(No spoilers here!)
I’m not much for split time novels myself... But this sort of multi-generational novel that doesn’t force me to spend half the book in the modern present...is much more my cup of tea!
The newest book from Roseanna M. White, Yesterday’s Tides, is set during both WWI and WWII, so sort of split-time in that sense. But what a great combo it is, tying together what really should be connected far more often; so many things affected one another between these two enormous world events.
...On a side note for this one, I love the cover art; the colors, the quiet storminess in the clouds and the imagery, and a person with face not really visible so your imagination can work (my personal favorite). Beautiful. And real.
Evie and Sterling are some of my new favorite characters Roseanna has introduced to us. I love their interactions and personalities and understanding the time through their responses to what's happening in their world. It's hard to say a lot without giving secrets away... So... I'm enjoying them. Ahem.
The vocations of Roseanna’s characters further help highlight the atmosphere of the times she sets these people in. While this surely takes large amounts of mental weight-lifting on her part, it really sinks her readers in the real life, everyday mindsets that help us understand the where, the who, the when, and almost the /scent/ of the places she sends us.
This is a large part of why I never hesitate to recommend Roseanna’s books, even if I haven’t read one yet. I know her characters will be vivid, real, and honest about the world they live in (even if they’re sometimes dishonest with themselves). The times and places will be alive and lived-in, not a cardboard backdrop for drama. The drama of the story will be fitting and have gravity to it that matters to the story and the people in it. And I feel like Roseanna always is invested in the lives and eras she’s painting; and certainly if she cares, her readers feel that, and we quickly are absorbed as well.
All that said, go find and enjoy this beautiful book about a stormy season of world history. Let me leave you with a beautiful line from Yesterday’s Tides:
‘She was one small grain of sand squaring off against a hurricane.
But each grain of sand played its part. She drew her tools to her, turned her heart to prayer, and prepared to do hers.’
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