Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley

Reviewed by Angela

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Bellewether is set on the eastern shores of Long Island during the late 1750s, as well as present day, and is told from three different perspectives: Lydia Wilde, a strong, hardworking young woman struggling to care and support those she loves in a time of uncertainty and upheaval; Jean-Philippe, a French-Canadian soldier who finds himself captured and on a parole of honor in the final pivotal days of the Seven Years' War; and Charley, an intelligent, independent woman determined to discover all the skeletons hidden inside the Wilde House, as well as her own.

Meticulously researched, this triple narrative that volleys readers between the contemporary period and the 18th century is my current recommended historical fiction. I enjoyed the characters and didn't feel that the dual timelines tried to hijack one another, as both were quite interesting. The plot is a sweeping saga filled with familial drama, introspection, love, loss, grief, mystique, heartbreak, romance, secrets, passion, loyalty, as well as a little peek into a war that had a tremendous impact on the culture and history of Canada as we know it today. Bellewether is an atmospheric novel that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the personalities, feelings, and lives of the characters that you don’t want it to end.

Rating: 3/5 stars

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