From This Moment by Elizabeth
Camden
ISBN 10: 0764217216 | ISBN 13: 9780764217210
From http://elizabethcamden.com/books/from-this-moment:
Romulus White has tried for years to hire illustrator Stella West for his renowned scientific magazine. She is the missing piece he needs to propel his magazine to the forefront of the industry.
But Stella abruptly quit the art world and moved to Boston with a single purpose: to solve the mysterious death of her beloved sister. Romulus, a man with connections to high society and every important power circle in the city, could be her most valuable ally.
Sparks fly the instant Stella and Romulus join forces, and Romulus soon realizes the strong-willed and charismatic Stella could disrupt his hard-won independence. Can they continue to help each other when their efforts draw the wrong kind of attention from the powers-that-be and put all they’ve worked for at risk?
Leona's Review:
One of the best Christian Historical books I have read in a long time. This is my first read by Elizabeth Camden and I will definitely read her books again.
The building of the Boston Subway is part of this book and historical happenings. I always like to read of historical events and the author has included many such as the typewriter, gummed envelopes and elevators. I like to research such mentions so I have included some information at the bottom of the review.
The book is dated March 1897 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Stella has come to Boston to find the killer of her sister, Gwendolyn. The police has declared that she had drowned but Stella knew she was an excellent swimmer. They had been exchanging letters and Gwendolyn had written about corruption in City Hall.
Romulus tries his best to get her to do some drawing for the magazine, Scientific World which is owned by Romulus and his cousin, Evelyn.
Stella has come to Boston to find the killer of her sister, Gwendolyn. The police has declared that she had drowned but Stella knew she was an excellent swimmer. They had been exchanging letters and Gwendolyn had written about corruption in City Hall.
Romulus tries his best to get her to do some drawing for the magazine, Scientific World which is owned by Romulus and his cousin, Evelyn.
Stella agrees to do one project for him if he will help her with
connections to City Hall and others. Stella is determined to find why and how
her sister died.
The book includes special relationships of Stella and Romulus as well as
his cousin and her husband, Evelyn and Clyde. The parents of Stella and
Gwendolyn also pay an important role in the book.
At times, Stella questions her faith in God. Stella sees a photograph of a
woman who has lost her husband but went on to do her dream of helping others in
India.. "It seemed Mrs. Grosjean peered out of the photograph, straight into the
moral failings of Stella's soul. Do you love God only when he is good to you?"
(page 245)
Stella uses her talent to draw pictures of the "sandhogs". " It was a
simple charcoal sketch of three sandhogs working on the street below. One man
sat on the edge of the subway trench, and two others leaned against shovels as
they took a rest from the backbreaking work. There was a rough dignity to their
faces, a strength of character in the musculature of their necks, faces, and
strong hands as they held the shovels. It was a tough, gritty work that garnered
little respect, yet Stella had imbued them with the dignity and heroism rarely
afforded such men. They were men working to forge the future, laying a
foundation fro generations to come. Long after these men were dead and buried,
their children and grandchildren would be riding on the subway they had built."
(page 126)
The reading is easy and quick even with so much happening. The reader
will find some strong characters in both the men and women.
I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House Publishers to read and
review. The opinions are my own.
I give From This Moment a 5 star rating.
Elizabeth Camden may be reached at www.elizabethcamden.com
Leona Olson
Notes on the typewriter, gummed envelopes and elevators which I found
interesting:
From: http://ideafinder.com/history/inventions/typrwriter.htm. Finally, in
1867, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin printer-publisher-politician named Christopher
Latham Sholes, with assistance from Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soule, patented
what was to be the first useful typewriter.
From:http://www.jampaper.com/blog/the-history-of-envelopes/ It wasn’t until the invention of the self-gumming envelope machine that envelope production really took off. A man by the name of James Green Arnold took the envelope folding machine to the next level when he added a brush that would apply the gum to the envelopes seal. This step was previously done by hand. Unfortunately Arnold’s design was never put into production. It wasn’t until two brothers by the name of D. Wheeler Swift and Henry Swift took Arnold’s design and perfected it. In 1876 the Swift Chain Dryer Machine was born. One of the main difference in this machine was that it was constructed of metal, not wood, like the Arnold design.
From: https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/03/02/how-elevator-transformed-america/b8u17Vx897wUQ8zWMTSvYO/story.html
It wasn’t until the 1870s, when elevators showed up in office buildings, that the technology really started to leave a mark on urban culture.
From:http://www.jampaper.com/blog/the-history-of-envelopes/ It wasn’t until the invention of the self-gumming envelope machine that envelope production really took off. A man by the name of James Green Arnold took the envelope folding machine to the next level when he added a brush that would apply the gum to the envelopes seal. This step was previously done by hand. Unfortunately Arnold’s design was never put into production. It wasn’t until two brothers by the name of D. Wheeler Swift and Henry Swift took Arnold’s design and perfected it. In 1876 the Swift Chain Dryer Machine was born. One of the main difference in this machine was that it was constructed of metal, not wood, like the Arnold design.
From: https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/03/02/how-elevator-transformed-america/b8u17Vx897wUQ8zWMTSvYO/story.html
It wasn’t until the 1870s, when elevators showed up in office buildings, that the technology really started to leave a mark on urban culture.
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