Embrace the Day

This book could easily be developed into a 3 night miniseries (like the north and south series.) Only this is about the peoplewho came to the western frontier, broken financially and so down there's only one way up..and they have the perseverence to make it. Despite horrific odds and challenges that lesser people would fail. This book is an easy read the characters just grab at you until you "own" them but it is a story of many people,not just the original characters and I desparately wish that the "tie-ing the strings together with all these characters" in the last chapters was longer and more in depth.Genevieve , our main character,is the (england) tavern owners daughter who works hard and is treated badly. He "bets" her in a card game and he loses her to a proxy marriage to a colonial. She's relatively unschooled but while working at the tavern has become friends with a nanny named Prudence sho teaches gennie to read and write. Prudence confides in gennie...she loves the master of the house and is pregnant with his child. They confront him and his wife. Angela, the nasty hateful wife, instead of throwing Pru out of the house arranges a marriage for her with a distant, penniless man, our hero Roark, who desparately wants to go to the colonies. He needs the money Angela gives him for marriage to Pru. (He doesn't know she's pregnant). So the 3 of them coincidentally embark on this voyage to america. Rorak and Gennie fall in love but behave honorablyuntil Prudence dies in childbirth and then they get together.The rest of the book is dedicated to their wonderful relationship and the incredible experience of their children.It has warmth, love, history, hardship, sadness, and joy. It slows down in the middle while characters are bedeviled with problems but it surely is worth that brief period for the remainder is excellent. I wish it had not ended as soon as it did. This is a love story but tastefully done with minimal graphic sex. Frankly, this story doesn't need the addition of that to be a successful novel or to reflect incredible love and passion.

I loved this very emotional story set in the hills of Virginia. Several times while reading it tears came to my eyes because you are so drawn to this family, their accomplishments and pain touch your heart. I enjoy the history along with the story, I put it down with the feeling not only had I read a wonderful novel I learned something along the way. Another highly recommended story! You MUST pick this one up!