Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn
The Beloved Land (2002)
Author: Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn
Genre: Historical (Family Saga)/Christian
Plot Summary:
Anne (Harrow) Crowley and Nicole Robichaud were raised in Acadia/Nova Scotia by one set of English and one set of Acadian parents because of the close friendship of their mothers. Anne now lives in England and Nicole lives in Boston, but they are each called to Nova Scotia because Anne’s father is ill. The relations between the English and Acadians in Nova Scotia are stretched thin because of the previous expulsion of the Acadians, until Anne’s husband and Andrew exert a calming Christian influence. Nicole’s husband has renounced his English officer’s commission to support the American cause. Anne and Nicole learn that their ties as chosen family are more important than the differences between English and French, or English and American. The families find out that Nicole’s mother Louise Robichaud is the daughter of Anne’s grandfather’s half-sister, and by this remarkable revelation, the two families’ learn that they share both French and English blood, not just French and English friendship.
Geographical Setting: England, Boston, Louisiana, and Nova Scotia.
Time Period: 1786
Series: Fifth in the Song of Acadia series
Appeal Characteristics:
Characters are the focus. Settings are richly described. Long-term plot development is apparent, picking up threads from the first four books and starting threads I’m sure they develop later. The pace is leisurely, with lots of description of interactions. It is not preachy, but demonstrably christian. Values are discussed and consistently demonstrated. Modern dilemmas like cross-cultural relations and family ties are addressed thoroughly in a historical setting.
Red Flags: No sex. Mo offensive language. One could wonder if it really was this easy to smooth over English/Acadian conflict, but it’s not horribly out of touch.
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