I’m so excited to be participating in this Blog Tour! I was somewhat frantic because in the hustle and bustle of travel I thought I’d forgotten this book at home..but .. I did not! So I happily bring you this review and giveaway!
To enter the giveaway, you must leave your email in a comment and answer the following question: If you had lived in the early 20th century, what profession might you have pursued?
This giveaway will end on April 11, 2010.
An Absence So Great: A Novel by Jane Kirkpatrick
Learn more at Random House
Summary:
While growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those owners who have fallen ill with mercury poisoning.
Jessie gains footing in her dream to one day operate her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession. But even a job she loves can’t keep painful memories from seeping into her heart when the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life.
My Review:
In An Absence so Great, Jane Kirkpatrick tells the (continuing) story of her Grandmother, Jessie Gaebele.
This is the second book of the series, the first being A Flickering Light. I had not read the first, but aside from a bit of confusion in the beginning, it didn’t matter all that much.
The story is that of a young woman photographer in the early 20th century. Her struggles with establishing herself as a photographer of merit, working toward owning her own photography studio and her battles with her emotions when it comes to a married man, Fred Bauer, are all laid out plainly and openly.
Overall, the story was.. very depressing and sad to me. It seemed as if Jessie could not catch a break and I had a difficult time with the eventual outcome of things. But.. that’s life for you, even though it would have not been the way I hoped things would end.
My favorite part of the book, however, were the photographs shown and the short stories, in Jessie’s own words, of what was happening in each photograph. These were exciting, thought-provoking and incredibly detailed and beautifully written. By far, they made up the parts of the book I looked forward to the most.
Overall it is an interesting read and I do recommend it, especially if you are interested in the subject of photography and enjoy looking at older photos and thinking about their stories.
About the Author:
Jane Kirkpatrick is an award-winning author of sixteen historical novels, including A Flickering Light, the first part of Jessie Gaebale’s story, and three nonfiction titles. Known for her unique insights into the exploration of community, family and faith of actual historical women, the Wisconsin native and her husband have called their ranch in Oregon home for the past 25 years.
This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.
This review is my honest opinion of this book and was not influenced by Waterbrook Mulnomah or the Author.
The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough
