A Story of Two Worlds - an Editorial Review of "Island of Silver"
Book Blurb:
A story of two worlds – one of darkness as the First World War rages in Europe – and one of ineffable light, where a little girl named Lorley lives through her jewel bright imagination.
Lorley has a golden life on the island of Guernsey. Blessed with a wondrous imagination, she sees magic all around her. She dreams of mermaids in the waves and angels in the mist, a young girl who sees heaven in the wildflowers.
But beyond this tiny island in the sea, the First World War begins, and soon the killing fields of Europe bleed into Guernsey. Lorley’s Papa must leave his family to fight in the trenches of France.
So begins the great yearning of Lorley’s family. Her Mamma cannot truly believe in the war, and longs for her husband’s safe return. Lorley’s brothers, Reginald and Herbert, too young to fight, yearn for the glory of battle. And her youngest brothers, Lloyd and Randolph, adventurous, lion-hearted boys, yearn for their Papa, their hero, to return to them.
Lorley's world becomes one of great longing also. Believing she must strive to not be afraid, and to not be sad, as her Papa tells her before he leaves, Lorley waits for her Papa to come home.
It is then that the magical Mme. de la Rue enters her life, a radiant witch with shimmering silver hair from the mysterious South Shore of the island. She is a gifted healer and dreamspeaker, and becomes a spiritual beacon for Lorley. The little girl’s imagination spirals to new heights as Mme. de la Rue becomes part of Lorley’s family through the dark days of the war, through the great longing.
Lorley and her family endure heart-wrenching loss that changes their lives irrevocably. Never, though, does Lorley lose sight of the magic and the wonder in the world.
Author Bio:
One of my earliest memories is sitting with my sister, Karen, while our grandmother told us magical stories, instilling within me a lifelong passion for reading. This ultimately led to my attaining a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at Western University, and then teaching English at several high schools throughout southwestern Ontario. Through my teaching, I discovered that my love of my students was as powerful as my love of literature; these combined loves strengthened my passion to write.
It was my husband, Joseph, though, who first inspired me to write, by believing in my work, and by telling me, simply, that “a writer is someone who writes.” (Unbeknownst to him at the time, he was quoting the writer Pat Schneider.) And so began decades of writing, experimenting with various forms and styles, writing at least one million words before I created anything worth reading. Throughout those years, my husband’s support and encouragement were constant. Later, when I was blessed with my sons, Jeffrey and Marc, I was inspired to write even more.
Editorial Review:
Title: Island of Silver
Author: Bonnie Henderson
Rating: 4.5
"... I dreamt of the magnificent Guernsey cliffs – dreamt of them so vividly that I truly felt as if I were perched on the edge of one of the steep cliff faces... Then she said, “I am called a witch by most people. I suppose they are right.”
"Island of Silver" by Bonnie Henderson is a historical fiction novel about a young girl's magical imagination, her family struggle to survive World War I, and the mysterious healer who teaches her to find hope and courage in the darkest times. The narrator is a young girl named Lorley. She doesn't have the words to understand the war, the trenches, or the fear that grips her family, but she can understand angels, bluebells singing, and the silver witch.
“The British generals won’t hesitate to put Colonials like the men from Guernsey in great danger, Abram, you must know that,” she said, turning to look at him, the words coming too quickly out of her mouth. He shook his head, saying, “Marie, our island has been part of Great Britain for almost nine hundred years. We have always served the Sovereign.”
The words by Lorley's parents first reveal a woman who understands that men from Guernsey won't be protected the way English soldiers will be. She fears for her husband who she knows she may not see again if he goes to war in France, a war he sees as his duty. The island's unique relationship with Britain is central to the story and so is the tension here, between the parents. The reader senses that the moment lays the groundwork for a preparation that may one day see their daughter take on a role she never imagined, one that will demand the very courage her father embodies and the fierce love her mother clings onto.
“I tell you, Herbert, now is the time to enlist. I'm big enough to fool a recruiting officer... But to me, his words still roared in my ears, because I was terribly frightened by the thought of my big brother Reginald leaving us to fight in the War. How, I thought, at only fourteen, could he ever manage to do such a thing..."
This passage captures Lorley's brothers' conversation, a conversation that reveals Reginald's longing to fight for his country like his father. The war has already claimed his heart but the reader knows that he is blind to the dangers involved.. They also know that Lorley is terrified of losing him, which can motivate her to do anything now. And true to their suspicion, the moment plants seeds that see her make a shocking decision later, one that transforms her into the role we feared she would not have to take on.
This novel doesn't rush from one action to another instead, it moves with the pacing of Lorley's world, a world where moments of wonder and wonder feel like hours. It is this deliberately slow which helps build tension.
The beauty of "Island of Silver" comes from something much rarer- the simple, honest telling of a family's journey during wartime, through the eyes of a child. The reader knows that children are supposed to be protected from the horrors of war, but in "Island of Silver," the opposite happens. She overhears conversations and sees the fear in the mother's eyes. This approach makes the novel feel more terrible, and the breaking of the protagonist's innocence, more heartbreaking. You should read it if you have interest in historical fictions that feel personal, and if you want to know how the war affects families, not just soldiers.
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