In The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden, Libby Sawyer and her elderly father were spending their summer visiting with her brother and his family when they received astonishing news. A group of people had moved into their long-time home in Colden, Massachusetts, claiming they owned it.
Michael Dobrescu fled from Romania with his sons, sister, and two friends in 1879. His late uncle had willed him the house on Winslow Street. So Michael took ownership, figuring the court system would work everything out in the long run.
As it turned out, Michael and his family were not gypsies, as Libby's father asserted. And he did have a valid claim to the house. But Mr. Sawyer did as well.
The two families were at a standoff as the lawyers researched their claims. The townsfolk stood solidly behind the Sawyers, even to the point of refusing to do business with the Dobrescus.
But Libby felt that the family shouldn't be mistreated, even as she hoped they'd move out soon. She started bringing them baskets of food. She found Michael infuriating and distrustful at first. But over time, she got to know the family and their story.
She grew to care for the Dobrescus, especially Michael. But she could not be disloyal to her father.
I liked that this story was a different premise than anything I had ever read before. It showed well how we can misjudge and make assumptions about people who are different from us.
There are other layers to the story as well. Libby can't read, though she's had multitudes of lessons and tutors. Her father thinks her mentally deficient, and Libby has always lived in her "perfect" brother's shadow, even though she has gifts and talents of her own.
Also, Michael's sister experienced horrors at the hands of the Ottomans who were fighting the Romanians. Broken and fragile, she has a long road to recovery.
I had never read anything by Elizabeth Camden. I thought the writing was mostly good, but there were a few inconsistencies in the plot line and writing pet peeves that marred it a little.
I've been struggling with whether to say this, and I want to say it carefully. Let me preface it by saying I believe a person is saved by believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, repenting of their sins, relying on His death on the cross for their sins and His perfect life lived in their place. I believe a person can be saved no matter what denomination they are in. I have known Catholics who I believe are saved. But the Catholic church as a whole, though it teaches faith in Christ, also adds extra-biblical requirements from the church. So it concerns me when the main spiritual emphasis in a book is Catholic. It makes sense from a historical standpoint that the Dobrescus are Catholic. But when going further into that denomination is the answer to part of their situation, I see that as a problem from a Christian fiction viewpoint.
I listened to the audiobook when it was free on Audible's Plus Catalog. I thought narrator Barbara Rosenblat did a wonderful job, especially with the accents.
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