Reviewed by phyllish on
My rating is 4.5 Stars
Ren’s twins were already 6 years old before he knew they existed. Not because his wife had hidden the fact she had them. It was because he had been whaling. For 7 long years! It is hard to fathom having the kind of career that would require a commitment like that.
Ren was so noble. During the time away from his wife of just a few months, he remained faithful to her and loved her dearly. He also bucked tradition and promoted a Negro to the position of second mate and treated him with kindness.
Daphne was amazing! She was so determined to do what was right and good. Her deep love for her sister and her children was so natural and motivated so much of what she did. This was at least a little amazing considering her mother was shrewish and bitter.
I related well to the characters and found them to be multi-faceted and very interesting. There was some mystery related to Jane’s death and the deplorable way that it came about.
Apparently, the Quakers in the 1600s and at the beginning of the 1800s struggled with issues related to slavery and bigotry and prejudice. I remember hearing the part many Quakers played in the Underground Railroad and assumed that they would have always taken a stance against slavery. The author tackled this difficult subject and shed light on the fact that there were struggles within the community of “Friends”. Though they refused to purchase products that used slave labor, such as cotton and sugar, they still segregated the Negros and the natives and treated them with less respect than they showed each other.
Minding the Light was a great addition to this series.
This review was originally posted on Among the Reads
Get a preview of Minding the Light at amongTheReads.net
I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 11 May, 2018: Reviewed