Joli Stewart is raised in the lap of luxury on her father's plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. High spirited, non-traditional and head strong, Joli refuses to accept any interference in her life or her romantic decisions. Follow her life during times of plenty and deprivation. Lose yourself in romantic interludes, times of joy and celebration as well as desperate seasonss of sorrow. Characters come alive and you will find yourself on an intriguing journey through The Old South.
Joli Stewart is raised in the lap of luxury on her father's plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. High spirited, non-traditional and head strong, Joli refuses to accept any interference in her life or her romanitc decisions. Follow her life during times of plenty and deprivation. Lose yourself in romantic interludes, times of joy and celebration as well as desperate seasons of sorrow. Characters come alive and you will find yourself on an intriguing journey through The Old South. "Embers In Ashes: A Civil War Love Story" is a historical novel worth reading.
Extensive research and characters who come alive, will lead you through opulence, ruin, courage to endure and rise from the ashes. If you
are familiar with the South and its history, "Embers To Ashes" will seem like a homecoming of times long passed. If you are not from the South and have never thought or studied about its history, this book will become a treasure chest of the dialect, customs and trials of her rise and fall. I believe this is the best book I have ever written and I would be honored to share it with you.
Professional Reviews
Reviewed By John Flanagan
Reviewed By John Flanagan
La Belle Rouge is a novelist and a daughter of the South, a woman of refined sensibilities and good taste. Her heritage and attributes are evident in her novel Embers in Ashes, a fine work set before, during and after the Civil War.
What stands out for me is this novelist’s ability to bring characters to life. From the very first chapter her skills draw readers in, hold them and make them feel. Here are real flesh-and-blood people, not cardboard cut-outs or plastic dolls, people who breathe and live their lives as best they can and as best they know how. Of course they have flaws, they’re human, but they are wonderfully real and they matter. They have the power to engage us and to move us.
As well as the poignant characterisations the novelist gives us details of the homes her people inhabit, the clothes they wear, the friendships they form and the passions that drive them. I love how they talk, I love the language, its diction and charm, and the dialogue is written with such confidence the reader is comfortable with the authenticity of the exchanges.
La Belle Rouge is subtle and prudent. When the Civil War breaks out she doesn’t attempt to give us a potted history of a conflict that has been often documented, rather she sees the awful events through the eyes and actions of her characters, and that approach makes her storytelling more significant and more meaningful for the reader. Prudent and subtle.
The emancipation of the slaves and the military defeat of the South changed America forever. Many of the people in Embers in Ashes suffered loss of life. The hardy and lucky souls who survived endured hardship and deprivation and yet they managed to pick up the pieces of their lives in the new order and went on to live and to love.
I didn’t want this novel to end and it’s not often I say that about any book I read. I’ll take a break from it for now but I will return to read it a second time and enjoy it all over again.
I have no hesitation in recommending Embers in Ashes to anyone who loves great storytelling. Kudos to La Belle Rouge!.
John Flangan (Novelist and poet)
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Reviews for "Embers In Ashes; A Civil War Love Story"
Quite a powerful subject and theme to tackle with your already impressively prolific pen. Congrats on hanging in there and getting all 466 of those pages done.
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