yes - Adelaide struggled with an absentee daughter, the death of her granddaughter, and the new marriage of her grand son-in-law.  Marielle was going through a new marriage to a widowed man with two children and trying to fit into the home where not only the possibility of Civil War Susannah's ghost but also the memories of her husband's late wife.  I'll be honest that I picked it up and put it down quite a bit at first.

BUT

Then it started to get good.

First, Marielle finds the diary of her husband's late wife.

Then she reads Susannah's diary set against backdrop of the Civil War in Virginia.

That is when I couldn't put the book down and pretty much ignored my daily chores to finish it.  I loved reading Susannah's account.  I love the Civil War setting and how it depicts the often blurry lines between the North and the South.  It's fascinating to see the effects of war on families - even a war as old as the Civil War can have long lasting repercussions.  I loved the resolution at the end of the book - how just discovering the truth about Susannah affected her family generations down the line.

Note:

This book is sometimes found in Christian book listings.  While I am a Christian, I wouldn't classify this as Christian fiction.  However, it is a book with a good message and it is a book I could recommend to my mom or grandma.

I also love the cover with the mansion and the Civil War clothing.  What do you think?

Book Trailer


Also Reviewed by:

Luxury Reading
Dani's Bookshelf