Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin’ Conrbread Review {and Giveaway}

So one very good side affect of morning sickness that lasts all day is I’ve been reading more. After dinner, I head upstairs to a nice bubble bath, and my sweet family takes care of the tidying. It’s been so nice to pick up books again and just treat myself to some reading time.

I was sent this book by Family Christian Stores. I absolutely love everything Jane Austen, so I was a little curious to read a book that admitted, right there in the title, that it was using Persuasion as inspiration.

The book drew my in right away. The author, Mary Jane Hathaway, made the connection for us right away, explaining how this story really was going to be like Persuasion. I think the fact that she owned it right from the beginning made me very comfortable with the similarities. They didn’t feel forced and I didn’t have to search for them. She just unapologetically stated the fact that sometimes life reflects the beautiful stories we’ve read, even if we don’t always see it.

Lucy, the main character, has a deep passion for Civil War history. I immediately smiled and related. When I was in high school, I bought a book of love poems at a battlefield gift shop, somewhere in the south, and I thought Lucy would probably have bought the exact same book of poems. I should explain. It didn’t matter if we were headed to Colorado or Disney World, my father would drive us by every single battlefield within 200 miles of the route. I always enjoyed it. The battlefields were always beautiful, and quiet, and full of history you could feel. Lucy spends her life making sure others remember this history.

When her high school sweetheart, Jem, re-enters her life, she is immediately taken back ten years to the love that she lost. The story takes you through beautiful history, complicated family dynamics, and Lucy’s ever loyal heart. Mary Jane Hathaway layers the story with delicious recipes and friendships born out of just having things in common. I think Jane Austen with a southern twist might just be my new favorite genre, y’all!

I’ve added this to my “Books I Adore” list and I’ve given it a 5 star rating. {My very unofficial rating system – 5 Stars – I will loan it to you, but I’d really like it back, ok? 4 Stars – I will loan it to you, and it’s cool if you keep it or pass it on. 3 Stars – You can have it. It was just ok.}

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