A Silken Thread by Kim Vogel Sawyer ~ Book Review

 

Laurel Millard is the youngest sibling in her family.  Her father passed away when she was three and her Mom had never remarried.  All her siblings are married with families of their own but Laurel still lives with her Mom (who is in her forties).  Unbeknownst to their mother the siblings issue Laurel an ultimatum that as the youngest without a family of her own she must forgo her dream of one day marrying and having that family in order to take care of their Mother.  In shock that they would expect that of her, Laurel holds out hope that she can actually find a good man who would not only love her but would also take her Mother under his household also.  When the Atlanta Cotton Exposition of 1885 comes to town, Laurel's mother encourages her to apply to work there in the hopes that maybe she can meet a suitor.  Laurel does meet a very wealthy Langdon Rochester who is heir apparent to his father's steam engine business.  He is charming and wealthy and sets his sights on Laurel in order to appease his own mother who is pushing him to get married.  Laurel also meets a young security guard named Willie who may not have two cents to rub together but has a good and kind heart.  In becoming friends with Willie and his black friend Quincey who is a groundskeeper at the exposition, Laurel starts to see first hand the the division of class and education and racism that is prevalent in her city.  As the exposition contends with some disasters the two young men Laurel has gotten to know are pitted against one another.

I really enjoyed this Christian fiction from a favorite author.   Under the historical setting of the exposition the author explores themes of racism and bigotry, the have vs the have nots, friendship and integrity, the desire in all humans to be loved and to belong, injustice and standing up for what is right.  The characters were interesting and though sometimes Laurel might have seemed a tad naive and therefore frustrating, it would come from her sheltered life as a younger sibling in those times.  Willie and Quincey's friendship was beautifully written, I thought, and the struggle, misunderstandings and turmoil that the situation they found themselves in really brought out what it might have been like back in that time.  The love to hate character did his job well, I loved to hate the character.  And though the ending was not a surprise the journey to get there was moving and thoroughly kept my attention.  

I rated this a 9.5/10