Review by Miks_solon -- Forgiven by Geoff Lawson

[Miks_solon]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Forgiven" by Geoff Lawson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Forgiven by Geoff Lawson is the historical fiction of two youngsters who fell in love when they were still kids. Rachel Purdue is a beautiful and intelligent woman, daughter of a wealthy business family in New Zealand. Richard Wilson, on the other hand, came from and was born on a farm in New Zealand who fell in love with Rachel when he first laid his eyes on him. Without his knowledge, the woman has also feelings towards him. Their love story wasn’t easy. Their economic status was a hindrance towards their love; Purdue’s father objected to their love story because social status was very important for them especially during the Victorian era. Richard bravely volunteered to serve in the Boer War in South Africa to prove himself to Rachel’s father. He left his fiancée and while Richard encountered hardships during the war, their separation has also caused struggles in Rachel’s part. A lot of circumstances emerged especially when he almost lost his life amid the war and because of that, it helped both of them realize the maturing perceptions in life.

I am truly indulged in the story because firstly, I am a sucker for historical novels. I was able to learn and get familiar with the settings during Victorian New Zealand and the Boer war in South Africa. I get to be entertained and my knowledge about history was added. The author did his research well. The settings and the character were come alive at me despite my zero knowledge. I was transported to their era which makes it easier for me to understand and empathize with the characters of the novel. The practice of courtship during the old days was embodied by both of the characters which are a common setting for war brides or women. The author used easy descriptive words yet very bookish. But there are some words that I have to look up in the dictionary because I am not familiar with it. I have seen one error in which the first letter of a common noun was capitalized. However, it did not deteriorate the overall editing of the book. I still can say that it was properly and professionally edited. Lastly, despite the constant transition of the settings and time of the story, it did not cause me confusion which I liked and drove me to finish the story.

I cannot pinpoint any flaws from the book aside from the capitalization. Always capitalize only the proper nouns. Also, not a major problem but the pacing of the story is quite slow. However, it was not boring but it took so much time that numerous passive events are not necessary for the story. It did not also add to the spice to the thrill and excitement of the novel. Honestly, some chapters did not have an impact on me because some were unnecessary to be told.

Despite these, I’d still rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. The flaws were just minors and it didn’t convince me to believe that this story isn’t a good book. This is worth recommending and worthy of your time to read. The author did a great job of conveying the vision of the story to his readers.

I will surely recommend this book even to non-historical fiction readers. I am sure that they will also enjoy this. The plot was thrilling and the content was very informative as if you are not reading fiction. Some of the events happened in real life which I am constantly amused by the researcher’s effort in researching and knowledge. This will keep you interested and engaged, this book is ready to be printed and published in bookstores.

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Forgiven
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