Tracey Bateman Reviews

Added July 1, 2007

Penbrook Diaries Book 2: Freedom of the Soul

Author: Tracey Bateman
Publisher: Barbour Books
Available At: Bookstores everywhere
Publishing Date: December 2006
Genre: Fiction: Christian/Historical
Format: Trade paper
Price: $9.97
ISBN-10: 1597892211
ISBN-13: 978-1-59789-221-6
Author Email/Website: http://www.traceybateman.com/
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Freedom of the Soul will captivate readers. Tracey Bateman created dynamic characters and placed them in an emotionally packed plot. In a skillful and creative combination, these pages pulse with historical significance while highlighting scriptural truths.

Shea Penbrook desperately wants to save her homestead, but was limited financially. While clearing out the attic, she finds a series of diaries that holds a secret that could change her life forever. In a bold move, she gets on a bus and heads to Georgia, determined to get answers, but terrified of actually finding them.

This second book in The Penbrook Diaries series continues to explore the racial injustices prior to the enactment of civil rights laws in the South. Through the diary accounts, which serve as flashbacks, the novel smoothly shifts from 1949 to a hundred years earlier. Tracing the love and subsequent marriage of a young white man and a slave girl, Shea Penbrook learns of her own heritage. Yet, is she strong enough to claim her rightful place in this family and assume ownership of Penbrook House despite the prejudice that reigns?

With characters that practically breathe in readers' ears, the emotional turbulence that charted the course of Southern history takes on a genuine and commanding presence. Physical danger and deceit stalk the players in this plot, adding a layer of tension and drama. While injustices in the legal system create a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness, the author smoothly turns the view upward.

A tender, yet strong, cord of love ties the past to the present. The harshly drawn lines of segregation blur and even disappear in the face of this selfless love, uniting hearts and giving hope for a better future. Freedom and fairness become more meaningful as the characters struggle to find their places in a world that only sees in black and white.

Freedom of the Soul releases the true essence of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Return to top of page.

This page was last updated on January 1, 2008

This page and all its contents are Copyright© 2002-2008 In the Library Reviews and the individual reviewers. Except where noted, all graphics are Copyright© Eos Development and are used with permission. All book covers are Copyright© their respective publishers and are used with permission. The In the Library Reviews logo is Copyright© 2002 by In the Library Reviews/Sharyn McGinty. Site maintained by In the Library Reviews.