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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Captain's Bride by Lisa Tawn Bergren


The Captain's Bride (Northern Lights, #1)





The following is from goodreads and describes the book:

The Captain's Bride (Northern Lights #1)
by
Elsa Anders's dream of marrying Peder Ramstad is about to come true. But as this independent, strong-willed woman discovers her own creative gifts--a love for travel, painting, and the sea--can she find happiness with a captain who insists upon leaving her safely on shore?

Leaving their home in Norway behind, Elsa and Peder embark on a new life in with their closest friends, including: Kaatje Jansen, a woman seeking a new beginning for the sake of her marriage and for the child growing within her; Elsa's sister Tora, a sly young vixen who knows exactly what she wants--and exactly how to get it; and Karl Martensen, a man torn between his friendship for Peder and a forbidden, secret love for Elsa, a man tormented by emotions that threaten to ruin them all.

From the gentle hills of Bergen, Norway, to the rocky coast of Camden, Maine, and across the crashing, danger-filled waves of the open sea--experience an epic saga of perseverance and passion, faith and fidelity, in the Northern Lights series: the new historical series by Lisa Tawn Bergren.

Review by Leona:




The Captain's Bride by Lisa Tawn Bergren
The book begins with a group from Norway planning their voyage to America. Some would go to Camden-by- the Sea in Maine and some to North Dakota.
After the marriage of Elsa and Peder, the group sails to America. There are trials and hardships along the way. When they arrive in America, 20 of the group leave for North Dakota, promising to write and keep in touch.
Peder wants to build a shipyard in Maine with Karl as his partner. Karl wants to build the new steamship and Peder still likes the sails. His father has a shipyard in Norway.
The book takes us to many areas: Maine, Boston, New York, North Dakota, Minnesota, San Francisco and Cape Horn for some.
This book is more about Elsa and Peder but pulls the other characters into the book. Characters go their different ways but still make connections. The stories of the characters are separated by chapters but it is not confusing for the reader; each character has their problems and their blessings.
This is a Christian romance book with prayers to help overcome the hardships and thanks for what they have.
There is no sex or bad language so appropriate for all readers. Maybe a good book for those young people interested in heritage. Keep the tissues handy.
I had an interest in this book because I have been doing the genealogy of my husband's family and his mother's side came from Norway, settled in North Dakota and ended in Minnesota.
Some characters are :
Peder Ramstad- The captain of the Herald, the ship that takes the people to America (24 years old)
Elsa Anders Ramstad- The Captain's Wife (20 years old)
Tora Anders- Younger sister of Elsa (16 years old)
Corina- Older sister of Elsa
Gratia and Amund -Parents of Elsa
Leif Ramstad and Burgitte- Parents of Peder
Garth Ramstad- Sister of Peder
Karl Martensen- Close friend and second mate for Peder
Astrid- Pregnant wife of Kristoffer
Knut Martensen- Son of Kristoffer and Astrid, 3 years old
Gustav and Sonje- Parents of Karl
Kaatje Janssen- A pregnant friend of Elsa
Soren Janssen- Husband of Kaatje
Bjorn Erickson. Kristoffer Swenson and Mikkel Thompson-Workers at Ramstad Shipyard
Ebba- Wife of Bjorn Erickson
Ola- Wife of Mikkel Thompson
Nora Paulson- Teacher of English to the voyagers
Einar Gustavson- friend/ fiance of Nora Paulson
Some crew of the Herald: Riley, Vidar, Stefan and Rees
I received a complimentary copy of The Captain's Bride to read and review. The opinions are my own. I am giving it a 5 star because it held my interest. In fact, I had forgotten to do the review and this is a re-read for me and I still liked it a second time.

Leona Olson



1 comment:

Charissa said...

This one does sound good. Thanks for the review, Leona