Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” —Groucho Marx

Sunday, October 20, 2013

The Waves by Jen Minkman...a Review

Good Morning my Peeps!  This morning I am honored to present my review of Jen Minkman's, The Waves.  This is a novella of 143 pages and is a great companion story to her previous writing of The Island.  Let's begin with the

Synopsis:

The first memory I have of my grandfather is of a moment that we share together.
I’m sitting on his knee looking out over the harbor. Grandpa is smoking a pipe. He points at the horizon. “Look, Walt. Our ships are out there. And one day, another even more beautiful ship will appear at the horizon. A mighty ship to take us all away. And Annabelle will be at the front deck with open arms, inviting us all to join her on board.”
“Why don’t we sail to her ourselves?” I want to know.
“Because she promised she would come,” granddad replies. “And in that promise we trust. It’s only the Unbelievers who think they can do everything themselves. They have no faith in the Goddess.”

Walt lives in Hope Harbor, an island community that has put its trust in salvation from across the sea. The townspeople wait patiently, build their ships to sail out and welcome the Goddess, and piously visit the temple every week. Horror stories to scare their children are told about the Unbelievers on the other side of Tresco. 
But not all is what it seems. Walt has questions that no one can answer, and when his best friend and cousin Yorrick is killed in an accident, he digs deeper to find out the truth about the origins of Hope Harbor’s society… and the secrets of the temple.

Return to the world of The Island and discover what Walt's life was like before and after he met Leia!

From My Perspective:

First of all, my review of The Island, can be found here: 
Walt was featured in the previous island tale, and this is his story that Ms Minkman writes about in The Waves.  It is the tale of a young man coming of age and facing the questions he has about his religious beliefs.   He has lost his faith and is looking for what he can believe in.   His town, Hope Harbor, survived on the other side of the island's wall.   They believed Annabelle, their goddess, would return one day to save her people.   Walt's people  were known as fools on the other side of the wall.   The others on the other side were known as non believers by those in Hope Harbor.

Once again Jen has created a unique and interesting story and it was fun to reacquaint myself with  the characters in these bizarre cultures.   These stories lend themselves to reviewing internally how our own society's religions were passed down to each generation and what we may have changed or lost in translation.   Alas, I leave that review up to each reader as a personal and intimate choice.

I thank Jen Minkman for her writing prowess.   I love books that make me think!  4 Winks!!


Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.


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