Official Review: A Carriage Ride Home by Sandra H. Esch

[stoppoppingtheP]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Carriage Ride Home" by Sandra H. Esch.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A Carriage Ride Home is the first book of The Chronicles of Amber Leaf, by author Sandra H Esch, and is published by Lamp Post Publishers. Based in the late 1800’s, the story is a historical fiction which traverses though both England and America. Some of the themes that this book explores are about life, family, and learning to love again. Although it is a historical fiction, the book also contains some mystery and crime.

Oliver Harrington, son of a wealthy Aristocrat, falls in love with Emily, a poor Seamstress, and wants to marry her. His parents obviously do not approve of the union because of the difference in their social statuses. Harrington goes against his father’s wishes and weds Emily; as a result, his father cuts him off. Not being able to complete his education to become a barrister, he has to seek work instead, so he enlists himself in the military. Harrington and Emily spend a short but happy time together before he is called off to serve in the war. It is here, while on duty, that he hears of his wife and unborn son’s unfortunate deaths.

Once back in England, Harrington cannot bear the memories and decides to set sail for sunnier shores. He leaves for America after finishing his studies. Once there, he meets relatives of Emily who welcome him warmly. He starts work at a law firm, where he soon makes a name for himself. It is here that he meets Gretta. However, she is already spoken for: Nelson, with whom she is in a relationship, is a very interesting character, one which will perplex the reader. At times he seems a nice enough character, yet at others he seems to be devious and underhanded.

The first part of the story - Harrington’s life with Emily, is rather short. The main focus of this story is when he is in Amber Leaf trying to build a new life for himself. In essence, the first part of the story is more like a prelude.

The one thing I found strange was the behaviour of Harrington. He has recently lost his wife, and although he remembers her from time to time, he thinks about pursing a new relationship with no sign of guilt and sorrow that one would expect a person to feel after having experienced such a loss.

There are a lot of life lessons that Harrington learns throughout the story. All his life he has lived with an abundance of wealth yet he finds a gaping hole inside himself that he cannot fill. He sees those who are less wealthy than himself, yet they seem to have a happiness beyond his reach. This story highlights the importance of family, love and happiness. Overall I found the book to be thoroughly enjoyable and a pleasant read. I am rating it four out of four stars. The characters were well developed, the storyline was detailed and captivating and the book was enjoyable to read. Anybody who likes historical fiction will be sure to appreciate this story.

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A Carriage Ride Home
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Like stoppoppingtheP's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Levi]

@stoppoppingtheP fantastic work, as usual. Great job on the review, and congrats to the author!!

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

Sounds like a wonderful book stoppoppingtheP. Congrats to the author on a 4 star rating!

[bookowlie]

Nice, insightful review! I like crime/mysteries and historical fiction and this one has all of those ingredients. I am going to add it to my long reading list.

[stoppoppingtheP]

Thanks.for the compliments.

I really enjoy Historical Fiction, so this story was just perfect for me.

[Rachaelamb1]

Great review! I think this is a book I'd enjoy!

[Sandra H Esch 1]

A heartfelt thank you to stoppoppingtheP for the excellent review ... very thoughtful, generous and kind. I hadn't realized I'd been too subtle in revealing Oliver Harrington's guilt and sorrow. Will try to be more mindful of that sort of thing in future writings. You did a wonderful job of capturing the heart of the story. Your hard work could not be more appreciated. Thank you again.

[stoppoppingtheP]

I'm really glad that you were able to take the review as the constructive criticism that it was meant to be. Books are often the most precious thing to their authors, and thus they feel hurt if it is criticized.

Although other then that point, I think the book was well written, and the characters well-formed.

[kimmyschemy06]

Sounds like an interesting book. I like that you point out Harrington's behavior with regards to losing his family and finding new love. Other readers may feel the same way you do. Great review! Congratulations to Sandra H. Esch for such a wonderful book!

[gali]

Sounds good! I am glad you enjoyed it. Great review!

[stoppoppingtheP]

Thanks