From Bondage to Freedom A Tale of the Times of Mohammed by: Emma Leslie
Price 14.95
Marie’s Home by: Caroline Austen
Price 12.95
Gytha’s Message A Tale of Saxon England by:Emma Leslie
Price 12.95
I was able to review three books from Salem Ridge Press. Salem Ridge Press has a very special twist on living books. They are publishing books from the 1800’s and early 1900’s. That can present some interesting problems. The usage of words and grammar is slightly different. The words are the real stumbling block. BUT the publisher has thought of that. On the bottom of the page if a word is unusual or used oddly from today’s speech it is written and a definition is given. That ingenious idea makes these books easily readable!
The first book I read was From Bondage to Freedom A Tale of the Times of Mohammed . This is a book set in a time not long after the New Testament, A.D. 594. This book focuses on two slaves Lollia and Amina. Both sold into slavery to Mohammed (Muslim Prophet) and travel east into the Arabian lands. That is where the two girls part ways. Amina stays with Mohammed’s household and Lollia is a lady in waiting for a lady traveling back to Rome. The book also revolves around the lives of the slaves owners Mohammed and Lady Paulina.
This is a portion of history that is timely and interesting. There is a tremendous amount of detail to their lives and the groups people that influenced them. I do not know how much is historically accurate. It is compelling once you get over the slightly odd tone to the writing. The tone issue is because this was written in 1877. When I went to read Emma Leslie’s second book I hardly noticed the different tone and grammar.
I tried to read this to my daughter but she just wasn’t interested. She sat with me for a couple of chapters but for her the difference in this book compared to other books we have read was very distracting. I think the problem maybe more that she is young for this book. She is 12 and dealing with ADHD and dyslexia. I might try incorporating this into our reading again in high school.
In all I recommend this book for late middle school age and older. It can be difficult to understand at times and reflects slavery and other issues. I would be sure my child is able to understand the social issues involved. It is interesting and a fresh view point from the usual plot lines of today.
The second book I read was Gytha’s Message A Tale of Saxon England by Emma Leslie Like I said before by the time I got to book two of Ms. Leslie’s I was much more comfortable with her writing style, except the dialog could be difficult at times. This book is set in England 1053. This book revolves around Gytha, her brother Leofric and their masters. This is another tale of slaves placed into interesting situations through God’s hand. The setting is Middle Ages England. This book might be an excellent pick for the boy in your home. When my son gets a bit older I am going to read this one to him. This book is middle school age or older. The only issue I have with it is the dialogue can get very flowery and hard to follow. In all it is an excellent book!
The final book I read was Marie’s Home by: Caroline Austen Marie receives a very special fifteenth birthday present. A beloved great grandmother’s journal! This is a lovely walk through the life of a young lady in 1793. You walk with her through her concerns of a lost loved one, and the joys and revelations of growing up. I found this a very easy read. It was engaging and interesting. I would rate this book for the middle school age and older.
Couple more general notes about these books. In the front there is a historical information page(s) depending on the book. There were also time lines to clarify what was happening. The lithographs used in the books were very interesting. Finally the Salem Ridge Press service department had to help be twice! When I first got the letter that was supposed to have my hard copy book, someone had cut it open and take the book! The gentlemen I talked with was very polite and had a new book to me with in days. Then two of the books were e-books (not sure if you can get them in that form) my computer showed me the titles but nothing else. Hubby thinks I am a computer clutz. Once again I was helped immediately. Very well done, definitely a group I would like to do more business with.
Would you like to see more reviews from this company (not always the same books!) Crew Reviews
***Note*** I have reviewed these items for free, for my honest opinion about them.