Sunday, May 17, 2009

Sunday Salon-Glad to be back!

The Sunday Salon.com

It's great to be back on Sunday Salon. I can't wait to visit everyone's blog. It's been a rough couple of months for me, but this week I'm feeling better. Although not quite 100%, I can at least read a little and write to you. It has been unbearably difficult not being able to write on my blog and reading yours. All is good today though and that's all that matters.

Obviously, my reading has been very low for May because of my illness, but I did start a couple of books to make up for lost time.

I'm reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan-published in 1963. Wow! This is a must read about the state of women during the late 50's and early 60's. This period of time has been called the Second Wave of the feminist movement. Amazing stuff!!!

Also on the nightstand are:
Sea Changes by Gail Graham...fabulous!
Every Boat Turns South by J.P. White...riveting!
Leviathan by Eric Jay Dolin...compelling history of whaling in America.

Review: Salvos on the Backwater





Salvos on the Backwater: A Novel of the Civil War Period,Erin Wunderlich, XLibris, 2008, hc$22.99/ pb$15.99, 284pp, 1-4257-9845-4

It is 1863 on the Gulf Coast of Florida on the Apalachee Bay. Cap’n Jack Nichols and his Uncle Wiley are fishing on board the Chopee. This area of Florida is a dangerous place with constant treats of gators, panthers, snakes and other wild animals. Along with beastly harm comes the threat of Confederate pickets and Union soldiers who are crawling the countryside. It is a battleground for control. Bridges are targets. Waterways patrolled. Clear passage to ship goods is essential to both sides and at any cost. Desperate men will work for food and turn colors quicker than a the flash of a lighting hits the earth. Jack prefers fishing to any involvement in the war as he tries to remain neutral.

On this day, Jack and Wiley come upon the USS General Lyon and they frantically dodge cannonball fire. But Jack knows the labyrinth of streams, land and islands like his own name. They escape capture, possibly death and when they slip away they encounter a homestead. They meet the widow Rebecca, her father and son who have come upon tough times. Before leaving, Jack helps Rebecca get on her feet. Smitten with the widow, Wiley notices Jacks backward glancing smile as they leave. Jack continues to face peril from the Civil War and his nemesis Timber Harris. Harris, a sore looser, lost his boat to Jack in a card game and won’t rest till he gets revenge. According to Jack, “For me Harris is like a rip tide that keeps dragging my britches back toward trouble”

This historically informative action adventure provides a look at Florida in the Civil War era not often written about. Jack the manly, ingenious, Indiana Jones type main character is captivating. The plot is predictable , however that does not diminish the fine writing and imagery captured in the semantic dialect of the area.


You may want to read this one for the Southern Book Challenge 2009. This is one of my choices.

1/2

9 comments:

serendipity_viv said...

Lovely to see you back. Sounds like you have had a really rough time of late.

Anonymous said...

Welcome back!!!

Michelle said...

Hi, I just found your blog and am looking forward to reading your reviews. I've got a copy of The Feminine Mystique and really need to move it up my TBR pile!

Unknown said...

Very sad to hear you had not been well. Glad to have you back!
Dave Fuller

Marie Cloutier said...

I'm so sorry you weren't feeling well, and glad to have you back! :-)

Literary Feline said...

It's so good to see you back, Donna. I do hope you are feeling better.

I've wondered about The Feminine Mystique. It definitely would be an interesting book to read. I am glad you enjoyed it. :-)

I enjoyed reading your review of Salvos on the Backwater. It sounds like a great book.

I hope you have a good week. Let your animals take care of you.

The Bookworm said...

Hi Wisteria, sorry you've been feeling sick. Glad to see you back :O) Sounds like you've got some good books there.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

BurtonReview said...

Just wanted to say Get well Soon! We are all glad to see you back, take it easy and read read read!

Ladytink_534 said...

Sounds like an interesting one! I don't believe I've ever read anything set in Florida during the Civil War before....