QUEEN OF SWORDS

Author: Sara Donati ISBN: 055358278X 11/2007 HISTORICAL FICTION Publisher: BANTAM
Time Period: 1815

It is the summer of 1814, and Hannah Bonner and her half brother Luke have spent more than a year searching the islands of the Caribbean for Luke’s wife and the man who abducted her. But Jennet’s rescue is not the resolution they’d hoped for. While captive, she gave birth to Luke’s son but was compelled to surrender him to a stranger in the hope of keeping him safe. To recover the infant, the trio must begin a journey that will lead them to New Orleans and to a powerful, corrupt family who now claim him as their own. But in a city on the brink of war, the Bonners' plans go awry, isolating them from one another. And when Hannah falls ill, only an old friend can save her—and only an influential stranger can engineer a miracle that will reunite her family.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Sara Donati has written some wonderful books that border on historical fiction/romance. Her Wilderness series is one of my personal favorites in that line, although I've read only three of the five she's published so far (I missed LAKE IN THE CLOUDS and FIRE ALONG THS SKY). Getting the paperback release of QUEEN OF SWORDS to review was a great way for me to revisit old friends and families, and yet I was a little bit hesitant, at first. I was afraid I'd missed so much in those two books I hadn't read that I wouldn't be able to pick up and follow this latest release. Not to worry. While I was a little out of my element through the first few chapters of QUEEN OF SWORDS, Donati gave me just enough background that I soon found myself immersed in time, place and characters, and it only whetted my appetite to go back and read those previous volumes I'd missed. QUEEN OF SWORDS stands just fine on its own.

While this book begins with rescuing Luke's wife and child and the problems they face in reconciling after so long of a separation, its soul belongs entirely to Hannah, daughter of Nathaniel Bonner and an Indian woman. Hannah is unlike any character of this time period I've ever read, regardless of ethnicity or gender. She embodies all the strengths of character of what a true pioneer surely had to possess to survive. She's the most resilient, wise and earthy character I've ever met in a book. Searching for her own identity while living in two worlds, White and Indian, she seems to keep an even keel about things. The sheer strength of her character, her will and ability to do what needs to be done, regardless of what she must suffer through to attain it, garnered her not just the respect of her fictional counterparts, but my respect as well. If only we could all be as wise and endurable as she was. I will warn you, though, that what Hannah must endure is often times hard to read, so be prepared to get run through an emotional wringer (and keep the Kleenex box handy).

Sara Donati is one author that, along with Diana Gabaldon, seems to be able to walk a fine line and appeal to so many readers across so many different reading genres, that it's hard to think anyone wouldn't read her works. Regardless of what genre you like, Donati's superlative writing style and fine attention to historical research and detail, plus her creation of the unique and "real" characters that populate her stories, makes her a must read for just about everyone. She is truly one of the most gifted writers out there, and I for one don't intend to miss her next book—as well as make up reading time with those books that I have missed. I just hope Donati's not too long in getting out that next release! I can hardly wait.

Nancy Davis