Customer Reviews

Hannah Rose (Ahab's Legacy)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In book two of Ahab's Legacy, we once again meet Hannah Rose, widow of the notorious Captain Ahab. Left with a son to raise alone, Hannah has fled Nantucket and the bittersweet memories of her marriage to Ahab, and to protect her son from the angry people whose lives were destroyed by Ahab's insane rage against a white, rogue whale.

Hiding her true identity from all but a select few, Hannah leaves her refuge at her cousin's home in Indiana to visit dear friends in Boston, after which she and Timothy fulfill her life-long dream to travel - see the world.

But things don't turn out quite the way she planned. While in Boston, Hannah finds herself involved with the mission work conducted by Jeremiah Harris, a former suitor, and his wife Kerenhappuch, both now dear friends and steadfast Christians. The work severely challenges Hannah, who finds it both rewarding and conflicting. She had long since given up on prayer. It had availed her nothing when she trusted God to take care of Ahab. Now, she trusted only herself.

As she reluctantly takes on some work that Kerenhappuch can no longer handle, Hannah comes face to face with a life she never dreamed existed. She does things she never imagined she'd be willing to do, and finds a slow-dawning gratification through her efforts. Then her oldest and dearest friend gets Hannah involved with the Abolitionists and helping escaped slaves from the pre-Civil War South.

Her life becomes even more interesting when she meets two handsome and charming men, though their life-styles and attitudes are diametrically opposed: a dashing, naval captain and slave-owner from Virginia, and the strong, steadfast captain who knows who Hannah really is.

Tensions mount as her son Timothy gets older and shows more and more that he is Ahab's son. How can she protect him from his own inherited nature and the truth about his father? More importantly, will Hannah realize God's plans for her as she sees the deep faith and sacrifice of her friends? Can she learn to trust Him again?

HANNAH ROSE is one of those books that is close to impossible to put down. Rich with the history of nineteenth century Boston, you are skillfully drawn into the era and the lives of the people that lived during that time. This is good reading, great history and excellent writing. Louise Gouge has earned all the praise I can give this book. Highly recommended.

@2005, Peggy Phifer

"Hannah Rose" is an engrossing sequel to "Ahab's Bride". It is replete with the themes of bondage and escape. As she attempts to flee the infamous shadow of late husband Captain Ahab, Hannah discovers that oppression comes in many forms. In the 19th century harbour town of Boston, her eyes open to the grim realities of slavery and prostitution, making her own lot in life appear trivial. Hannah matures into a more compassionate, giving woman and reestablishes her walk with Christ by ministering to the desperate needs of others.

"Hannah Rose" is vibrant and meaty. The characters are real people with all the kindness, humility, vanity and cruelty that portray the best and worst of humanity. This was a book I did not want to put down! I anxiously await the release of "Son of Perdition".

In Hannah Rose, author Louise M. Gouge ably continues the story of the infamous Captain Ahab's widow. Still recovering from her loss, Hannah lays plans for a new life. She and her son, Timothy, leave Nantucket for Boston, intending to visit relatives there.

While residing in Boston, she makes the acquaintance of the dashing Captain Duncan Longwood. Although strongly attracted to the man, Hannah is brought face to face with the major moral dilemma of the day - slavery. Even while she is courting Captain Longwood, she is consistently troubled by the fact that he is a slave owner. In addition, Hannah's old friend, Nan Childers, is deeply involved with the Abolitionist movement, which assists Negroes in escaping slavery, and it is not long before Hannah finds herself drawn into the cause.

At the same time, Hannah recognizes that she has feelings for Captain David Lazarus, a man ardently opposed to slavery. Will Hannah be able to come to an understanding of her own feelings on the issue of slavery and, consequently, a man?

(...)

If you enjoy 19th Century Boston, this would be the book to choose. Past memories threaten to destroy the new beginnings that Hannah and her son are trying to build throughout their adventure to Europe. A stop-over in Boston brings the past into the present. What will happen now that Captain Lazarus has entered the picture. Will he reveal her dead husband's unsavory past? Will Hannah be held accountable for her husband's bad choices? Along with the bondage of her past, Hannah runs into another kind of bondage--slavery. Forgiveness, trust and new beginnings fill the pages of Louise Gouge's book, Hannah rose.

I so enjoyed this book. It was one of those that when you finish it you find
yourself still thinking about the characters and wondering what they are up to. I'm so glad there is another book in the series.

Great trilogy. I am reading the entire trio to an 89-year-old lady who is absolutely enjoying them. She cannot wait for our next time together! Lots of history and great Biblical principles. Thanks again, Louis.

In one of those odd literary coincidences two Moby Dick fans simultaneously got the bright idea of writing fictional accounts about Ahab's wife, but while Sena Jeter Naslund was writing for publication, Louise M. Gouge was writing her dissertation novel, not really expecting to ever publish it. (One assumes that the critical and commercial success of Naslund's Ahab's Wife: Or, The Star-gazer: A Novel lead Gouge's editor and agent to push her into polishing it up for publication as her third book.) What resulted was the Ahab's Legacy trilogy, of which this is the second volume.

You might think it unfair to compare the two, and you'd be right but for the wrong reasons. Naslund's Everyone Loves Una; Or, The Navel-Gazer: A Mary Sue, as I call it, is one of the worst books I've ever forced myself to finish. In contrast the Ahab's Legacy trilogy was a pleasure to read.

Similarities abound, both authors having decided that an unconventional girl was needed to win old Ahab's heart, but profound differences exist that make for interesting comparison and contrast. Thus, while Una is a laughably absurd prodigy, Hannah is simply a woman slightly ahead of her time due to an unconventional upbringing as the doted on only child of a devoted widower. While Una basks in the worship of mid-nineteenth century New England's thoughtful elites, Hannah reads their books, attends their lectures, and finds her thinking profoundly influenced by them. While Una leaps into the anti-slavery cause, along with every other trendy cause, without a moment's hesitation, Hannah agonizes for half the book over whether a widow with a small child dares to actively assist the Underground Railroad, despite her growing conviction of slavery's evil. Compared to unintentionally hilarious Una, Hannah comes across as only slightly more modern than everyone else, an all too human figure.

This second volume is about her attempts to cope with the aftermath of his death and raise their son alone.

Note: Louise M. Gouge is a devout Christian, and Christian themes are explored throughout the novels so if Christianity gives you a rash, you have been warned. However, to her credit, Gouge does little preaching and never gets preachy.

The first book of the trilogy is Ahab's Bride, and the final book of the trilogy is Son of Perdition.

I have purchased all 3 books from the Ahab Series and read them immediately. Had a hard time putting them down. i am passing them on to a friend as she is also a christian and enjoys these books.

Also purchased "A Home Coming" by the same author but haven't read it yet. will preview it later.

HANNAH ROSE
In Hannah Rose, the sequel to Ahab's Bride, Louise Gouge re-creates the world of pre-Civil War Boston. Widowed Hannah Ahab, under the family name of Jacobs, seeks peace and protection for herself and her small son, Timothy, from the rumors of dead Captain Ahab's madness and evil. There she faces a choice between helping run away slaves or living a life of self-centered elegance. This choice is reflected by two men in her life. She becomes reacquainted with selfless, kind-hearted Captain Lazarus and introduced to the attentions of handsome, swashbuckling Captain Dashwood. Though Hannah Rose begins at a slightly slower pace than Ahab's Bride, it nevertheless delivers romance, intrigue and a fascinating historical picture of pre-Civil War Boston.

HANNAH ROSE has it all--romance, drama, political issues (slavery), spiritual internal conflict, and a mother's desire to protect her child...sometimes from himself. Louise does a wonderful job of creating a time and place and transporting the reader to that setting. I LIVED the story with the characters. Great read!