Wednesday, September 17, 2014

THE STORY KEEPER by Lisa Wingate

Jennia  Beth Gibbs (Jen) an employee of Vida House Publishing enters her office one morning to discover a manuscript from George Vida’s slush pile on her desk and wonders how it arrived there since no one touches Mr. Vida’s slush pile he considers a masterpiece of rejected manuscripts. Jen contemplates ways to return the manuscript to its original location but reconsiders opening the envelope and begins reading The Story Keeper.

The Story Keeper follows Sarra who is a teenage girl left behind by her father with a man named Brown Drigger who sent Sarra’s father with money to exchange for goods promising his return to collect his daughter after the business transaction.

Jen’s home life consists of a breakup with boyfriend Brian who leaves a Chihuahua mix dog behind that Jen names Friday because arguments with Brian always ended with “Okay, but just until Friday.”

George Vida sends Jen to North Carolina on assignment to seek the true author of The Story Keeper after Jen discloses how the manuscript came into her possession and whether renowned reclusive author Evan Hall is the originator. Several events occur in North Carolina gives Jen second thoughts to return home to New York but keep her there after more chapters of the manuscript mysteriously appear in the cabin she rents during her stay.

This novel is an interesting story-within-a-story however, it was hard reading the second story as it is written with a broken English dialect resulting in an unexpected slower reading pace. Nevertheless, there is a short history lesson on the Melungeon culture within the story line and further discussion pertaining to their mysterious origin on the Note from the Author page. This novel will appeal to history buffs, historical fiction, and light historical romance readers alike.


I received this book free from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for an honest opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

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