BookReview| Abigail J. Hartman- The Soldier's Cross

Dear Reader,

It’s with great pleasure that I tell you about this delightful piece of literature. Shall I mention before anything else that the author, Abigail J. Hartman, is quite young? In actuality, she was a mere fourteen years old when The Soldier’s Cross was completed. This fact definitely contributed to the eagerness with which I looked forward to reading it. Every time I held the hefty weight of the book in my hands, I tried to imagine the words that this young authoress had used to craft the tale that sounded so intriguing.

Excerpt from the synopsis: Robbed of the one dearest to her and alone in the world, Fiona turns to her brother’s silver cross in search of the peace he said it would bring. But when she finds it missing she swears she will have it and sets out on a journey across the Channel and war-ravaged France to regain it and find the peace it carries.

I found the story to be well-balanced; all the different components of characters, setting, and plot worked in harmony with each other. Nothing was forced and quite frankly, I still stand amazed by how real and authentic the language used was. I can honestly say that it’s been years since I’ve enjoyed historical fiction as much as I did this book; it’s superior to most of what’s flooding the markets as of late.

The descriptions, -the prose- they were brilliant: not only do they pull the reader right in, but they capture the heart of each scene with such perfection that there’s no doubt of which place you were in. It was exquisite, truly, and I applaud the author for her deftness with words and her obvious grasp of the power of language.

Many people will be able to relate to Fiona’s journey; not so much her physical one, but more her spiritual. “God has arranged strange ways for some of us to find Him.” There’s a good one-sentence summary for the book. This is definitely the most outstanding part of The Soldier’s Cross. It doesn’t delve deeply into this until the last parts of the book when Fiona finally meets with her God. One of my favorite parts of the book goes as follows:

"Giovanni.... She rolled over with a sigh and looked at the figure in her hands. She did not miss him as savagely as she once had, knowing that had he not fallen, she would as yet be lost in her soul-"

Right here, lies the depth because Fiona realizes that, even though she has lost her brother, she’s gained Jesus, and her heart lies with the latter.

I have to be honest about one thing: the characters are Catholic, and while this is probably very realistic for Medieval France, I still found it a tiny bit disconcerting to read of the one mention of ‘the refining fires of Purgatory’ and of characters praying to the Virgin Mary for strength. That’s the lone aspect that I didn’t like about the book.

Utterly charming. Two words I would use to describe the book. And it comes highly recommended from this [somewhat] jaded reader. Really, it has to still be around a hundred years from now so that readers can place it as a prized possession on their bookshelves, much like mine holds Stepping Heavenward, A Girl of the Limberlost, etc. and now The Soldier’s Cross.

As ever, -Eva

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Title| The Soldier’s Cross

Author| Abigail J. Hartman

Number of Pages| 293 pages

Publisher| Ambassador International

Published| October 2010

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Source: A copy of The Soldier’s Cross was sent to me by Ambassador International for the sole purpose of reviewing it. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Buy it: Amazon