PRAISE FOR A DISTANCE TOO GRAND:
“Regina has done an excellent job of bringing the setting and characters to life. I could see and feel the canyon and picture the characters going about their tasks. A balance of mystery, romance, and adventure with enough factual information that I almost felt I could take over for the heroine. I highly recommend this book.” — Linda Ford, award-winning, fan-favorite author of the Glory, Montana series
If you have read a few of my reviews by now, then you are very much aware that I judge a book by its cover constantly. As a librarian, that’s probably a terrible admission to make. But as someone who also works in publishing, I like to think that I’m keeping it real. If the choice of font doesn’t tell you that this book is a historical romance, then the lovely lady in early American garb posing with an old fashioned camera is informing you very loudly. Message received and let me tell you, I love these types of books and I am infatuated with this one in particular.
Blame Laura Ingalls Wilder, but I adore stories about America in her youth and how so much of her expanse was still unexplored. I can’t explain my fascination with the dress, the food, and the customs, but my brain laps it up and my heart sighs with content. The author does an amazing job of painting the surroundings and characters with her words – she has an impressive vocabulary, I might add. I think I read this book 1/3 slower than normal because I would look up the definition of a word (I could have just context clued it but I wanted to hear what Webster had to say) or look up images and short descriptions of things I found interesting. I wanted to know what a lemonade berry looked like and how a stereograph worked, just to name a few. Scott really did her research because this book is chock-full of historically accurate and interesting tidbits.
I found the major arcs of the story to be a bit predictable but that did not detract from the pleasure I took in reading. To be completely honest, if the author had gone off the rails and taken the plot in a nonsensical direction, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it so much. I think that if you care about the characters and can see everything in your mind’s eye, then the experience will be enjoyable no matter the destination. I got a sense that Scott put a lot of thought and care into this story, giving us all the details we craved but not pulling what I like to call A Heart of Darkness (i.e., going on and on about a river).
Without ruining the book for you, I just wanted to share my favorite quote because it echoes one of my own personal philosophies: “Everyone is good at something. Everyone has a story to tell. You just have to listen.” Fantastic, isn’t it?
I can see why this book is classified as a Christian romance since I would weigh it as being about middling heavy on the Biblical references, hymnal verses, and private conversations with God. But if you’re a fan of historical romances set in this time period in America, then I think that the piety can be seen as a cultural norm rather than the author pushing her spiritual agenda. I keep going back to Laura Ingalls Wilder, but notice that her books are not labeled as Christian books for children and they are cherished by people the world over. My point being, don’t put this book down just because it is a Christian romance. You would be missing out on a really great historical fiction book. I read the sneak preview of the next book and cannot wait to read the rest of the series!
Regina Scott is the author of more than 40 works of warm, witty historical romance. Her writing has won praise from Booklist and Library Journal, and she was twice awarded the prestigious RT Books Reviews best book of the year in her category. A devotee of history, she has learned to fence, driven four-in-hand, and sailed on a tall ship, all in the name of research. She and her husband of 30 years live south of Tacoma, Washington, on the way to Mt. Rainier.FIRST PRIZE: Copy of A Distance Too Grand + 2020 National Parks Calendar;
SECOND PRIZE: Copy of A Distance Too Grand + Grand Canyon Candle;
THIRD PRIZE: Copy of A Distance Too Grand + Parks Pencil Set
October 8-October 18, 2019
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
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10/8/19
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Notable Quotable
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10/8/19
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BONUS Post
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10/9/19
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Author Interview
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10/10/19
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Review
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10/11/19
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Excerpt
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10/12/19
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Review
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10/13/19
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Excerpt
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10/14/19
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Review
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10/15/19
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Scrapbook Page
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10/16/19
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Review
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10/17/19
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Review
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Love a book that piques your interest beyond the pages and challenges you to learn more. Sounds like this one is really an immersive experience. Thanks for a great review!