Review: "Between Two Shores" by Jocelyn Green

Jocelyn Green writes wonderful novels combining faith and family and this book is no exception. The year is 1759 and Catherine Stands-Apart is torn between two worlds, her mother was a Mohawk Indian and her father is French-Canadian. Her mother has passed and her father becomes an embittered abusive man who drinks too much due to a hunting accident. She makes her home with him because she still clings to the father that she knew before his accident. She runs the family business, a trading post. As was custom, her father took on an indentured servant, Samuel Crane, who worked around the trading post. He won Catherine’s heart, but had to leave on a trip back to his home in hopes of finding his brother. He leaves Catherine with a promise to return. With Samuel gone Catherine goes on trying to survive by herself walking between her two worlds, as the French and Indian war rages.

This story is told in the third person. It involves plots and subplots that are woven together for an exciting story line that is packed full of historical facts. It has many twists and turns that will keep you guessing. Just when you think you know where the tale is heading, it goes in another direction. Catherine is caught in a moral dilemma where her heart pulls her in a direction that she longs to take but knows isn’t right. She must decide if betrayal is justified and if she can live with the consequences.

I have read and loved Jocelyn Green’s novels from the very first one I read and this one is no exception. Her stories include adult situations that are related in such a way that they can be read and enjoyed by all ages. They are more than just stories, they have a moral basis and her strong faith is apparent in her writing. Whether a new reader to Ms. Green’s novels or she is a favorite, you will definitely enjoy this book.