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​The power of a hidden truth

20/2/2017

6 Comments

 
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Lewisville
by Alexandra Tidswell

                             
Lewisville is a story that spans three countries and fifty-six years. Pretty impressive considering that the novel fitted comfortably within my hands as I devoured it from cover to cover.
     It begins in 1815 when a young, dirt-poor English girl, Martha Grimm, despite desperately wanting to, is told she will never be allowed to learn to read and write and must stay and look after her mother as all eldest daughters are expected to do. But Martha Grimm is ambitious, and despite this dismal prospect, sets out to change her fortune in the world, no matter what the cost might be to herself and those around her.
     We follow her journey, from rags to potential riches, that takes her and daughter Mary Ann from motherland England to a fledgling 1840s Wellington, New Zealand.
     As a reader of many genres, I’ve never been a fan of historical fiction – often weighty tomes of historical fact ladled over fictitious characters and mixed in with the repetitive nitty-gritty of their everyday lives. Lewisville however, is a wonderful, can’t-put-it-down page-turning read.
     The story is based on a family’s hidden truth revealed, explored and embellished by a descendant, the author herself. I can tell that this is a debut novel. Why? Because you can feel that a whole life has been invested into this work. The story is imbued with a passionate desire to bring an obsession to light, a need to free the characters in one’s head out into the world for all to see.
   What would you do if you discovered that one of your ancestors had hidden a momentous truth by laying a shroud of mystery over it, a mystery that would have a false rumour-effect for the generations to come? This novel is what Alexandra Tidswell did with that discovery.
    Lewisville is a fantastic read, whether you’re a Kiwi looking at how it was in early Wellington settlement, an Australian observing the early convict-colony to goldrush settlement days, or English knowing what life used to be like within and without service in the 1800s. What would you do to better your lot in life? Read Lewisville and discover how Martha Grimm bettered hers.

Review by Penny M Geddis
Title: Lewisville
Author: Alexandra Tidswell
Publisher: Mākaro Press
ISBN: 978-0-9941379-0-6
RRP: $35.00
Available: Paper only
6 Comments
Georgina Pattullo
21/2/2017 12:18:36 pm

This review is exactly what I thought. I took awhile to open this book as I usually find historical fiction can take be an effort for me to get into and stay with. But this book was totally different - it really is a fantastic read. It is so rich and interesting. Two months after finishing it I still think about the characters and the places they lived in. It was an effortless read because it flows so well and is so engaging on many different levels.

Reply
Penny M Geddis
21/2/2017 03:30:03 pm

It is refreshing isn't it?

Reply
Mulan Ashwin
2/3/2017 11:10:11 am

Great read; could not put it down. Cleverly covers important historical epochs in England, Australia and New Zealand through well-crafted characters in a story that holds your interest from first to last.

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Joseph Rinaldi
2/3/2017 11:38:23 am

Well crafted and beautifully written novel. The author has managed the trifecta: well crafted characters we care about , a superb evocation of place and time ( including as witness to the birth of a nation) and a story line that meant I could not put the book down. Amazing achievement .

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Duncan Graham
29/3/2017 09:53:38 am

not unsurprisingly we've now given or loaned this book to at least 8 friends and they all say," thanks, I loved it, couldn't put it down." Well done, Ms Tidswell.

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20/6/2018 04:34:15 am

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