Review by Abacus -- Hearts Set Free by Jess Lederman
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Abacus
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Review by Abacus -- Hearts Set Free by Jess Lederman
[Following is a volunteer review of "Hearts Set Free" by Jess Lederman.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Hearts Set Free by Jess Lederman – a story of the glory and challenge of faith.
Paris, 1914. David Gold enlisted in the French Army and had studied at an evangelist college (founded by D. L. Moody). While fighting in the Army, David found himself in a pothole with a Belgian, Georges Lemaitre. David saved Georges life by carrying him to safety when the gas attacks started. David and Georges discussed the bible while becoming friends. After the war, David was known as the Pummelin' Preacher.
Alaska, 1925. Taliriktug Noongwook and his wife Yura had a thirteen-year-old son called Uukkarnit who idolized his father. Taliriktug – Victor - had become famous in the winter of 1925. He was one of "the Athabascan mushers who had saved ten thousand lives bringing diphtheria serum to Nome in the worst of conditions." Victor deserted his wife and son for a reporter, Kathleen Byrne, from the Hearst Newspapers in New York. Yura and her son went to track down Victor and bring him home. Yura packed her ulu knife; she had revenge in her heart for Kathleen Byrne.
New York, 2011. Joan Reed worked for Tim Faber. She produced Mysteries of Modern Science on TV. Joan's production was about Georges Lemaitre who challenged Einstein's theory and proved that space-time was expanding by millions of miles per day. Joan and Tim went to Las Vegas to talk to Luke and Pastor Dan Gold - Luke's nephew and the grandson of the Pummelin' Preacher.
The plot is complex, with excellent characters and different social mores than we have today. The story has the resonance of a Victorian novel where the good characters wrestle with their consciences and the bad seem beyond redemption. It was conventional for families to read the bible and discuss its meaning.
Lederman writes with passion, easily embroiling the reader's interest in an impressive variety of characters. There are mothers and sons, friends and lovers, men and women of God - all woven into the historical events over the past one hundred years. People who lived through WWI and the Great Depression knew great hardships. There were entrepreneurial opportunities for a few and the hardest of times for many others. So many people were supporting each other while wrestling with demons of their own. Hearts Set Free is a page-turner, with plenty of depth to each person's story. Each character rings true, especially in the setting of the depression. Lederman includes historical events that bring authenticity to the story.
I rate Hearts Set Free 4 out of 4 stars for documenting that faith can be challenging and doubts overcome. The author's excellent research of historical fact imaginatively intertwines throughout the story. I do not rate it 3 out of 4 stars because it is professionally edited and I found no errors. I recommend it to people of faith, people who find the Christian word uplifting, historians, and people who enjoy the supernatural, mystery, and romance. It would be an interesting book for anyone to read.
******
Hearts Set Free
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
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Hearts Set Free by Jess Lederman – a story of the glory and challenge of faith.
Paris, 1914. David Gold enlisted in the French Army and had studied at an evangelist college (founded by D. L. Moody). While fighting in the Army, David found himself in a pothole with a Belgian, Georges Lemaitre. David saved Georges life by carrying him to safety when the gas attacks started. David and Georges discussed the bible while becoming friends. After the war, David was known as the Pummelin' Preacher.
Alaska, 1925. Taliriktug Noongwook and his wife Yura had a thirteen-year-old son called Uukkarnit who idolized his father. Taliriktug – Victor - had become famous in the winter of 1925. He was one of "the Athabascan mushers who had saved ten thousand lives bringing diphtheria serum to Nome in the worst of conditions." Victor deserted his wife and son for a reporter, Kathleen Byrne, from the Hearst Newspapers in New York. Yura and her son went to track down Victor and bring him home. Yura packed her ulu knife; she had revenge in her heart for Kathleen Byrne.
New York, 2011. Joan Reed worked for Tim Faber. She produced Mysteries of Modern Science on TV. Joan's production was about Georges Lemaitre who challenged Einstein's theory and proved that space-time was expanding by millions of miles per day. Joan and Tim went to Las Vegas to talk to Luke and Pastor Dan Gold - Luke's nephew and the grandson of the Pummelin' Preacher.
The plot is complex, with excellent characters and different social mores than we have today. The story has the resonance of a Victorian novel where the good characters wrestle with their consciences and the bad seem beyond redemption. It was conventional for families to read the bible and discuss its meaning.
Lederman writes with passion, easily embroiling the reader's interest in an impressive variety of characters. There are mothers and sons, friends and lovers, men and women of God - all woven into the historical events over the past one hundred years. People who lived through WWI and the Great Depression knew great hardships. There were entrepreneurial opportunities for a few and the hardest of times for many others. So many people were supporting each other while wrestling with demons of their own. Hearts Set Free is a page-turner, with plenty of depth to each person's story. Each character rings true, especially in the setting of the depression. Lederman includes historical events that bring authenticity to the story.
I rate Hearts Set Free 4 out of 4 stars for documenting that faith can be challenging and doubts overcome. The author's excellent research of historical fact imaginatively intertwines throughout the story. I do not rate it 3 out of 4 stars because it is professionally edited and I found no errors. I recommend it to people of faith, people who find the Christian word uplifting, historians, and people who enjoy the supernatural, mystery, and romance. It would be an interesting book for anyone to read.
******
Hearts Set Free
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Elizabeth's Garden by Phillip Leighton-Daly
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Brittany Sadler
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I completely agree with your review. This has been one of my favorite books I have read so far on this forum.
Latest Review: Yesterday by Samyann
