The Hawkman by Jane Rosenberg LaForge @JaneRLaForge @amberjackpub #thehawkman #bookreview #tarheelreader

My Thoughts:

4 mesmerizing stars to The Hawkman! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I knew in reading the description that this book would be a stretch for me. It combines a genre I love, historical fiction, with fantasy/mythology, and I was intrigued with how the two would mesh. I had to open my mind as a reader and really focus on this story, and once I did, I found it remarkable.

World War II is a time I read about frequently, and I was pleased that this book actually takes place during World War I. Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, The Bearskin, as well as experiences of prisoners-of-war in German prison camps, The Hawkman is a completely original and absorbing tale.

At the heart of the story are an American school teacher and an Irish musician, Eva and Michael, who meet in an English village. The peacefulness of their life together is tested, and a “legend” is in the making at the same time.

The author, Jane Rosenberg LaFarge, writes with colorful, beautiful prose. The Hawkman has the mystical-ness one looks for in a fairy tale. As I said above, it took patience and concentration on my part to enjoy this book, but I did. Oh, how I did.

Thank you to Jane Rosenberg LaForge, Amberjack Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC. The Hawkman will be available on June 5, 2018.
View all my reviews

Synopsis:

A great war, a great love, and the mythology that unites them; The Hawkman: A Fairy Tale of the Great War is a lyrical adaptation of a beloved classic.

Set against the shattering events of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at the tale’s heart are an American schoolteacher—dynamic and imaginative—and an Irish musician, homeless and hated—who have survived bloodshed, poverty, and sickness to be thrown together in an English village. Together they quietly hide from the world in a small cottage.

Too soon, reality shatters their serenity, and they must face the parochial community. Unbeknownst to all, a legend is in the making—one that will speak of courage and resilience amidst the forces that brought the couple together even as outside forces threaten to tear them apart.