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Evensong by M.L . St. Sure

Start date: March 25, 2009

Finish date: March 27, 2009

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(page 133 of 226)
— Mar 23, 2009 12:30PM

what members thought

Dec 20, 2008

Grady rated it:

Read in December, 2008

Fine Writing!

M.L. St. Sure's novel EVENSONG is a sturdy, fast paced novel that ties a binding thread between the American isolation and the European commitment during World War II in a way that offers an informed, historically accurate, dramatic tale of personal involvement in the threat that eventually shook the entire world. The is novel is condensed (214 pages) and moves so quickly that even though the characters are well drawn and the highlighted encounters are painted vividly, ...more Fine Writing!

M.L. St. Sure's novel EVENSONG is a sturdy, fast paced novel that ties a binding thread between the American isolation and the European commitment during World War II in a way that offers an informed, historically accurate, dramatic tale of personal involvement in the threat that eventually shook the entire world. The is novel is condensed (214 pages) and moves so quickly that even though the characters are well drawn and the highlighted encounters are painted vividly, this reader feels as though this novel is an abridged version of a much larger book - that being the reason for awarding four stars instead of five.

The story of the Cross family living in Missouri after escaping the tragedies of WW I and the manner in which some members of that family carry on the father's tradition of bravery by becoming involved with the French Resistance during WW II is the outline of the book. The father had been an opera singer in Europe but fled when an injury all but destroyed his vocal cords. In Missouri the family of five struggles to stay alive: the mother becomes an alcoholic after the father's death, the sole son Marcel remains loyal to the mother's way of life, and the two daughters - Christine and Nicolette - seek to escape their plight on the farm. Christine inherited her father's singing talent, a factor that plays heavily in her rising above her humble beginnings to become a heroine. Due to some touching and soulful investments by a US Senator (Liam) Christine is given the opportunity to live well and study voice, finding her special niche while falling in love with her older benefactor. When the Cross family collapses, Christine concentrates of saving Nicolette and through the kindness of Liam the two girls flee to France. Once in France Christine meets the handsome Laurent who will protect her from the perils of the Nazis and eventually be the loved on who salvages the vestiges of the Cross family from the horrors of the death camps of Hitler's creation.

The story moves so quickly that we miss certain pieces of information, such as why the dramatic difference in the hayseed language of Nicolette and the sophisticated language of Christine, the details along the way of the various explosions of action and emotion that would make us better understand the motivation of the sequences of events, and so on. And if anything this is a remark that can be made because the core of the novel is so excellent that it leaves the reader (at least this one!) wanting more. St. Sure is a fine writer and we can only hope there is another novel on its way! Highly recommended for a wide audience. Grady Harp, December 08

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Dec 09, 2008

Gerald rated it:

Read in December, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Love. Passion. Devotion. What do these words mean? Which matters most--ultimately? Is any of these more worth living or dying for than the others? "Evensong" takes on these themes with considerable force and ambition, and leaves us thinking, eyes wide open in the middle of the night, craving rest but still wide awake with wonder. This first novel from M. L. St. Sure is essentially a romantic thriller, although it's not so much a romance or a thriller as it is fictionalized history. In ...more Love. Passion. Devotion. What do these words mean? Which matters most--ultimately? Is any of these more worth living or dying for than the others? "Evensong" takes on these themes with considerable force and ambition, and leaves us thinking, eyes wide open in the middle of the night, craving rest but still wide awake with wonder. This first novel from M. L. St. Sure is essentially a romantic thriller, although it's not so much a romance or a thriller as it is fictionalized history. In fact, it reads much like a memoir, even though it eventually becomes apparent the main character could not have written it. It's almost as though Ms. St. Sure became immersed in fact-finding about her European ancestors and decided that, by an imaginative filling in of gaps and breaks, it could be the stuff of literature. And, so it is.

Christina Cross is first-generation American, born on a dirt farm in Missouri of parents who emigrated from Vienna in the aftermath of World War I. Her father had been an opera singer in the old country, and she's inherited his talent, although not necessarily his passion for the career. After her father's untimely death, which turns her mother to drink, Christina takes a job waiting tables at an inn. There she's befriended and mentored by an elderly retired U.S. senator. She develops a passion for this father-substitute, romantic feelings that he doesn't reciprocate. But he's far from cold. He seems genuinely fond of her, urges her into a singing career, and is instrumental in her making connections that draw her back to Europe, where a kind of karmic fate awaits her.

She becomes involved with Laurent, a French military officer who has set his renowned carnal passions aside in favor of a fanatical devotion to the Resistance and the great cause of fighting the Nazi occupation. Oddly enough, Christina's own uncle turns out to be none other than Merechal Petain, a high official in the Vichy puppet government and a man who has rationalized his collaboration as the quickest and most painless way to a peaceful existence. Despite Laurent's intense focus on world affairs, it doesn't take him long to decide he's in love with Christina, but now she's the one who can't muster a passion for the relationship. For the rest of the novel, she will be driven by devotion--devotion to her much younger sister Nicolette, who eventually is thrown into a Nazi prison camp designed especially for children. Devotion to the child's rescue fuses with devotion to the cause of freedom and the battle against ruthless Nazi evil, as Christina and Laurent undergo a series of travails in their efforts to save Nicolette.

Ultimately, conflicting emotions seem to fade when it takes every waking effort to wrestle with the onrush of evil. It's not just a struggle for survival but a struggle to maintain the will to prevail. Love, passion, and devotion-powerful enough motivators in everyday life-matter much less than you'd think.

Gerald.
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Dec 05, 2008

Rai rated it:

A heartbreaking tale of war

Evensong is an historical novel set in WWII during the rise of Hitler’s armies. The novel is billed as historical romance, and though there certainly is a component of romance to the story, its true strength lies in its detailed descriptions of the places and history that is unfolding; the harsh and brutal realities of war, and the way it allows you to see events through the characters’ eyes. The author demonstrates wonderful skill for lush storytelling...more A heartbreaking tale of war

Evensong is an historical novel set in WWII during the rise of Hitler’s armies. The novel is billed as historical romance, and though there certainly is a component of romance to the story, its true strength lies in its detailed descriptions of the places and history that is unfolding; the harsh and brutal realities of war, and the way it allows you to see events through the characters’ eyes. The author demonstrates wonderful skill for lush storytelling.

A book such as Evensong does history a great service, because it tells of the horrors of war, not through facts alone, but in the way it conveys those horrors as felt, experienced and endured by the people who lived it. You are shown this through the personal experiences of people/characters you have come to know and care about. This gives even greater impact in helping us understand the unimaginable horrors and incredible pain of a war such as the one Hitler and his armies waged. The novel takes us on a terrifying, sickening, and shocking ride through a ‘kinderkamp’ that leaves me shuddering at the recollection. As we all know, these are things we must never forget, lest history be repeated.

I read in another review that this book is based on memoirs from a family member of the author, and I echo the comment of another reviewer who mentioned the lack of an author bio – sharing this kind of personal connection to the story would add much greater depth of meaning to the tale, and allow the reader to experience the author's obvious passion for this story on a whole new level.

In some books you read, you can tell that perhaps a hundred pages could be edited out to streamline the story, this book would have benefited from a hundred pages being added to it to make certain transitions in time and place not as abrupt, so the reader understands better when and where they now are, and to allow for even greater character development, and further explanation as to how certain events came to be.

For me, Evensong is a heartbreaking tale of the terrible price human beings paid because of the sheer malevolence and insanity of a war they could not prevent, nor escape. This story surprised me at times, taking me down paths I did not predict, and as they were unfolding, I wanted to stop, and return to a safer, happier place. But it does not allow that, neither does war, and so, although wrenching, it is fitting. The book also has an interesting rhythm to it, if you will. It starts off in a situation of hardship, which gradually improves, to a place of great comfort and interest and color and life, then slowly, the story strips all of that away and more, until the initial times of hardship seem almost like paradise. The ending was a surprise, and was full of tender emotion, heartbreak and sadness, and I wished it hadn’t happened. The same goes for war.

In the end, the book strikes a chord for the affirmation of life and the meaningful bonds of love and family. It also reminds us that wherever there is oppression, there is resistance, and that the human spirit endures. Even though some may lose the strength to go on, others carry on, and with them, the memory of the fallen. That in turn, strengthens the rest of us. Love, in many forms, is the novel's recurring theme. Evensong reminds us that a life well-lived is one where we fight for what is right and look after those we love to the best of our abilities. A lesson to cherish and remember…

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
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