the seeker

I am fascinated by history.
Not dry, dear lordy, I-can't-memorize-all-the-dates kind of history.
But the kind of history that is played out in stories.
The stories of people who have overcome and survived and beat the odds to make a way for themselves in the world.
One of my favorite ways to learn about history is through good historical fiction.
The characters may be fictional but the backdrops in which their stories play out are true to the times.
I also have a very healthy respect for writers who write historical fiction because
they are like detectives, discovering the past, piecing together the patchwork of society and culture, so they can tell their stories.
Ann did a great job.
I loved the history behind The Seeker, by Ann H. Gabhart, I felt like she picked me up and dropped me in the middle of 1860's Civil War Kentucky, a world caught up in political strife, a world defined by culture and decorum, a world where a woman's choices were held in check by the men surrounding her.
This is where we find our heroine Charlotte, a strong young woman, who finds her once stable life is unraveling around her. Her mother has recently died, her supposed bethrothed has decided to join a religious group called the Shakers and her senator father brings home a new wife young enough to be her sister.
When her stepmother makes life unbearable, Charlotte joins the Shakers in an effort to escape her and to win back her man.
Charlotte's immersion in the world of the Shakers is fascinating. (way better than history class, girls!)
Gabhart takes us on an emotional journey as Charlotte encounters disillusionment, sorrow, religiosity, despair, hope and the beginnings of a true love.
Her character and story draws us in and we can't help rooting for her as she tries to find her path in life.
To lose yourself in a good story (and a little a romance) pick up The Seeker and dive in to some riveting history.

Available at retailers that sell Revell books. NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishing Group. This has neither positively nor negatively biased my review.