Customer Reviews

Brigid's Charge

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wonderful period dialogue and authentic detail illuminate this fascinating story about an Irish woman who emigrates to pre-Revolutionary America, and her struggle between paganism and Quaker orthodoxy, between love of her husband & children and her attraction to a woman friend she truly loves. Highly intelligent and dignified treatment of controversial religious, cultural, ethical, and sexual issues in the context of a historical family saga, loosely based on the life of a real person who was an ancestor of the author

My summary reaction when I finished Brigid's Charge: MORE! Fantastic, a very enjoyable read. Cynthia Lamb has written an excellent tale of colonial life in South Jersey. I highly recomment this book to anyone.

Cynthia Lamb's way of weaving this story together resonated deeply with me. I have taught American history, which lead me tune in to the details so accurately incased in this exciting book.

I feel that this is the other part of our "puritan values" heritage, and as American women we need to be aware of the source of how modern medicine took away our birth rights to heal ourselves. Weaving together all the parts in a way that was interesting and informative is my favorite kind of read!

I was originally drawn to this book because of the goddess lore. I enjoyed reading about Deborah and her trip from England to the New World and was intrigued by the Quakers and the hardships of living in a colony. It was interesting to see Deborah think about having another life for herself other than wife and mother. Although the story is plainly told, Deborah had a complexity to her.

What I liked least about the book was, unfortunately, the goddess lore. I found it to be forced and New-Agey. It just did not ring true for me. I think the story would have been better served by not forcing the Old Religion into the plot and kept to the plight of this woman trying to find her self in a new world and having her livelyhood taken away from her.

It also seemed like the ending was a bit over the top. It was exciting but after I read it, it felt like sensationalism. I won't give it away but suffice to say I wish the book concluded with a bit more restraint.

Authors like Marion Zimmer Bradley and Rosalind Miles do a very good job of intergrating goddess lore into their stories. I would recommend this book if you are interested in women of spirit and tales of the frontier.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating novel. It portrays a detailed view of life in pre-revolutionary American colonies. It explores the dangerous and extraordinary roles of women healers during a time of transition over to the male dominated practice of science and medicine. Cynthia Lamb's masterful use of period english contributed to the authentic feel of the novel and was easily understandable to me. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

An earthy tale of real magic rooted in colonial history, Brigid's Charge brings our pagan ancestors alive with lessons for today's world. I don't usually read "magical" fiction, but this book engaged me from start to finish.

A highly accomplished novel by Ms. Lamb, this story is a well rendered and historically fascinating reading experience. Highly recommended!

My bookshelf is overflowing. Most of the books I keep are non-fiction, but I do have a special shelf for favorite novels with which I don't want to part. Cynthia Lamb's Brigid's Charge rates a place next to the works of some of my other favorite novelists - Barbara Kingsolver, Alice Walker and Starhawk. I suppose that with the newer technology - e-books - books of the future will no longer have to take up more space in my home. How great that Cynthia Lamb's novel is finally available as an e-book!

Bridgid's Charge drew me tangibly into the New World past of course linen, salt air, sweet apples, and the continual bearing of children for over two decades in the life of a woman healer. Passion for healing, passion for lovers, passion for truth are the potions that did their work on me in this book of historical fiction, which itself examines another fiction -- one woven from mass hysteria by powerful men 300 years ago. Deborah Leeds is accused of conjuring up "the Leeds Devil" by a fledgling medical establishment that seeks to subsume the livelihood of all midwives and herbal healers in the 18th Century. The use of slander and violence by the powerful few against the disenfranchised many is a timeless act of betrayal of human progress. Bridgid's Charge is a bracing potion for those of us who seek strength for challenging business-as-usual in the 21st Century.

Bridgid's Charge is a wonderful book. The goddess lore and earth religion is treated so beautifully and gently. It's based on the author's heritage, rings true and feels authentic. I loved reading it and being transported into another world. I'd love to read more from the author!