Why I feature #ChocLitSaturdays (book reviews & guest author features)
and created #ChocLitSaturday (the chat via @ChocLitSaturday):
I wanted to create a bit of a niche on Jorie Loves A Story to showcase romance fiction steeped in relationships, courtships, and the breadth of marriage enveloped by characters written honestly whose lives not only endear you to them but they nestle into your heart as their story is being read!
I am always seeking relationship-based romance which strikes a chord within my mind’s eye as well as my heart! I’m a romantic optimist, and I love curling into a romance where I can be swept inside the past, as history becomes lit alive in the fullness of the narrative and I can wander amongst the supporting cast observing the principal characters fall in love and sort out if they are a proper match for each other!
I love how an Indie Publisher like ChocLitUK is such a positive alternative for those of us who do not identify ourselves as girls and women who read ‘chick-lit’. I appreciate the stories which alight in my hands from ChocLit as much as I appreciate the inspirational romances I gravitate towards because there is a certain level of depth to both outlets in romance which encourage my spirits and gives me a beautiful story to absorb! Whilst sorting out how promote my book reviews on behalf of ChocLit, I coined the phrase “ChocLitSaturdays”, which is a nod to the fact my ChocLit reviews & features debut on ‘a Saturday’ but further to the point that on the ‘weekend’ we want to dip into a world wholly ideal and romantic during our hours off from the work week!
Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. As of June 2016, I became a member of the ChocLit Stars Team in tandem with being on the Cover Reveal Team which I joined in May 2016. I reference the Stars as this is a lovely new reader contribution team of sending feedback to the publisher ahead of new book releases. As always, even if I’m involved with a publisher in this sort of fashion, each review is never influenced by that participation and will always be my honest impression as I read the story. Whether the author is one I have previously read or never had the pleasure to read until the book greets my shelf.
I received a complimentary copy of “The Lost Girl” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
I wasn’t surprised that Ms Harris tackled another hard-hitting dramatic story-line in her new book The Lost Girl as I have previously come to find she has a way of elevating historical fiction to an emotional keel of clarity. There is a richness to her stories – she dares to capitalise on the emotional heart of her character’s journey; even within the pages of A Bargain Struck this was true, and she did it by taking a seemingly ordinary story-line and moulding it into such a convicting story of life, love and second chances.
Harris has a way to broaching History with such a refinement of shaping the past through a lens of eloquence and clarity, that you simply devour her stories. I appreciate finding an author whose not only dedicated to research but dedicated to writing the stories she’s most passionate telling to a readership whose thankful she’s writing her heart out. – originally shared on the cover reveal for this novel
Dear hearts, I have truly been itching to read this particular release by Ms Harris for well over a year! I learnt about bits of the story whilst chatting during #ChocLitSaturday and the more I would learn about the heart of this novel, the more I dearly wanted to read it! I was meant to receive this towards the close of 2016 – as the paperback release was originally flying into reader’s hands at the close of last Summer. However, it took a bit longer for this lovely novel to reach me – not that I mind! I have always felt that books reach us when we’re meant to read their stories – how are we to know which is the better time to read any particular story if we are moved by it’s chapters and it’s pearls of insights at the moment we’re tucked inside it’s pages? Reading is quite the journey – we never know which story will alight on our path or when we’re itching to read any particular story, but sometimes, we get advanced word about a story (such as this one) which simply touches our soul.
I personally love stories of immigration and adoption; these are two overlapping themes which do have the tendency of appearing through my readerly life time and time again. It’s because the two themes are quite close to my heart; my family has a strong background of ancestral emigration as much as I will be adopting out of foster care in the future. There are so many different paths to highlight both of these themes, and one thing I have credited to Ms Harris with in her previous releases for Historicals is the touching manner in which she hones in on the heart of her character’s story whilst grounding her Historical Fiction in the truism of the moment in which the story is placed to be set in History. She offers a connective threshold of emotions and timeless aspirations for finding one’s purpose and passageway through life’s ordeals. One of the reasons I love her Historicals so very much is how she interconnects the reader and her character as if the two are entwined. It’s wicked brilliant to find Historicals which feel as if you’ve left your reality and exchanged it for another person’s life if only for the expanse of the novel; but in so doing, we humbly expand our empathy, our compassion and our worldview.
On my Connection to Ms. Harris:
I have been hosting #ChocLitSaturday chats on a regular basis for a bit over two years now. Eleven in the morning of a Saturday, has become a favourite hour for me to exchange conversation and joy with everyone who shows up to participate in a chat centered around ChocLit novels and the Romance branch of literature in general.
Similar to my previous thoughts I shared about Ms. Courtenay, I have come to appreciate chatting with Ms. Harris, either through #ChocLitSaturdays chats or privately. She is most giving of her time and I have appreciated the opportunity to know the writer behind the stories I enjoy reading! She always shares her happy spirit in the chats too, and her insights into why she enjoys writing the books that speak to her the most.
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Harris through our respective love & passion of reading inside the twitterverse whilst I host #ChocLitSaturday the chat as well as privately; I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. Similarly this applies to spotlighting new books by an author I appreciate such as this one.
I’m sharing both the paperback cover & the ebook cover, as I’m still a bit partial to the ebook cover, even though I respectively understand it’s not as representative of the story as much as the print book cover encompasses. I’m hoping after I’ve read the novel, I can make my final assessment, as ahead of reading it – I still lean towards the first cover. Therefore, the cover featuring the ‘small towne’ is the one on the print release.
The Lost Girl
by Liz Harris
Source: Direct from Publisher
What if you were trapped between two cultures?
Life is tough in 1870s Wyoming. But it’s tougher still when you’re a girl who looks Chinese but speaks like an American.
Orphaned as a baby and taken in by an American family, Charity Walker knows this only too well. The mounting tensions between the new Chinese immigrants and the locals in the mining town of Carter see her shunned by both communities.
When Charity’s one friend, Joe, leaves town, she finds herself isolated. However, in his absence, a new friendship with the only other Chinese girl in Carter makes her feel like she finally belongs somewhere.
But, for a lost girl like Charity, finding a place to call home was never going to be that easy…
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 9781781893012
Also by this author: A Bargain Struck, Guest Post (A Western Heart) by Liz Harris, Guest Post (The Road Back) by Liz Harris, The Road Back, Book Spotlight w/ Notes (The Lost Girl), Evie Undercover, Guest Post (The Lost Girl) by Liz Harris, The Art of Deception
Published by ChocLitUK
on 22nd February, 2017
Format: UK Edition Paperback
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)
Formats Available: Paperback & Ebook
Genre(s): Historical Fiction | Western | Adoption | Chinese-American ancestry
Liz was born in London and now lives in South Oxfordshire with her husband. After graduating from university with a Law degree, she moved to California where she led a varied life, trying her hand at everything from cocktail waitressing on Sunset Strip to working as secretary to the CEO of a large Japanese trading company, not to mention a stint as ‘resident starlet’ at MGM. On returning to England, Liz completed a degree in English and taught for a number of years before developing her writing career.
Liz’s debut novel, The Road Back, won a Book of the Year Award from Coffee Time Romance in the USA and her second novel A Bargain Struck was shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award.
Author Connections:
Personal Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter
Converse via: #TheLostGirl & #ChocLit
parenthood & genuine kindness:
At the heart of this story is Joe – a young boy who found a spirit of light in his heart and soul for taking in an unwanted child who would grow to become a vibrant young woman. He had parenthood stitched into his veins long before he understood how to make a proper living out of the land which was being destroyed by industrial progress towards coal mining and the early variants of ‘urban sprawl’ where cities were pockmarked by a haphazard arrangement of ‘new business’ with the older buildings which still sketch out the original footprint of the towne.
His genuine kindness to accept Charity and to wish to aide her in her growing years is one of the best parts of this story; as it proves that at any age you can have a well of compassion which you can use towards righting a wrong. It was not explored how Charity’s Mum was pregnant nor how she gave birth; but the ordeal at the time of her death hinted towards something going terribly wrong in her young life. Only Joe was strong enough to recognise that two wrongs due not equal a right whilst having the support of his father to prove the point along to his mother.
One of the key lessons Joe wanted to impart on Charity was ‘genuine kindness’ and a ‘charitable heart’ such as the way in which he tried to raise Charity in understand his own reasons behind taking her in when she had nowhere else to go herself. He wanted her to show the same goodness of spirit as he had shown her but with others in the community if not the world; if she would one day move away from the towne. Kindness without expectation of a return gesture is what is most humbling about giving of ourselves to hopefully evoke a measure of joy in someone elses life. Kindness has no limit of how it can impact ourselves or others, but it is sometimes the hardest lesson to learn especially in how to give under the burden of feeling bullied or shunned by peers and community.
my review of the lost girl:
One of the most somber introductions I’ve read in a long while is how Charity came to join Joe’s household – he’s the younger brother of Sam and a right proud boy of seven who discovered an infant who was in need of a home when he accidentally came across her mother just ahead of her death. The circumstances notwithstanding of how Charity became orphaned, the sad truth truly was how Joe’s Mum reacted to her presence. Joe’s father reacted with fatherly concern and a hopefulness of having a daughter (at long last) whilst his wife was more concerned with having a servant round the house who would help her out with chores and the necessities of their lives. They entered into a pact of sorts whilst agreeing to ‘take in’ and adopt Charity if only for a means to an end. Young Joe saw Charity through a different pair of eyes – with all the compassion a young boy can have and the joy of realising he saved her life.
The attitude of Joe’s mother as Charity first comes to live with them is one that is quite commonplace – as even on my personal walk towards adopting, I have run into others who feel any child not bourne to you is not a child of yours. I do not agree with that ideology but it is a mindset that most have regarding orphans and foster children. I felt it was tied in true to have this precept in place during the opening of the novel, as it sets the stage for how Charity’s life might become doubly complicated and hard, simply due to how her ancestry (as she’s Chinese during a period of American history where the Chinese were not kindly treated nor welcomed) and her origins would set her apart from her neighbours.
As Charity starts to grow older, she’s able to go to school – where she faces her first obstacle in how her peers and her teacher would rather she ‘dropped out’ than stay to become educated. It’s a hard hitting story from that perspective, as Harris hones in on what Charity is facing from all angles of her life; the heaviness of the prejudicial views assaulting her in town to the overwhelming shock of her cultural identity not being accepted nor respected to her individual identity and core of self being questioned even as she tries to adapt and become a part of the American culture around her as a way to integrate into her society. Charity is trying to accomplish the impossible and at each step of the way, Joe is her cheerleader; encouraging her forward and giving her sound advice as someone twice his age would do. Joe’s stepped forward as her parent and guardian; as more scenes step away from his own parents influence on her, it’s Joe whose become Charity’s sole caretaker.
Until the day when Joe left to forge out a future for himself as a cowboy – the roles reversed back a bit, as Joe’s Mum took a liking to Charity she hadn’t felt previously. The sadness in his mother’s voice and the weathered angst against her soul permeates through how Harris describes her state of mind when Charity is ten years old. She feels left behind and forgotten from the life she once loved on the family’s ranch. Her husband and eldest son Sam were never ones to take after being on the open range but her youngest, Joe brought out the life of her spirit. He had fallen in love with the land as much as she had herself; they were cut from the same cloth, those two which made his absence affect her even moreso than when he had worked in towne. If Joe was around, it almost felt as if his mother had an anchour in life to keep her from slipping into a depression but with him gone; it was like she was unmoored and without guidance to know which way was up. Charity started to fill in the gap for her a bit – she felt confident in sharing her secrets with the girl and her heart had softened to accept that the daughter she wanted was already in her life. Whether or not she’d admit this herself was yet to be seen.
I loved how the story is anchoured through the letters exchanged between Charity and Joe; they speak to their connective bond but they also show two people who are coming to terms with being adults in an uncertain world. Charity is walking the line of adolescent and adulthood; on the fringes of understanding the wider issue between her Chinese ancestry and the reality of being an ‘American’ who looks Chinese but doesn’t act Chinese. To her credit, due to Joe’s influence to have her raised with a balanced understanding of ‘both sides of the ensuing argument about immigrants’ she chooses to remain open to what causes the friction in her family and her towne. The lesson of her identity though in the eyes of others was not fully understood by her until she met Su Lin’s brother but I felt Joe’s influence of ‘keeping open-minded’ and being educated on all fronts is what endeared her to listen. The hardest part was accepting the indifference and stark violent reaction of Joe’s brother Sam; of whom was hardened past his own humanity through the years spent down in the mines. He would rather side with hatred than accept Charity is a pivotal person in his own family. He cannot see past his prejudices because it would mean admitting his brothers in the mine were wrong and he’s not that strong of a bloke to change his mind once it’s set. This is in direct conflict with Su Lin’s brother of whom has a more open mind about such things.
Su Lin is the only other Chinese young girl in the towne, the daughter of the owner of the local Mercantile who was refused to be friends with Charity due to her brother’s mindset about ‘proper etiquette’ for the Chinese. The differences between him and Sam are only apparent after his heart softens by seeing the changes in his sister after learning she’s gone against his wishes. This is only one of many references to cultural and traditional differences between Charity and the Chinese who reside in the towne, as Harris shares their beliefs and what is important to their identity whilst providing the greater back-story behind life as a miner. The catalyst of course is how the price of coal drops per each Chinese miner verse the local miners who have been doing back-breaking work for generations. It’s a cause and effect novel in that regard – how the actions of the mining company are directly impacting the lives of the towne’s citizens and encouraging prejudice and racist attitudes by subjecting the families to life in poverty without hope of an end.
You do feel as if this story is hard to end without heartbreak or without more despair; as despite the heaviness of the plight Charity faces, the harder issue is truly where she will feel she can be herself fully accepted to the point where she is no longer ‘existing’ somewhere but has found her ‘home’ where she can just live with the freedom she deserves. There is a heavy weight on Charity from the moment she is found by Joe; almost as if she has to prove her worth simply because of the circumstances of her birth and the death of her mother; of whom had not left behind answers to the questions of her origins. What Charity has to uncover is how to be herself – in America, whilst re-defining her heritage in her own understanding of her past by what she can piece back together by those who can guide her in the present. Charity has the most to gain and the most to lose but it’s her choice in how to survive by embracing the truths of her heart.
The beauty of the ending is how Ms Harris conceived of a proper and fitting ending for each of the key characters she is highlighting in the story itself. I still lament I am in love with the original book cover which shows Charity and Joe on the cover, even though I recognise the reason why the author loves the image of Carter’s mining residences a bit more. For me, the first cover is a good symbolism of the cross-cultural heart of the story and of how a boy grew up to be a cowboy who endeavoured to change the rules which attempted to govern his right to choose who could be his soulmate. What surprised me a bit more was how she showed the hard growth of Sam and Su Lin’s brother; two brothers hardened by circumstances and through mutual hatred of each other’s kin. There is so much going on inside this novel – it’s not a traditional romance in a sense but it’s more of an intersection of immigration, adoption and the acceptance of personal prejudices which can nearly destroy a man’s soul.
On the historical writing style of ms harris:
Uniquely told from the point-of-view of Joe, Harris has found a way to tell an unorthodox story of adoption from an innocent perspective and one with humbling truths threading out of the situation facing her characters. It was a unique twist seeing Charity grow through her childhood years through the eyes of Joe; the young boy who found her and begged his parents to keep Charity, even if their acceptance was less than ideal for the girl. Harris found a way to re-tell a story of a forgotten and lost girl whose life is out of step with her reality; she’s not acceptable to her own people nor to Joe’s which causes a lot of the friction of her presence in Carter. It’s a small towne with a mindset that is quite narrow but hardened by the circumstances facing the miners and their livelihood; in this Harris pulled a hat trick in her story-line because all of the narrative is cross-relatable to today’s world.
Especially if you stop to consider how immigration is still a hot topic as much as the fate of mining townes is still being debated with the continued false belief in ‘clean coal’ to produce energy that is still as unrenewable as it was originally. These are trying circumstances during any generation and a hard road to walk for a child whose caught in-between everything out of their control.
Told from a poignant and somber tone of realistically truthful angles of understanding, Ms Harris has tapped into the heart-wrecking reality of the 1870 and 1880s where Chinese immigrants were persecuted for no other reason than their differences from the European settlers. Again this lens adds a truthfulness about modern day immigrants and how quickly people chose to judge those of whom are different from themselves. (see also Tweet by Ms Harris)
This is definitely a beautiful novel which celebrates #EqualityInLit by bringing out a compelling story-line which can be a lead-way into a conversation about current events and topics which inter-relate to the 21st Century. As sadly, most of what was happening inside the novel during the era in which it’s set is continuing to be an issue in today’s world. It also offers critical thought to how emotions – especially anger can become a motivator towards actions which goes against the health of the person inasmuch break the hearts of those in one’s family. Anger can fuell hate and indifference but jealousy is also explored as a motivating component of what caused a lot of the angst and difficulties of sibling rivalry and the intolerance of inter-racial relationships. Similar in scope to another novel which explored these issues from a Japanese-American perspective which I read a few years ago: How Much Do You Love Me? (see also Review).
This book review is courtesy of:
In case you’ve missed my ChocLit readings:
Please follow the threads through #ChocLitSaturdays!
And, visit my ChocLit Next Reads List on Riffle (recently upated!)
to see which stories I fancy to devour next!
My first ChocLit readings of the New Year:
Reading ChocLit is a cuppa comfort & joy. You get to ‘return home’ to the stories penned in the beauty of the Romantic genres you love to devour with characters who inspire you & give you such a lift of joy to meet.
*Part of my focus on serial ChocLit Fiction!*
To Turn Full Circle | No. 1 of the Emma series | by Linda Mitchelmore (see Review)
– as my ‘Saturday’ was spent giving joy to someone who did not expect to receive a welcoming visit from people he knew, I wasn’t able to properly finish this lovely novel until Wednesday. Ergo, I decided to back-date this to ‘Saturday’ as that was the original day I had intended to curl inside this novel to coincide with our second #ChocLitSaturday chat of the New Year. I’ve been in a bit of a rut reading wise and ChocLit novels have a way of pulling me back inside the joy of reading which is why I pulled this off my shelf and happily devoured it!
The Girl in the Painting | No. 2 of the Rossetti Mysteries | by Kirsty Ferry (see Review)
– as I received such a wicked lovely #bookmail surprise from ChocLit – I decided to insert this review ahead of my selections of continuing through two previous series which have enchanted my heart & mind! I hadn’t realised by doing so I would be reading this novel a few days ‘ahead’ of it’s #PubDay! How smashingly wicked, eh!? I was so overjoyed to receive this ChocLit novel – talk about a sweet bookish surprise, eh!? The chocolate which was sent along with it was #beyondyum, too! This is one of the few times I’ve been able to receive a #newbook ahead or by it’s #PubDay (for ChocLitUK) – which is why I couldn’t help but *devour!* the novel as soon as I rescued it from it’s bubbler!
The Penny Bangle | No. 3 of the Charton Minster series | by Margaret James
– as an aside, I was wicked happy finding out Ms James *loves!* Fairy Tales as much as I do! I still remember going to the theater to see ‘Beauty and the Beast’ the anime film where one of my most beloved British actresses (Angela Lansbury) portrayed Mrs Potts! Yes, I’m that old! lol I was just a girl, and the magic of the story was so lifting of spirit and of how wicked brilliant love can conquer so many things,.. it’s such a beautiful story, truly. I know this new version is a smidge darker than the first, but oh! I am so very excited about my screening – lovely to share such a heap of joy with an author whose given me so many enjoyable hours curled up inside her historical series, too! (see also this review of a sequel author’s spin on the classic tale!)
The Lost Girl | by Liz Harris
The Gilded Fan | No. 2 of the Kumashiro series | by Christina Courtenay
The Jade Lioness | No. 3 of the Kumashiro series | by Christina Courtenay
IF you love chatting about Romance novels, #amwriting adventures and being in a wicked good circle of writers and readers joyfully sharing their writerly & bookish lives, I invite you to join us for #ChocLitSaturday which is an extension of my reviews & guest features on behalf of ChocLitUK! All are welcome! Visit @ChocLitSaturday for more details!
I look forward to reading your thoughts & commentary! Especially if you read the book or were thinking you might be inclined to read it. I appreciate hearing different points of view especially amongst bloggers who picked up the same story to read.
I have been quite wicked happy to feature Ms Harris on more than one occasion, as the first novel I read of hers was A Bargain Struck (review); followed by her debut novel The Road Back (review). I also featured a Guest Post about her passion for Wyoming as well as a Guest Post about what inspired The Road Back. Before I proceeded to read her Contemporary release Evie Undercover (review) wherein I realised I prefer her Historicals. I did enjoy learning more about barristers vs solicitors, though! I also featured a Spotlight on behalf of The Lost Girl whilst featuring an essay on her reading life! During my #MidnightChocLit series of posts celebrating the print releases of #PocketChocLit, I happily consumed The Art of Deception!
{SOURCES: Cover art of “The Lost Girl” (digital & print release), Author Biography, Author Photography of Liz Harris, Book Synopsis and ChocLit Reviewer badge were provided by ChocLitUK and were used by permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: ChocLitSaturdays Banner (Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo). Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2017.
I’m a social reader | I love tweeting my reading life
#amreading | The Lost Girl
by @lizharrisauthor #HistFicInfo: https://t.co/7MFHo20QPV
?Hoppy #weekendreads?#ChocLitSaturdays on #JLASblog
— Jorie (#WyrdAndWonder) ?? (@joriestory) April 15, 2017
.@lizharrisauthor #amreading | The Lost Girl
Western #HistFic focus on #Adoption & immigration
Realistically writ. Beautiful scenery.?Hoppy #weekendreads?
— Jorie Loves A Story (@joriestory) April 15, 2017
#BookReview | #MondayBlogs
A beautiful novel celebrates #EqualityInLit
Told from poignant and somber tone of realismhttps://t.co/pPID2Pyw8i— Jorie (#WyrdAndWonder) ?? (@joriestory) April 17, 2017
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2017 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
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