Official Review: Beneath the Palms by Ruth Newell

[Miller56]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Beneath the Palms" by Ruth Newell.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Florida was not a key player in the Civil War. It was not very populated, and it was outside of the normal political circles. However, the southern part of Florida was developed after the Civil War and became a hub for Cuban immigrants and cigar factories. Beneath the Palms by Ruth Newell is the story of the development of Florida after the Civil War. The book is historical fiction and intertwines fact and fiction as it describes life in Florida.

There were multiple characters in this book and there was minimal character development, so it was difficult to find someone that I favored. Each chapter was about a different period, and a different character in the story. I had a difficult time following the characters and tying the stories together. When I first started reading the book, it seemed that there were four different stories being told. However, not all the stories seemed applicable to Florida. For example, there were stories of Geronimo, Alan Pinkerton, Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton, Eleanor and Teddy Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, and others. Although the stories were interesting, and obviously a lot of research went into the book, it was difficult to tie these people together into the development of Florida. I think the book would have been better if the author would have developed the characters and their role in Florida history in a fashion that made it clearer.

There were really no characters in the book I did not like. Many of the characters are familiar in history and so even though they were often not well developed, they were familiar. One of the things that I disliked about the book was that the author frequently used had had together. Although the usage was acceptable, I felt that it was distracting. The book also contained too many stories combined into one novel. The book referenced a lot of different people without explaining how they were critical to the development of Florida. Sometimes it seemed like they were just visitors to some of the richer areas and really had no role in Florida’s development. There were also a couple of instances of sexual content that were thrown in that did not really add to the story.

Although I did not enjoy this book as much as I would have if the author would have focused more on specifics of Florida history, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I am sure many people would enjoy the book and the author’s writing style. However, there were also several spelling errors in the book. The author often hyphenated words that are not normally hyphenated such as, nevertheless and nonetheless. The book appears to have gone through at least one round of editing, but another round would be beneficial.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy reading historical fiction. The language and sexual content may not be acceptable for teen readers; however young adults and adults would probably enjoy this book. The book is acceptable for all religions.

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Beneath the Palms
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[Silpi B]

I love historical fiction, and this certainly sounds like an interesting read. Lovely review. I would love to know more about the history of Florida. However, good character development is something I really favour in books. That aspect sounds like a drawback in this one.