The Canary, by Jacqueline T. Moore,
was mesmerizing from the first word. Ms.
Moore’s ability to develop the characters drew me into the plot and caused me
to sympathize with each character's personal "plight." Her
outstanding job with dialects and colloquialism was absolutely charming. In particular, Jack's "slave talk"
was particularly convincing. The Hebrew was also on the mark. I thoroughly
enjoyed the interweaving of the characters and their personal stories. This
book wasn’t simply a story of a widow with 5 children, but the story of a
community. The "indomitable human spirit" is present throughout every
detail of the plot from Myra's striving during her husband's illness and
supporting her children after his death, to Flossie and C.B.'s abusive treatment,
to the recovery in the aftermath of the hurricane. Also, the time period is as I would have imagined
it would be. Ms. Moore’s excellent historical research on the time period and
the hurricane is apparent in this writing. Go back in time with Ms. Moore, and feel the difficulties as well as joys of life in the late 1800's.
This book is a purchase that you will not
regret. I am eagerly awaiting more works
by Jacqueline Moore.
