Melanie Dickerson's book
The
Silent Songbird is a retelling of the story
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson.
My favorite Disney princess growing up was
Ariel, so I was very excited to read this story.
This book is also part of Dickerson's fairy
tale collection, which includes books such as
The Golden Braid, The Fairest Beauty, and
The Merchant's Daughter.
The book begins with introducing the reader to Evangeline,
who is the cousin and ward of King Richard II.
The king believes it is in Evangeline's best interest to marry, which normally
would be wonderful, since she wants to marry for love. However, the king feels those notions are
nonsense--building ties with other countries and providing for her livelihood
are much more important in matters of matrimony. Yet the man waiting in Evangeline's future is
evil and despicable. His only pursuit
would be to harm her and eventually Richard, so that he could usurp the
throne. Yet King Richard II does not
believe these rumors. How will
Evangeline be able to convince him? Will
he understand her desperate nature regarding the fact that she cannot marry
Lord Shiveley? Or will she have to take
matters into her own hands?
Evangeline has been raised by nannies and maids. Her entire life has been spent cut off from
the rest of the world, and she has become a sort of prized possession of the king--her
existence is to do as he wishes. Concerning
the choices for her own life, she does not have much say. Yet she always felt that one day her life
might be different. So different in fact
that it might match the lives of the peasants she sees out her window. All Evangeline wishes is to be free. Will she ever get that chance?
Westley believes he has heard the voice of an angel, but he
does not know her name. He only sees the
red hair that adorns her face, and all too soon she is gone. Who is this woman who has captured his heart within
only a few moments? Because of his
station in life, he is expected to marry well.
His daily life requires numerous responsibilities, because he must care
for and help the individuals in his village.
Of course, this sort of calling ensures there will be challenges and
heartache, and all too soon, Westley will meet those who desire nothing good
for his life. In fact, they wish him
dead. How will he know the
difference? Who can he trust?
This book was a wonderful read, and in many ways can be read
within a few days. So it makes the
perfect beach book addition for your summer vacation. As the reader follows the joys and
difficulties of Evangeline and Westly, there are so many lessons to be learned
within the pages of this book. Even the
other characters that operate closely beside these two individuals will face
obstacles--they must choose who they will serve and follow--selecting other
paths outside of the best option only brings destruction for several characters. Proving once again that each choice made in
life guarantees a particular journey--hopefully, that road will be filled with wonderful
outcomes and not bitter consequences.
Thankfully, the reader gets to witness these actions played out from the
comfort of reading a book, but hopefully the reader will still learn from these
scenes in order to apply these principles to real life.
If you love fairy tales, then you will definitely love this story! I recommend checking out this book along with
the other novels in this collection.
Happy reading!
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to Thomas Nelson
for my copy.
About The Book
*Desperate to flee a
political marriage to her cousin King Richard II’s closest advisor, Lord
Shiveley—a man twice her age with shadowy motives—Evangeline runs away
and joins a small band of servants journeying back to Glynval, their
home village.
Pretending to be mute, she gets to know Westley
le Wyse, their handsome young leader, who is intrigued by the beautiful
servant girl. But when the truth comes out, it may shatter any hope that
love could grow between them.
More than Evangeline’s future
is at stake as she finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue that
threatens England’s monarchy. Should she give herself up to protect the
only person who cares about her? If she does, who will save the king
from a plot to steal his throne?
*Synopsis is from the back cover of the novel.
Melanie Dickerson is the author of The Healer’s Apprentice, a Christy
Award finalist, and winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award for Best
First Book. Melanie earned a bachelor’s degree in special education
from the University of Alabama and has been a teacher and a missionary.
She lives with her husband and two daughters in Huntsville, Alabama.
Visit her online at: www.melaniedickerson.com
