👶👶👶👶👶 The Promise, by Ann Weisgarber

The Promise is a tale of love lost, redemption found, and heartache endured. It is the story of a journey of a thousand miles, and the decision of a lifetime. Ms. Weisgarber wove a tale richly layered, one that examined the human condition in its most vulnerable state, from two profoundly different points of view.

The characters, despite being tremendously flawed, were so wonderfully endearing. I absolutely loved how Catherine was so self-righteous in the beginning of the novel, and eventually turned inward, admitting her own imperfections. Nan was surprisingly shrewd and observant, and Oscar’s benevolence was so heartwarming. Additionally, Andre’s innocence was just infectious. They were all exquisitely constructed characters.

I truly appreciated the historical aspect of the novel, and was fascinated by the description of life in Galveston during that time period. The author’s graceful writing eases the reader into the tragedy that lie ahead, and even allows one to forget that catastrophe is on the horizon. This gem of a novel has spurned me to do more research on the Great Storm of 1900; what a grievous event in our history.

Kudos to Ann Weisgarber… I look forward to reading her other highly acclaimed novel.

Read 1/13/16