Book review: Elderberry Croft, Volume 3 (July through September) by Becky Doughty

The action takes a more serious turn in volume 3 of the serial novel Elderberry Croft by Becky Doughty. Once again, we turn our attention to characters who were previously introduced briefly but are now developed in much more detail. Park manager Eddie’s younger brother Donny is the main character of July Madness. Donny is more handsome and charismatic than his brother, but he is having trouble finding his place in life even in the very forgiving Coach House Trailer Park community. In August Memories, Al is faced with a dilemma that stretches the abilities of even Willow Goodhope to help, but like Donny he is given a glimmer of hope. This episode also reveals much more about Willow’s past, but in many ways the mystery just gets deeper. In September Longing, Willow reaps some of the good will she has sown in the community as Prudence and Carney support her in a difficult situation.

After finishing volume 3, I felt sorry that the series is drawing to a close but happy that I still get to savor three more monthly episodes in volume 4. Volume 3 definitely leaves you ready to pick up volume 4 to see how the story line will play out. In the ebook I did notice several minor errors that should have been picked up during copyediting, especially in the July Madness episode, which was somewhat surprising given that the two earlier volumes were carefully edited. But it was easy enough to figure out what the correct word was and move on with the story.

Originally published month by month on Becky Doughty’s blog beckydoughty.com, the individual episodes July Madness, August Memories, and September Longing are still available there. Volume 3 is available at an ebook in the usual places including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.  The whole series of 12 episodes may be purchased as a single ebook volume or as a paperback book.

Book review: The Devil’s Monk by J. R. Russell

I was very excited to discover this book that features the Leechbook of Bald, an important Anglo-Saxon medical text. J. R. Russell sets the novel in the time of King Alfred and starts with the interesting premise that Bald was the son of Cild, the compiler of the medical remedies. Unfortunately, the execution of the novel leaves something to be desired. The narrative is generously endowed with excerpts from an awkward 19^th century translation of Bald’s Leechbook (and other early English medical and scientific texts that were not necessarily bound with the Leechbook), to the degree that the extracts at times really get in the way of the story. The excerpts are just too long and too numerous in number.

In many ways, Bald is simply not a very nice character. He engages in incest, rape, and other highly questionable behaviors. Nonetheless, we learn things about Bald’s early life that render him a sympathetic character despite his transgressions.

It would have been helpful to have some notes to explain when the action switches from historical reality to historical fiction. In a few cases, additional citations would have been helpful, as when the poem Battle of Brunanburh was quoted without attribution. I also felt that the ending was unnecessarily sad – not so much the very end, but another part close to the end. Great fiction does not always have happy endings, but I also prefer books that are not sad without a good artistic reason. Parts of this book were just sad, without the artistry.

The best feature of the book was the compelling narrative. The story grabs hold of you, and then you won’t want to put the book down until you read just one more chapter, and then another, and so on. Near the beginning of the book, I was ready to set aside due to the balky long quotations from Bald’s Leechbook and other texts, but I kept going and am glad I did. Other readers interested in historical fiction set in the Middle Ages may enjoy the story in The Devil’s Monk.

The book is available in the United States from Amazon and Smashwords.

Book review: Elderberry Croft, Volume 2 (April through June) by Becky Doughty

The story of the Coach House Trailer Park and its inhabitants continues in volume 2 of Becky Doughty’s serial novel, Elderberry Croft. All of the characters featured in this volume were already introduced in volume 1, but now we learn more about them. In April Shadows, the still mysterious Willow Goodhope helps to draw Shelly, the neighborhood “cat lady”, out of the shadows of OCD and childhood trauma. Park manager Eddie is featured in May Enchantment, as he investigates an unknown man who spooks some of the residents during his late-night walks in the neighborhood. This episode does not follow the usual pattern of the others, in which Willow is seen helping the neighbor with some problem. Instead, Willow is presented in the May episode as a more vulnerable figure who needs her friends at Coach House as much as they need her. Kathy’s friend Myra is the main character in June Melody. Willow helps Myra understand that it is okay to move on from sorrowful losses in the past and that comfort is better found with loved ones than at the bottom of a sangria glass. Shelly, Eddie, and Myra might all be regarded as misfits in society generally, but Doughty skillfully shows their humanity without romanticizing them.

In the episodes of volume 2, Willow no longer seems to have any trace of the supernatural about her, but the magic of friendship still underlies all the stories. Willow does at times appear to have an uncanny ability to know just exactly the right thing to say or do in any situation, as when she has the perfect reaction to the tension created by some of the male guests at Myra’s card party. But in this volume, Willow comes across as a more wounded figure who is struggling to keep going every day. We are given occasional glimpses of her deep sadness in private moments, as when Myra catches her singing and playing a guitar.

Volume 2 features compelling characters, a deepening mystery, and more nuggets of herbal lore. After finishing it, you will want to move on to volume 3 as soon as possible.

As of right now, the individual episodes April Shadows, May Enchantment, and June Melody are still available on Becky Doughty’s blog, beckydoughty.com. If you read from her blog, you will also be treated to some photographs that illustrate the stories. These three episodes are collected in volume 2 of Elderberry Croft and are available for purchase through several retailers including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords. The whole series of 12 episodes is also available as a single ebook volume and as a paperback book.

Book review: Elderberry Croft, Volume 1 by Becky Doughty

Last January author Becky Doughty began publishing parts of her serial novel Elderberry Croft on her blog. She released one story a month from January through December 2013. Unfortunately I didn’t discover this enchanting series right away, but the advantage of reading it now is that you can go right from one episode to another without having to wait for the next one to be published.

Elderberry Croft tells the story of Willow Goodhope, a mysterious young woman who finds herself living in a trailer park that many of the residents seem to regard as a place to wait to die. We don’t learn much about Willow in volume 1 (January through March), but there are glimpses of a profound sadness that may be related to the events that brought her to the tiny cottage in the trailer park.

Each of the episodes focuses on one of the neighbors in the trailer park. The characters are engaging, and they remind us of people we know or maybe even our own relatives. Each month, Willow touches the lives of a neighbor in a way that then cascades out to the rest of the neighborhood. By the March episode, we can already sense that Willow’s small actions have helped to bring about changes to make the trailer park more of a true community where people really watch out for one another.

In this first volume, Willow’s abilities almost seem magical. Her name is even somewhat reminiscent of the names of the Salem witches; could Willow be a witch, or a descendant of witches, or at the very least born with the “second sight” or other supernatural abilities? But we also see that Willow quietly but consistently reaffirms her faith in God. In January Breeze, how did Willow know about Kathy’s cough and dogs so as to be able to provide a suitable gift so quickly? Willow says that God told her that an herbal tea remedy would be what Kathy would most appreciate. In February Embers, Patti thinks that Willow’s house looks like a witch’s house. How else could she get the plants to grow so well even in wintertime? But Willow explains to Kathy that her green thumb is a gift from God. In March Whispers, Joe asks if the elder is Willow’s tree spirit. Willow laughs and explains how in her childhood, her family found a practical use for products from the elder tree in every season of the year. The tree is a true giving tree, and when Willow saw it growing in a part of the country where it doesn’t ordinarily grow well, she knew that God was leading her to the little cottage she christened Elderberry Croft.

Once you have read the first volume, you will want to keep reading. What are the other neighbors like? What secrets is Willow trying to hide, and why is she so sad underneath her effervescent personality? Elderberry Croft, Volume 1, is a character-driven mystery story with a touch of magic (or something resembling magic) and a sprinkling of herbal lore. I look forward to reading the rest of the series to see how the mystery unfolds and eventually resolves.

Individual episodes including January Breeze may be read on Becky Doughty’s blog, beckydoughty.com, along with elderberry recipes and other supplemental materials. The first volume (January through March) is currently free on several sites for electronic books including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords. Later volumes can be purchased as ebooks, and the whole series is available as a single ebook or as a paperbook.