Review - Thief of Glory

Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer 

It’s a story about a boy living in a nightmare. It’s a story of courage and generosity, cowardice and fear. It’s a tragic story yet it is filled with hope.

When the Japanese invade the Dutch East Indies thousands were swept up and put into internment camps where conditions were often life threatening. When ten-year old Jeremiah Prins and his family were caught up in the conflict he suddenly became responsible for his siblings and his mentally ill mother. Danger is around every corner – from the devious hatred of Jeremiah’s nemesis to the commandant’s vicious dog, but, as in all times of chaos and danger, children learn to survive and Jeremiah and his younger brother become adept at it. Even a game of marbles is turned into a way to get food for their family.

This story, based on the author’s father’s experience during WW2, has everything you could want in a good book – intrigue, suspense, danger and even comedy. And under it all, love. I enjoyed this book, but I found it left me feeling deeply sad. There is no story-book ending here. Though Brouwer ties up all the loose ends nicely in the end, there is no shiny bow around them.

Perhaps that’s why the story lingers, the characters stay with you and you ponder their lives in relation to your own. Perhaps that’s why it’s a story worth reading.

Reviewed by Marcia Laycock

www.marcialeelaycock.com

So Many Books – Ramona Heikel

Spring and summer bring the huge used book sales, which excite me no end. As a writer, I not only love being surrounded by books, but I also find them full of inspiration and help for my own writing.

Besides, where else can I get so much pleasure for a couple of dollars?

I’ve noticed, though, that as I browse I ask myself, “With so many great works already out there that people are throwing out, why should I pen another one that might end up in the pile?”

Now, if stores were full of brand-new boring, unimaginative, ugly, useless, offensive stories, I’d see that my writing abilities were desperately needed. But this is not the case. There are so many talented writers. The children’s section—the area I’m most interested in—has shelves lined with brightly colored, engaging books that make my eyes pop open and bring a big smile to my face. “What a brilliant idea for a plot! What adorable characters, and such an uplifting message!”

So what to do? Well, I could stay away from the stores and the sales, and spend that big chunk of time writing! Sounds sensible, but no way. That’s too drastic a solution. Okay, let me think this through a bit.

I’m making an assumption that the donated books are not valuable, yet look at all the many, many (way too many) gems I’ve snatched up and cherished. One of my treasures from this summer is Children’s Stories and How to Tell Them, published in 1917 by The Home Correspondence School of Springfield, Massachusetts. Besides being lovely and practical, it is fun to think that even then there were writing classes by correspondence, which is what I am taking right now. At the sales I also try to limit myself to items I wouldn’t easily be able to find at a library or store. Pillow Problems and A Tangled Tale: The Mathematical Recreations of Lewis Carroll is one that meets that criterion.

And yes, the brilliant writers today seem to have the literary needs covered. But I’m sure glad Jane Austen didn’t stop writing when she saw that there were plenty of other excellent authors out there. Maybe one day someone will thank God that I wrote something a bit different, from the unique inspiration of my heart.

So would one of my books end up on the discard heap? Sure, it’s possible. But I believe that I am called to write and am very happily obeying that call. Yet my Boss may want me to compose stories for reasons other than publication. Whether my early reader or middle grade novel is cherished and kept, or ends up in the bottom box on the floor under a table of used books, is up to the Lord.


Posted by Ramona Heikel
Happilywriting.com