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Recommend this book:
Once Upon a Mulberry Field
C. L. Hoang
2015 Bronze Medal
392 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Reviewed by Paula Tran for Readers' Favorite
This wonderful, touching novel, Once Upon a Mulberry Field by C.L. Hoang, follows the memories and experiences of Roger, a widower now living in a senior community home. Although he is significantly older than most protagonists in the fiction book market, Roger is an active senior despite the looming cancer that is slowly eating away his life. He refuses to be tied down and restricted by his illness and old age. When he receives a letter from an old friend back in USAF, telling him that an old acquaintance from Vietnam is here to see him, Roger is brought back into the world of his flashbacks. His time in Vietnam was filled with conflict, but also filled with love and hope.
The first thing that I noticed and am impressed about is how historically accurate Roger's time in Vietnam was. The author's use of military jargon and vocabulary is incredible. The descriptions of the terrain, military gear, and combat are colourful, adding to the story and the context of the novel. More importantly, the characters all fit into the environment, and no one seems unrealistic or out of place. The author's grasp of what Southern Vietnam was like during the '60s and '70s is strong, and it is obvious that C.L. Hoang spent a long time doing research.
I do think the plot is pretty slow paced at times. This might be deliberate to build development in Roger's character or to familiarize readers with the war, but I think a faster paced story line will have readers anxious to know what will happen next. Otherwise, this was a real page turner!
This wonderful, touching novel, Once Upon a Mulberry Field by C.L. Hoang, follows the memories and experiences of Roger, a widower now living in a senior community home. Although he is significantly older than most protagonists in the fiction book market, Roger is an active senior despite the looming cancer that is slowly eating away his life. He refuses to be tied down and restricted by his illness and old age. When he receives a letter from an old friend back in USAF, telling him that an old acquaintance from Vietnam is here to see him, Roger is brought back into the world of his flashbacks. His time in Vietnam was filled with conflict, but also filled with love and hope.
The first thing that I noticed and am impressed about is how historically accurate Roger's time in Vietnam was. The author's use of military jargon and vocabulary is incredible. The descriptions of the terrain, military gear, and combat are colourful, adding to the story and the context of the novel. More importantly, the characters all fit into the environment, and no one seems unrealistic or out of place. The author's grasp of what Southern Vietnam was like during the '60s and '70s is strong, and it is obvious that C.L. Hoang spent a long time doing research.
I do think the plot is pretty slow paced at times. This might be deliberate to build development in Roger's character or to familiarize readers with the war, but I think a faster paced story line will have readers anxious to know what will happen next. Otherwise, this was a real page turner!
Recommend this book:
A Place in the World
Cinda Crabbe MacKinnon
2015 Silver Medal
342 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
A Place in the World by Cinda Crabbe MacKinnon is set against the backdrop of Colombia. Alicia, a young American, marries into a wealthy Colombian coffee growing family. A biologist, she is transported into her husband Jorge's world where she lives on a coffee finca. As they learn more about coffee growing, Alicia is fascinated by the world around her. They slowly fall into a steady pattern in their lives, but a lot of other upheavals cause a dent in their relationship. Jorge leaves Alicia with their son and moves to Bogota with his family while she struggles to rebuild the coffee finca which is destroyed due to a volcanic eruption. This compelling book is a story of love, loss, grit, perseverance, determination, and it gives readers an insight into life in Colombia.
The book has many layers to it which makes it an entertaining and engaging read. All the characters are portrayed well. Alicia, Carmen, the housekeeper with whom Alicia forms a strong friendship, Jorge and Peter, the American geologist, are all memorable and will challenge the thinking of readers as they are taken into the historical, economic and political changes happening in Colombia. Many women readers will be able to relate to the character of Alicia and her struggle to support her family in a male dominated society. The author does an excellent job weaving a story alongside 1970s Colombia, the coffee finca, the people, the culture, and the fauna and flora of the country.
A Place in the World by Cinda Crabbe MacKinnon is set against the backdrop of Colombia. Alicia, a young American, marries into a wealthy Colombian coffee growing family. A biologist, she is transported into her husband Jorge's world where she lives on a coffee finca. As they learn more about coffee growing, Alicia is fascinated by the world around her. They slowly fall into a steady pattern in their lives, but a lot of other upheavals cause a dent in their relationship. Jorge leaves Alicia with their son and moves to Bogota with his family while she struggles to rebuild the coffee finca which is destroyed due to a volcanic eruption. This compelling book is a story of love, loss, grit, perseverance, determination, and it gives readers an insight into life in Colombia.
The book has many layers to it which makes it an entertaining and engaging read. All the characters are portrayed well. Alicia, Carmen, the housekeeper with whom Alicia forms a strong friendship, Jorge and Peter, the American geologist, are all memorable and will challenge the thinking of readers as they are taken into the historical, economic and political changes happening in Colombia. Many women readers will be able to relate to the character of Alicia and her struggle to support her family in a male dominated society. The author does an excellent job weaving a story alongside 1970s Colombia, the coffee finca, the people, the culture, and the fauna and flora of the country.
Recommend this book:
Dreams Of My Mothers
A Story Of Love Transcendent
Joel L. A. Peterson
2015 Gold Medal
344 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite
Born in South Korea to a single mother who is abandoned by her American boyfriend, Lee Young Nam seems to be destined to lead the life of an outcast. Joel Peterson’s Dreams of My Mothers is a chronicle of his life from an obscure South Korean village to a loving family in Minnesota. Extremely poor with the worst prospects in life, his mother Lee Hee Ae resorts to prostitution and they both sink into a life of abject poverty and misery. In a twist of fate, Lee Young Nam is adopted by a loving family in the United States of America and his life takes a different turn. The young boy tries to adapt to his new life and he eventually attains financial success, but his past catches up with him.
Based on a true story, Dreams of My Mothers is a gripping tale of a little boy who goes through so much suffering and misery in his young life. Author Joel Peterson is a master story teller with a creative writing style that is both vivid and captivating so that it is easy to empathize with Lee Young Nam. Just as he sinks deeper into wretchedness and despair, hope comes when he is adopted by an American couple. We lost track of his South Korean mother at some point, but she actually never left the young boy. The story expands with Lee Young Nam travelling to South Korea and one slowly realizes that he is on some kind of a quest. The setting changes from the present to the past and vice versa, and at every turn of the page, it becomes clear that he is in search of something that will hopefully make his life complete. The question is: will he find what he is looking for? This book is highly recommended!
Born in South Korea to a single mother who is abandoned by her American boyfriend, Lee Young Nam seems to be destined to lead the life of an outcast. Joel Peterson’s Dreams of My Mothers is a chronicle of his life from an obscure South Korean village to a loving family in Minnesota. Extremely poor with the worst prospects in life, his mother Lee Hee Ae resorts to prostitution and they both sink into a life of abject poverty and misery. In a twist of fate, Lee Young Nam is adopted by a loving family in the United States of America and his life takes a different turn. The young boy tries to adapt to his new life and he eventually attains financial success, but his past catches up with him.
Based on a true story, Dreams of My Mothers is a gripping tale of a little boy who goes through so much suffering and misery in his young life. Author Joel Peterson is a master story teller with a creative writing style that is both vivid and captivating so that it is easy to empathize with Lee Young Nam. Just as he sinks deeper into wretchedness and despair, hope comes when he is adopted by an American couple. We lost track of his South Korean mother at some point, but she actually never left the young boy. The story expands with Lee Young Nam travelling to South Korea and one slowly realizes that he is on some kind of a quest. The setting changes from the present to the past and vice versa, and at every turn of the page, it becomes clear that he is in search of something that will hopefully make his life complete. The question is: will he find what he is looking for? This book is highly recommended!
Recommend this book:
Destiny's Dance
Rosemary Gard
2014 Honorable Mention
277 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
In this third book of the Destiny trilogy, Destiny's Dance by Rosemary Gard, we see the main character Katya leaving Europe to escape the gypsies who are after her and her fiancé Ivan. Ivan is blamed for the accidental death of a gypsy, which forces them to leave the country and settle in Gary, Indiana. Katya realizes that life in America is not as wonderful as she had thought. In Indiana there are plenty of jobs in the steel mills for immigrants. Tragedy strikes when Ivan meets with an accident and loses his life. The story traces Katya's life in America, the living conditions of the immigrants and how she begins a successful company with Cleona, a local housekeeper. This book of adventure, love, loss, triumph and intrigue is a gripping read.
Along with the story of Katya, the story also speaks about the unpredictable turns in life which we call destiny and how it plays a crucial part in shaping our lives. Destiny not only shapes Katya's life but also teaches her to live. The story moves from Europe to America smoothly and then readers learn about the life of immigrants in America and the problems they face in a new county. All the characters in the story are well developed and well portrayed. It is a story of love, survival and triumph where the author has woven all the emotions and incidents in Katya's life together very well. The story is honest and believable and readers can relate to the theme.
In this third book of the Destiny trilogy, Destiny's Dance by Rosemary Gard, we see the main character Katya leaving Europe to escape the gypsies who are after her and her fiancé Ivan. Ivan is blamed for the accidental death of a gypsy, which forces them to leave the country and settle in Gary, Indiana. Katya realizes that life in America is not as wonderful as she had thought. In Indiana there are plenty of jobs in the steel mills for immigrants. Tragedy strikes when Ivan meets with an accident and loses his life. The story traces Katya's life in America, the living conditions of the immigrants and how she begins a successful company with Cleona, a local housekeeper. This book of adventure, love, loss, triumph and intrigue is a gripping read.
Along with the story of Katya, the story also speaks about the unpredictable turns in life which we call destiny and how it plays a crucial part in shaping our lives. Destiny not only shapes Katya's life but also teaches her to live. The story moves from Europe to America smoothly and then readers learn about the life of immigrants in America and the problems they face in a new county. All the characters in the story are well developed and well portrayed. It is a story of love, survival and triumph where the author has woven all the emotions and incidents in Katya's life together very well. The story is honest and believable and readers can relate to the theme.
Recommend this book:
Crystal Ships
Richard Sharp
2014 Honorable Mention
370 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Reviewed by Katelyn Hensel for Readers' Favorite
Crystal Ships by Richard Sharp is a new GREAT in the way of the epic American novel. Reading mainly as historical fiction with layers of drama, critique, and a general human focus, this book is deeply emotional while maintaining a kind of grace and fluidity that is rare. There was so much going on in this book that I could barely keep track of all the action. What a wild ride! There was so much depth, so many characters, and just a general sense of packing so much information into a little over 350 pages that I was amazed. I felt like I learned something just from the sheer amount of information that Sharp managed to include.
Richard Sharp paints a wonderfully detailed picture with his writing style. Full of a bittersweet combination of idealism and a cultured cynicism, this book is one that will be enjoyable for everyone, from the literary critic to the casual Sunday reader. The character development was what really got me, because with about seven main characters, it's hard to make them all realistic and not cutouts. Sharp did a wonderful job crafting individual personalities and really great dialogue! At times, keeping track of the several friends throughout time and space was a bit difficult, but the writing was excellent so I never felt like I was pushing myself to read and understand. Crystal Ships is one of those books that stays with you and keeps you thinking about it long after you've turned the last page.
Crystal Ships by Richard Sharp is a new GREAT in the way of the epic American novel. Reading mainly as historical fiction with layers of drama, critique, and a general human focus, this book is deeply emotional while maintaining a kind of grace and fluidity that is rare. There was so much going on in this book that I could barely keep track of all the action. What a wild ride! There was so much depth, so many characters, and just a general sense of packing so much information into a little over 350 pages that I was amazed. I felt like I learned something just from the sheer amount of information that Sharp managed to include.
Richard Sharp paints a wonderfully detailed picture with his writing style. Full of a bittersweet combination of idealism and a cultured cynicism, this book is one that will be enjoyable for everyone, from the literary critic to the casual Sunday reader. The character development was what really got me, because with about seven main characters, it's hard to make them all realistic and not cutouts. Sharp did a wonderful job crafting individual personalities and really great dialogue! At times, keeping track of the several friends throughout time and space was a bit difficult, but the writing was excellent so I never felt like I was pushing myself to read and understand. Crystal Ships is one of those books that stays with you and keeps you thinking about it long after you've turned the last page.
Recommend this book:
Who's Afraid of Red
A Story Cycle in Three Parts
Alessandra Gelmi
2014 Bronze Medal
122 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Reviewed by Kristie Ingerto for Readers' Favorite
Who’s Afraid of Red: A Story Cycle in Three Parts by Alessandra Gelmi is a philosophical read that will leave the reader pondering life and love. Right away in the start of the book, the reader meets Leon and Sylvia and becomes engrossed in their relationship and their individual searches for meaning in life. Leon was a theology student and then he spent time in Rwanda as a reporter covering the genocides; however, he has been unable to find meaning in life and move on. Sylvia is an art professor and looking for love in life, a love that is fulfilling and true. Although Leon and Sylvia are on separate paths seeking answers, finding closure and fulfillment, their connection with each other remains even when others, including Leon’s daughter, become involved in their lives as well.
Alessandra Gelmi has written a very thought-provoking and philosophical read. The main characters in the book, Leon and Sylvia, are both seeking fulfillment in their lives in more ways than one and feel lost on their journeys through life. This was a very interesting book as I felt I was able to live through these characters and try to sort through their thoughts and feelings. At times, I felt as if I was reading a journal as the writing is in that style – one’s personal thoughts and feelings, nothing being held back or censored. I also liked how the story is divided into three sections as it highlighted defining moments and time periods in the characters’ lives. This is a book that will stick with you and leave you thinking about the characters and one’s own life long after you finish reading.
Who’s Afraid of Red: A Story Cycle in Three Parts by Alessandra Gelmi is a philosophical read that will leave the reader pondering life and love. Right away in the start of the book, the reader meets Leon and Sylvia and becomes engrossed in their relationship and their individual searches for meaning in life. Leon was a theology student and then he spent time in Rwanda as a reporter covering the genocides; however, he has been unable to find meaning in life and move on. Sylvia is an art professor and looking for love in life, a love that is fulfilling and true. Although Leon and Sylvia are on separate paths seeking answers, finding closure and fulfillment, their connection with each other remains even when others, including Leon’s daughter, become involved in their lives as well.
Alessandra Gelmi has written a very thought-provoking and philosophical read. The main characters in the book, Leon and Sylvia, are both seeking fulfillment in their lives in more ways than one and feel lost on their journeys through life. This was a very interesting book as I felt I was able to live through these characters and try to sort through their thoughts and feelings. At times, I felt as if I was reading a journal as the writing is in that style – one’s personal thoughts and feelings, nothing being held back or censored. I also liked how the story is divided into three sections as it highlighted defining moments and time periods in the characters’ lives. This is a book that will stick with you and leave you thinking about the characters and one’s own life long after you finish reading.
Recommend this book:
If I Never Went Home
Ingrid Persaud
2014 Silver Medal
304 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Reviewed by Natasha Jackson for Readers' Favorite
If I Never Went Home tells the story of two Trinidadian women, Bea and Tina, and the separate yet inextricably linked lives they lead in two separate places. Told mostly through flashbacks switching between Tina and Bea, we learn just how tumultuous their lives were and how each woman’s tenacity led her to where she ultimately ends up. Ingrid Persaud writes a fantastic tale of survival and triumph without making the story too sweet or melodramatic. Bea ripped herself from the brink of suicide and turned her life around, helping others as a clinical psychologist. Tina, in her authentic Trini dialect, defines the caricature of a defiant teenager with a yearning for more underneath her tough exterior.
While it would be easy to chalk If I Never Went Home up to some uplifting chick lit, it would be doing both the author and the story a great disservice. Persaud tackles issues that touch the lives of many women: divorce, infidelity, incest, estrangement, and a deep desire to belong. The paths trodden by both Bea and Tina are different yet similar for, in their desire to achieve similar goals, both women must learn some hard truths for a hard-won happiness. Ingrid Persaud weaves a tale of pain and heartache with a rich Caribbean backdrop that serves as the perfect contrast to the sometimes emotional narrative she blends together.
If I Never Went Home answers a few important questions about returning to the scene of the crime, as it were, to find that things weren’t exactly as you remembered them. Without that reflection, one must wonder if Tina or Bea would have found the lives and happiness that awaited them.
If I Never Went Home tells the story of two Trinidadian women, Bea and Tina, and the separate yet inextricably linked lives they lead in two separate places. Told mostly through flashbacks switching between Tina and Bea, we learn just how tumultuous their lives were and how each woman’s tenacity led her to where she ultimately ends up. Ingrid Persaud writes a fantastic tale of survival and triumph without making the story too sweet or melodramatic. Bea ripped herself from the brink of suicide and turned her life around, helping others as a clinical psychologist. Tina, in her authentic Trini dialect, defines the caricature of a defiant teenager with a yearning for more underneath her tough exterior.
While it would be easy to chalk If I Never Went Home up to some uplifting chick lit, it would be doing both the author and the story a great disservice. Persaud tackles issues that touch the lives of many women: divorce, infidelity, incest, estrangement, and a deep desire to belong. The paths trodden by both Bea and Tina are different yet similar for, in their desire to achieve similar goals, both women must learn some hard truths for a hard-won happiness. Ingrid Persaud weaves a tale of pain and heartache with a rich Caribbean backdrop that serves as the perfect contrast to the sometimes emotional narrative she blends together.
If I Never Went Home answers a few important questions about returning to the scene of the crime, as it were, to find that things weren’t exactly as you remembered them. Without that reflection, one must wonder if Tina or Bea would have found the lives and happiness that awaited them.
Recommend this book:
Scattered Links
Michelle Weidenbenner
2014 Gold Medal
256 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Reviewed by Kathryn Bennett for Readers' Favorite
Scattered Links by M. Weidenbenner takes you into the neighborhood of an eastern European town with orphans. This is a fictional account of the pain that tore at the hearts of many in the post-Soviet era, dealing with issues of abandonment and self worth that seem to plague those who do not have a family. You never realize how important family is until you no longer have one. While I personally have never experienced the issues that are laid out in this story, I know many who have. I also know some people who live in the post-Soviet world.
This story rings so true and so close that it is sometimes hard to remember that it is fiction. This book is good for all ages and opens your eyes as you follow the journey of the main character, an orphan who at times may seem bratty to those who have not had to tread a mile in her shoes. Really, how could any of us understand the extent of what happened? The story itself is written very well and you can tell that not only did much research go into it, but also editing and attention to writing detail. The entire story is constructed to make it an experience for the reader and it is one I enjoyed. From the very first page until the last, I was riveted. This is a read-again story and even with the emotional charge in it, I recommend it.
Scattered Links by M. Weidenbenner takes you into the neighborhood of an eastern European town with orphans. This is a fictional account of the pain that tore at the hearts of many in the post-Soviet era, dealing with issues of abandonment and self worth that seem to plague those who do not have a family. You never realize how important family is until you no longer have one. While I personally have never experienced the issues that are laid out in this story, I know many who have. I also know some people who live in the post-Soviet world.
This story rings so true and so close that it is sometimes hard to remember that it is fiction. This book is good for all ages and opens your eyes as you follow the journey of the main character, an orphan who at times may seem bratty to those who have not had to tread a mile in her shoes. Really, how could any of us understand the extent of what happened? The story itself is written very well and you can tell that not only did much research go into it, but also editing and attention to writing detail. The entire story is constructed to make it an experience for the reader and it is one I enjoyed. From the very first page until the last, I was riveted. This is a read-again story and even with the emotional charge in it, I recommend it.
Recommend this book:
Across the Mekong River
Elaine Russell
2013 Bronze Medal
285 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Reviewed by Patricia Day for Readers' Favorite
Across the River by Elaine Russell, is powerful reading. It is the harrowing tale of a family’s escape from the horrors of the Vietnam war.
At the time, Nou is a child. It is her family's story. Freedom is when the Americans leave the country. All they can do is escape across the river Mekong, into Laos and to a refugee camp. If that fails, they are dead. Reaching Laos is their only hope. The story is told through the eyes of little Nou, or Laura as she chooses to be known much later, of her parents and family members. You become embroiled in the nightmarish battle for survival. Nou’s brothers are lost along the way, as are more family members. The journey to Laos is laced with tragedy, and what follows is equally heart-wrenching. She grows up confused and scarred. Born into an Asian farming culture, she has to adapt to Western civilization. Along the way and to avoid derision, she changes her name. She no longer wants to be identified as an alien in America.
When her father discovers what she has done, traditional methods are used to rid her of the spirits of disrespect and dishonor. She has disgraced her family and must pay the price. Her struggles, and those of her parents, hold the reader captive as they encounter one obstacle after another. It is hard to put the book down. Nou’s daily challenges became my own. I felt her pain as she strove to change and become another person – to fit in with the culture around her. It is not a sad read – tragic, yes, but enthralling. Nou takes you along on her frantic journey to escape the country of her birth, and into the world of refugees and eventual freedom to a new country.
Across the River by Elaine Russell, is powerful reading. It is the harrowing tale of a family’s escape from the horrors of the Vietnam war.
At the time, Nou is a child. It is her family's story. Freedom is when the Americans leave the country. All they can do is escape across the river Mekong, into Laos and to a refugee camp. If that fails, they are dead. Reaching Laos is their only hope. The story is told through the eyes of little Nou, or Laura as she chooses to be known much later, of her parents and family members. You become embroiled in the nightmarish battle for survival. Nou’s brothers are lost along the way, as are more family members. The journey to Laos is laced with tragedy, and what follows is equally heart-wrenching. She grows up confused and scarred. Born into an Asian farming culture, she has to adapt to Western civilization. Along the way and to avoid derision, she changes her name. She no longer wants to be identified as an alien in America.
When her father discovers what she has done, traditional methods are used to rid her of the spirits of disrespect and dishonor. She has disgraced her family and must pay the price. Her struggles, and those of her parents, hold the reader captive as they encounter one obstacle after another. It is hard to put the book down. Nou’s daily challenges became my own. I felt her pain as she strove to change and become another person – to fit in with the culture around her. It is not a sad read – tragic, yes, but enthralling. Nou takes you along on her frantic journey to escape the country of her birth, and into the world of refugees and eventual freedom to a new country.
Recommend this book:
Destiny Denied
Rosemary Gard
2013 Gold Medal
163 Pages
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Fiction - Cultural
Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite
It is the early years of the last century and Stefan Vladeslav leaves his family's Croatian home, running away from constant family problems. Stefan's father announces his illegitimate son Ivan as an heir and Stefan's mother is obsessed with the family's monetary inheritance. Stefan sells his horse and saddle and buys a ticket on the Orient Express to Istanbul and meets up with older woman Magda who he knows from a local gambling house that offers prostitution. Magda and Stefan tour Europe gambling and passing themselves off as a wealthy aunt travelling with her nephew. Madga dies in Italy in 1909 and leaves her money and her gambling house to Stefan. Stefan returns home hoping for forgiveness but he finds that his father is not speaking to him and that his mother is dead. Stefan's aunt Sophie, his father's sister, has an adopted daughter, Katya, who loves Ivan, Stefan's step-brother, but Ivan's mother calls red-haired Katya a witch. The local Gypsies agree with her and trail Katya's every move.
"Destiny Denied" is an intriguing story of a family's deep secrets coming to light and leaving them with choices that they'd rather not make. That the late local parish priest Father Lahdra kept a journal telling of those secrets is a good writing ploy and makes "Destiny Denied" above-average as an exciting read. The characters of Stefan, Katya, Ivan, Magda, Anton who is Stefan's father, Valina the Gypsy, Sophie and Alexie are totally believable. The plot line runs smoothly to the last pages as Stefan leaves home once again and Katya and Ivan are faced with an unexpected destiny. "Destiny Denied" is good historical fiction and should appeal to most readers.
It is the early years of the last century and Stefan Vladeslav leaves his family's Croatian home, running away from constant family problems. Stefan's father announces his illegitimate son Ivan as an heir and Stefan's mother is obsessed with the family's monetary inheritance. Stefan sells his horse and saddle and buys a ticket on the Orient Express to Istanbul and meets up with older woman Magda who he knows from a local gambling house that offers prostitution. Magda and Stefan tour Europe gambling and passing themselves off as a wealthy aunt travelling with her nephew. Madga dies in Italy in 1909 and leaves her money and her gambling house to Stefan. Stefan returns home hoping for forgiveness but he finds that his father is not speaking to him and that his mother is dead. Stefan's aunt Sophie, his father's sister, has an adopted daughter, Katya, who loves Ivan, Stefan's step-brother, but Ivan's mother calls red-haired Katya a witch. The local Gypsies agree with her and trail Katya's every move.
"Destiny Denied" is an intriguing story of a family's deep secrets coming to light and leaving them with choices that they'd rather not make. That the late local parish priest Father Lahdra kept a journal telling of those secrets is a good writing ploy and makes "Destiny Denied" above-average as an exciting read. The characters of Stefan, Katya, Ivan, Magda, Anton who is Stefan's father, Valina the Gypsy, Sophie and Alexie are totally believable. The plot line runs smoothly to the last pages as Stefan leaves home once again and Katya and Ivan are faced with an unexpected destiny. "Destiny Denied" is good historical fiction and should appeal to most readers.
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