The Jewel of Gresham Green

The series of 4 books in the Gresham Chronicles is idyllic and suffused with Christian values. The series is romantic rather then realistic. However these qualities also make the books endearing. I came to love the various characters and hated to see the series end with it's characters going into oblivion. The books reminded me somewhat of George MacDonald, a Christian Victorian British writer of tremendous talent.

I love the Gresham novels by Lawana Blackwell. They are some of the strongest fare this market has to offer at the moment. Exceptionally well written and engaging with quirky villagers and snappy, romantic episodes so befitting their setting of 19th Century Rural England. I had read the first "trilogy" in the series ( Widow of Larkspur Inn; Courtship of the Vicar's Daugther and The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark ) sequentially earlier this year. I had no trouble picking up about a decade or so later when the events in this novel take place. As is the case with all Blackwell's novels, there are one or two main strands ( this one featuring a widowed mother and her adorable daughter fleeing the harmful potential of a rakish London landlord for the safety of the Gresham parish ) and plenty of subplots to colour in the sidelines. My favourite plot in the novel involves the jubilant writer Aleda and her friendship with storyteller Gabriel Patterson. The last time we saw Aleda and Gabriel they were substantially younger and I love what they have grown up to be. Aleda ducks conventions, lives in a writing cottage where she doesn't feel the need to have a water closet ( because Shakespeare didn't have one) and has a Jo March-esque tendency to write pot-boilers about pirates eaten by komodo dragons. Blackwell's inserted snippets from Aleda's magazine serials and moments showing Aleda plotting the next portion of the novel are to die for! I really love how funny and fresh Blackwell's prose is. She captures the time period perfectly and throws in tidbits of every day life that balance the charming action of the novel with plausible historical fact. Highly, highly recommended for lovers of Victoriana and top-notch historical fiction.

Lawana's characters from her previous Gresham Chronicles come back to life as a newcomer, Jewel Libby flees from Birmingham with her small daughter with danger of an evil man stalking them upon their heels. But Vicar Andrew Phelps and his wife, Julia are immersed in troubles of their own. Their son Philip's marriage is in shambles, daughter Aleda secludes herself away from her parents to concentrate on her writing career while Andrew himself is on the verge of surgery. Jewel soon finds herself the source of strength and encouragement as she ministers to the dying squire and to the vicar's family. The intricately woven plot is ingenious. I don't know how Lawana keeps all the subplots together. It's absolutely fantastic! I really hope to see a lot more of her stories in the near future! Keep up the good work, Lawana!

This series is the best. Have read all the Grisham novels. Sometimes, I get disappointed, if I have read 3 or 4 books by the same author......not this time. This book is as good or better than the first, "The Widow of Larkspur". I did not want this book to end!

I enjoyed this story, just as I enjoyed the previous books in this series. I really hope Lawana Blackwell continues this series. There are some characters from this book that I would like to see continued story lines on. Lawana Blackwell captures your interest from the start. She makes the characters in her books come alive. I would highly recommend this book. But if you haven't read the others in the series, read them first. It will help you understand the characters (and their past) better. This book will make for very relaxing & enjoyable reading.

The Jewel of Gresham Green is the 4th in a series from Lawana Blackwell based on the little township of Gresham in England a bit before the turn of the 20th century. All of Ms. Blackwell's books in this series pull you into the story and characterization from the start. She is truly an amazing author and the interlocking stories of the townspeople of Gresham make for a fascinating read. The first three in the series were closer linked in time and this story takes place about 15 years later. Start with the Widow of Larkspur Inn to get introduced to Ms. Blackwell's fine writing and the start of Gresham Chronicles.