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Good-bye 2020 and Hello 2021!!! What better way to ring in the new year then with a brand-new book by Roseanna M. White's Dreams of Savannah. It's a standalone historical work of fiction.
Cordelia "Delia" Owens is the middle daughter of the family. From the second Cordelia enters the story, I found myself instantly connecting with her because of her fanciful romantic daydreams. The first meeting of Phineas and Cordelia really sets the tone of their relationship. There is a strong bond of friendship, however romantic feelings are lingering on the surface for both Cordelia and Phineas. They are both amorously attracted to each other, but Phineas is convinced because of her family's standing in the community he has nothing to offer and on Cordelia's part, she may be a dreamer, but a true Southern Lady would never tell a gentleman how she feels about him unless he stated otherwise.
Their relationship get's put to the test when Phineas goes off to war and Cordelia stays behind and continues to get pressured to get married. Before Phin left he asked Cordelia to wait for him, and she promised "Forever", which gives him something to live for throughout the horrors of war, but also something for her to cling to as well. This is when the story really started to pick-up. The pacing of the first half of the book was a little too slow for my tastes, but it did pick-up as it went along and Ms. White really started to weave the story together.
This story does a good job of showing you the culture and beliefs that existed in that time that kept the south in a dark place in our history. The relationship between Phin and Luther (Luther, a free black man, whose wife was stolen and sold as a slave) was an important relationship for Phin and the man he becomes and what he stands for.
Throughout this story we see that there is a cost for standing up for what you believe in and that grace is an essential component to love. Will you allow someone to change and grow based on their life’s experiences? Including experiences you were not a part of and may not fully personally understand?
This book takes on tough topics and really show's how important love is over money or status. But the most important lesson of all is that all lives matter. So while I will be honest is saying that I was hesitant to read a Civil War-era story right now, this story dealt with all these hard topics in a beautiful way that made you want to stick to finishing the story and the important message within. If you're looking for a light and fun read you may want to keep this on your TBR shelf a little while longer until you're ready to dive into more serious topics.
Just like the cover really draws you in and makes you want to read the pages within the book, Ms. White did not disappoint with her story telling that is so impactful for this time.
~~ Dreams of Savannah was provided to me by the author and Bethany House in return for my honest review. I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions expressed are my own, I was not required to write a positive review. All viewpoints expressed are my own.~~
