This book was such a good read! Check out my review and enter the tour giveaway below...
A Tapestry of Light
By Kimberly Duffy
Christian Historical Romance
Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 433 Pages
March 16, 2021 by Bethan House Publishers
Summary
Calcutta, 1886.
Ottilie Russell is adrift between two cultures, British and Indian, belonging to both and neither. In order to support her little brother, Thaddeus, and her grandmother, she relies upon her skills in beetle-wing embroidery that have been passed down to her through generations of Indian women.
When a stranger appears with the news that Thaddeus is now Baron Sunderson and must travel to England to take his place as a nobleman, Ottilie is shattered by the secrets that come to light. Despite her growing friendship with Everett Scott, friend to Ottilie’s English grandmother and aunt, she refuses to give up her brother. Then tragedy strikes, and she is forced to make a decision that will take Thaddeus far from death and herself far from home.
But betrayal and loss lurk in England, too, and soon Ottilie must fight to ensure Thaddeus doesn’t forget who he is, as well as find a way to stitch a place for herself in this foreign land.
My Review
A TAPESTRY OF LIGHT is a story that will immerse readers in all the textures of historical India with all the colors, scents and tastes. It's a story of two worlds and the racism prevalent amid the English, especially after a massacre that happened on Indian soil where many English women and children died. It's also a story of two hearts and the risk of pursuing a love that society would only shun. A recommended read for Christian historical fans.
I loved how immersed I was in India and its culture as I read this. I could almost taste and feel the setting. I also loved these characters, especially the main protagonist, Ottilie. She had so much heartbreak and loss in her young life, and then travels away from everything that is family to a new land where she wasn't fully accepted. You might want to have tissues nearby as there were quite a few moments where all I wanted to do was cry for her. She was definitely a relatable character and one that I wanted to cheer on.
The author did a good job of weaving so many meaningful elements through this story. It definitely was one of loss, forgiveness, found family and character growth. It also had elements of faith woven throughout as Ottilie tried to believe that God is real and that He is loving. The romance aspect was also marvelously done. I could feel the chemistry and the sweetness of new and fragile love. I also really liked the friendships and the familial aspects of this story in all their messiness.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This story was full of color and texture, with great characters and a story that will pull on readers' hearts from beginning to end. It was a beautiful story and definitely worth the read.
Content: Some racism and innuendo. Clean.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Celebrate Lit, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
Kimberly Duffy is a Long Island native currently living in Southwest Ohio, via six months in India. When she’s not homeschooling her four kids, she writes historical fiction that takes her readers back in time and across oceans. She loves trips that require a passport, recipe books, and practicing kissing scenes with her husband of twenty years. He doesn’t mind.
More from Kimberly
When I set out to write a new novel, I plan the entire thing from start to finish. I write down each scene on an index card and know exactly what’s going to happen when I sit down for the day’s work. I’m meticulous that way.
But I never plan my characters’ spiritual arcs. Because I want their faith journey to be organic to the story. I want it to feel authentic. It’s such an important part of each of my books and I recognize that some things just refuse plotting and need to develop in a more natural way.
My debut novel, A Mosaic of Wings, features a heroine steeped in science. Nora loves the natural world and so her faith was encouraged by studying the wings of a butterfly or examining an interesting plant. She’s not particularly sentimental or emotive so the faith element of that story had to be presented in a way that made sense for her. Nora’s faith arc is subtle.
Not so for A Tapestry of Light. I had no intention of writing a book that delved into my own struggle with doubt. But that’s what Ottilie required. And it wrung me dry.
Then built me back up.
My faith story is a twisted kind of one. Raised a Christian, I went into ministry, firmly attached myself to the faith of my childhood, and thought it would never waver.
I was wrong.
Oh, how it wavered. For whatever reason, when I hit about 30, it seemed everything I had always believed no longer made sense. It was devastating. Terrifying. And it broke me.
But brokenness is its own sort of beauty and when you recognize there is no way for you to pick up the pieces yourself, God can come in and fill those cracks and shattered places.
Those five years of doubt and questioning and facing the reality that even though I’d always loved Christ, I didn’t really know Him (and didn’t really know why I believed in Him), were some of the most painful I’ve experienced. But I believe with every bit of my being that God is in the business of redemption. Of restoration. Of filling up so that we can pour out.
And he took my own very personal struggle and helped me turn it into a story that, I hope and pray, might encourage others. I gave Ottilie my questions. I gave her my doubt. I gave her my fear and desperation and, in the end, I gave her my hope.
There’s a little piece of me in each of my books, but this one contains my heart.
Tour Schedule
Life of Literature, March 27
Through the Fire Blogs, March 27
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 27
Texas Book-aholic, March 28
Breny and Books, March 28
By The Book, March 29
Genesis 5020, March 29
Inklings and notions, March 29
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 30
Mypreciousbitsandmusings, March 30
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 31
Mia Reads, March 31
Reflections from my bookshelves, March 31
Connie’s History Classroom, April 1
Remembrancy, April 1
For Him and My Family, April 2
Rachael’s Inkwell, April 2
Vicky Sluiter, April 2
deb’s Book Review, April 3
Batya’s Bits, April 3
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 4
Godly Book Reviews, April 4
Pause for Tales, April 4
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 5
Simple Harvest Reads, April 5 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 6
A Baker’s Perspective, April 6
Labor Not in Vain, April 6
She Lives To Read, April 7
Betti Mace, April 7
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 8
To Everything There Is A Season, April 8
Mary Hake, April 8
Wishful Endings, April 9
Bigreadersite, April 9
Tour-Wide Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kimberly is giving away the grand prize $25 Amazon gift card along with a signed copy of either A Mosaic of Wings or A Tapestry of Light!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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