Worlds collide when spirited Julia Newton becomes a missionary at a boarding school for runaway child brides in Belgian Congo.During her brief sojourn into the world, Buakane — the good, the kind, the beautiful — had grown wings more powerful than an eagle’s and had soared to heights that this cruel man could not imagine.The most fascinating thing about this historical fiction set in the Belgian Congo of the 1950s, is the fact that this was based on a true story. The author — who was born in that setting to missionary parents — paints a beautiful picture of Africa and clearly contrasts the mindsets and culture of indigenous tribes, the lifelong missionaries, and the brand-new fresh-out-of-college missionary girl.I have friends that have worked as missionaries in various parts of Africa, and would love to pass on this story to them in order to see how mindsets and culture has changed in the mission field in the last sixty years. I found it interesting that, although her parents were missionaries, the author does not portray her fictional missionaries in a particularly positive light. Amusing, yes; but admirable, not so much.Despite what the title implies, readers should not expect a mystery… there just isn’t one. Also, this book is part of a series, but it is a stand-alone and from what I understand of the prior books (though I haven’t read them), there are only a few minor characters in common. It could perhaps be better described as a spin-off novel of Myers’ “Amanda Brown” series.Heads up: This book does contain sexual content (after all, one of the main characters is a child bride) and violence.
An Excellent Library
Worlds collide when spirited Julia Newton becomes a missionary at a boarding school for runaway child brides in Belgian Congo.During her brief sojourn into the world, Buakane — the good, the kind, the beautiful — had grown wings more powerful than an eagle’s and had soared to heights that this cruel man could not imagine.The most fascinating thing about this historical fiction set in the Belgian Congo of the 1950s, is the fact that this was based on a true story. The author — who was born in that setting to missionary parents — paints a beautiful picture of Africa and clearly contrasts the mindsets and culture of indigenous tribes, the lifelong missionaries, and the brand-new fresh-out-of-college missionary girl.I have friends that have worked as missionaries in various parts of Africa, and would love to pass on this story to them in order to see how mindsets and culture has changed in the mission field in the last sixty years. I found it interesting that, although her parents were missionaries, the author does not portray her fictional missionaries in a particularly positive light. Amusing, yes; but admirable, not so much.Despite what the title implies, readers should not expect a mystery… there just isn’t one. Also, this book is part of a series, but it is a stand-alone and from what I understand of the prior books (though I haven’t read them), there are only a few minor characters in common. It could perhaps be better described as a spin-off novel of Myers’ “Amanda Brown” series.Heads up: This book does contain sexual content (after all, one of the main characters is a child bride) and violence.
