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| Source: Goodreads |
To Whisper Her Name is a historical romance set in the South after the Civil War on a Thoroughbred breeding facility and plantation in Nashville, Tennessee. My cousin visited Belle Meade this summer while on vacation in Nashville and purchased the book as a Christmas gift for me. Her photos of the house and surrounding buildings are absolutely breathtaking and a total horse-lovers dream so I was curious to what a writer would do with a story about the place.
Before reading To
Whisper Her Name I had a somewhat patchy understanding of the American Civil
War. While I have studied Canadian-American history I have never had the
opportunity to take any American history classes during my Academic career. The text is an excellent
source for understanding the tension and the politics of the time and Alexander
provides an insight into history that is reflective and thought
provoking. She does an excellent job of representing the thoughts and opinions of all characters through description and dialogue. Topics including race, religion, gender roles, class status and history are all tackled effortlessly by the text.
The protagonist, Olivia Aberdeen, is the widow of a cruel and vastly
disliked man who was brutally murdered by his his fellow townspeople after the war.
With nothing left to her name Olivia is shunned from society and moves to Belle
Meade where her Aunt and Uncle provide her with a safe place to stay. In
exchange, Olivia is required to be the companion to her beloved Aunt who, as she learns upon her arrival, is dying. Ridley
Cooper, Olivia’s ruggedly handsome love interest, finds his way to Belle Meade in
search of a former slave he met during the war. Cooper fought on the “wrong"
side of the war (Union) and has to keep his identity a secret from the
plantation owner and passionate Southerner Mr. Harding. Robert Green, the former slave, is perhaps the
most intriguing character in the text. In the Afterword Alexander admits to falling slightly in love with Green while writing the text and I have to say so did I. Also known as Uncle Bob, the head-horse
trainer and real-life horse-whisperer is
still renowned for his amazing gift with horses today. As an equestrian, some of my favourite passages were those that depicted
Mr. Green’s philosophies and training techniques as he tries to teach impatient Cooper to work with horses.
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| Robert "Uncle Bob" Green Source: Wikipedia |
Despite a few cringe-worthy metaphors and never-ending
descriptions, the book managed to capture my attention and I have to admit it
was a nice change of pace from what I’ve been reading lately. Alexander’s characters
are endearing and she manages to weave several captivating sub-plots and minor
characters into what could have been a bland read as we wait for the romance
between Olivia and Ridley to blossom. Despite their slow-starting, sometimes irritating romance, both hero and heroine have other (more interesting) adventures during their respective stays at Belle Meade. Olivia obtains a paid position at the plantation, teaches at a freedman school, fosters strong relationships with her Aunt, Uncle and cousins and learns about alternative medicine. Ridley desires to learn everything he can from Bob Green before moving West and devotes himself to working with horses. Ridley is well-liked by Mr. Harding for his strong spirit and is soon promoted to Foreman for his hard work and dedication.
Interestingly, Olivia
is the only character in To Whisper Her Name that is hard to like; she has several character flaws
which I thought would be overcome and resolved but they never are. These include a fear of horses which
is mediated upon to a tiresome degree, an overly formal method of speaking and
acting and a refusal to let the past go. Perhaps, hopefully, this character will experience some personal
growth in the second book in the series.
At just over 430 pages, To Whisper Her Name is a long read and sometimes
feels as though it simply won’t end. Luckily, I was on the beach in Cuba and so
I was able to get through it quite quickly and with little distraction. I may
not have enjoyed it as much otherwise but with the sun and ocean before me I
was quite content with the storyline and grew fond of the characters and rich
history. If historical romance is your favourite
genre I highly recommend the text and if it’s not I would say it’s still a
contender for a vacation read as it provides interesting insight into a very specific period of American history.
Alexander’s website has several videos that offer further insight
into Belle Meade and the historical characters
including the romantic hero and heroine, head hostler and the role Belle Meade
had in the development of Thoroughbred history. There is also a .pdf excerpt from the book for
you to browse through if you’re not sure whether or not To Whisper Her Name is for you.. I have to admit I'm looking forward to book two which is due to come out in early 2014!
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| Belle Meade Source: Architecture |
Tamera Alexander's website: http://www.tameraalexander.com/bellemeadeplantationnovels.html
Belle Meade Plantation website: http://bellemeadeplantation.com/
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