The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson

 

The Lantern

An evocative, deeply moving tale of

past and present make this story quite

wonderful and fascinating to read.

An appealing aspect of this book is

the wonderful setting in the Provence

area of France in which fascinating

descriptions are given of the surrounding

areas and villages. The beauty and the

timelessness of rural France. The spectacular

mountain scenery which is described vividly

and is often a back drop to some of the villages

enhancing the beauty of the settings.

At times the book seems to have an element

of the unexpected and mystical. For example,

the lantern which is seen at nights without

any obvious explanation and other seemingly

unexplained occurrences which give a fleetingly

haunting element of beauty to the story.

There are two stories which run parallel in the book,

the modern and a time in the not so distant past

of a few decades earlier at the farm house.

I found

this aspect of the story quite magical and entrancing

for the details of life in the rural village and at the

farm house in earlier years where life seemed more

simple. The stories surrounding Benedicte,

her mother, grand-mother, blind sister and brother

and neighbouring villagers were told with panache

and insight.

It was a wondrous and beautiful time

in France full of magic with the changing landscapes

and colours of the seasons, the beauty and serenity.

There were fetes and

festivals in the surrounding villages and Benedicte's

father made walnut wine at the farm house. At one time

the place had been a thriving, prospering community where

there was often ready assistance from the neighbours and villagers.

The lavender and perfumes of Provence play a significant role

in the story and the descriptions of the flowers and herbs

of the areas give beauty and a trace of the exotic to the novel.

The story of the blind girl is quite fascinating, who because of

her talent for scent which had been developed from a young age,

achieves success in Paris as a perfumier.

The modern aspect of the story is also quite compelling to read

of a romance. This story can be unsettling at times and there is also

mystery surrounding the tale. Shades of the film “Rebecca” come to

mind. The author has mentioned in her notes that she read Rebecca

by Daphne du Maurier before writing the novel.

I am reminded of another story where there were two parallel

stories of the past and the present. This was the wonderful book

of “The Aviary Gate” by Kate Whitaker.

The story of the past was a

beautiful love story where an English woman, Celia Lamprey,

had been captured at sea while on her way

to be married to an English merchant and was taken as a prisoner

to the Sultan's harem at the palace at Old Constantinople. The story was quite

powerful.

There was also a modern story in the book where the heroine of earlier

times was the subject of a research by a modern scholar in Istanbul.

This aspect

of the story appealed for the wonderful descriptions

of the settings in modern day Turkey, the city of Istanbul and places out of the city which

were built close to the water and were serene and beautiful.

Sea Witch by Helen Hollick

Romance and adventure set during the times of the

the swashbuckling seventeenth century and early eighteenth century

give splendour to the story of “Sea Witch” which is a ship named after

Tiola Oldstagh, whose name in an anagram means “All that is good.”

The two main characters, Jesamiah Acorne and Tiola Oldstagh come

from very unlikely backgrounds which tend to fascinate and also shock. Tiola,

from a coastal village in England from which she had been forced to flee with the assistance of family members and Jesamiah from a plantation in the New World, where

he had been obliged to move on and make a new life for himself. Tiola and Jesamiah learn to overcome their background family traumas to hopefully

move on to a better life.

Tiola and Jesamiah both seem to have been

victimised as a consequence of events beyond their control. Tiola should have been free to

pursue a happy life and eventual marriage in her home village which would have been expected

in those times. Jesamiah should have been

welcome to work or pursue a career at his father's plantation.

The story is quite enchanting with a romance between Tiola and Jesamiah The fantasy aspects of the story appeal and are quite refreshing. Sometimes mystical, sometimes magical or was it only a drream? Quite fascinating!

Tiola is beautiful. Almost like a sea nymph. She is also gifted with special healing talents aided by concoctions from medicinal herbs. Jesamiah seems to be more of

a complex character. He is fascinating and popular with his sea going

friends. Jesamiah, with his blue ribbons in his wind-swept hair on board a ship appeals. This is the first time Tiola glimpses him from the deck of another ship.

The settings of the story are exotic and different.e.g. Cape Town in South Africa and the Bahamas,

Nasau and Port Royal. The descriptions given in the story bring the reader to the far off and distant places, often portrayed with vivid landscapes, as for example the beautiful scenery at Table Mountain, Cape Town in the early days. The author has realistically evoked the far off times and the places well with wonderful descriptions which give colour, brightness and beauty to the novel.

Piracy on the high seas

and the adventures of a likeable pirate, Jesamiah Acorne, make this story believable and wonderful. Other characters in the story, e.g. Rue, a friend and sea-going companion of Jesamiah and

Jenny, a companion/nurse/governess of Tiola give added depth to the story. Several of the characters are fascinating to read about, including William Dampier, Mr Overvanstratton, governors, sea-captains, sea-crew and acquaintances,

including people Jesamiah has known from his past.

It was interesting to read of nautical terms and learn more about the sailing of the ships. The book

gives very good descriptions of the complexities involved during those times of the master and crew sailing the ship.

There is an index given in the book of the nautical terms.

I look forward to following the story of Tiola and Jesamiah in the following

books in the series “Pirate Code” “Bring It Closer” and “Ripples in the Sand.” I loved the romance and adventure of the story and the descriptions given on land and on the ocean wave were magnificent. Sea battles, chases, the lure of the ocean, romance and humour make for an enjoyable read!

This book is bright and wonderful. Jesamiah is a bold and adventurous pirate.