Christy Award Winning Author of
The Mark of the King
Description
She promised a dying father she would keep his daughter safe.
She can’t fail now.
The one thing Sylvie Townsend wants most is what she feared she would never have–a family of her own. But taking in Polish immigrant Rose Dabrowski to raise and love quells those fears–until seventeen-year-old Rose goes missing at the World’s Fair, and Sylvie’s life unravels.
With nowhere else to turn, Sylvie seeks help from her boarder and Rose’s violin instructor, Kristof Bartok. Fluent in several languages, his skills are vital to helping Sylvie navigate the immigrant and international communities where their investigation leads.
From the glittering architecture of the Fair to the dark houses of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods, they’re taken on a search that points to Rose’s long-lost family. Is Sylvie willing to let the girl go? And as Kristof and Sylvie grow closer, can she reconcile her craving for control with her yearning to belong?
Details
- Rating: ☆☆☆☆
- Title: The Shadow of the White City
- Author: Jocelyn Green
- Genre: Christian, Mystery, Historical, Romance
- Audience: Adult
- Length: 400 pages
- Publisher: Bethany House
- Release Date: February 2, 2021
Thoughts
This is the second book in The Windy City Saga, the first being Veiled in Smoke about the Chicago fire of 1871. This story is set around the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. The characters come to life with believable actions and emotions in both of Jocelyn Green’s creations.
Sylvie Townsend agreed to raise a very young girl whose mother passed away and father hadn’t the health or means to care for her in Shadows of the White City. She was happy to be able to help the man, but she also felt blessed, since she’d longed to have a child. Because of Sylvie’s deep love for this little orphan, she was becoming overprotective.
This might have worked for her daughter as a child, But Rose, whose real name is Rozalia Dabrowski, is nearing adulthood and feeling the need to spread her wings and become independent. She realizes that Sylvie has loved her and cared for her, but yearns to branch out and be trusted. Rose also wants to know more about her “real” mother and father and their Polish history. At this point the relationship between Sylvie and Rose becomes strained.
The general theme of love and freedom plays out in Sylvie and Rose’s relationship as well as between Kristof, Sylvie’s special friend, and his brother.
Though the book is quite interesting, I felt it moved a little slower than I typically like. However toward the last quarter it picks up. And not only does it clip right along at that point, but a few twists and turns bring light to Rose’s disappearance.
The research that obviously contributed to this story, plus the map at the beginning of the book that shows the World’s Fair, make this feel all the more real.
What Concerned Me
My only concern at all was that it felt too slow.
My Final Thoughts
If you’re a fan of historical fiction you’re sure to love many aspects of The Windy City Saga Series. The writing is good and the descriptions manage to bring Chicago to life.
Sylvie’s friend Kristof Bartok is a tour guide at the Chicago World’s fair, as well as her tenant. He is also, at least for a short time, Rose’s violin instructor, and the lead violin in the Exposition Orchestra. Even the orchestra has such history with the World’s Fair that I found it quite interesting.
If you look on YouTube or are able to tap on the links I’ve included in this review, I think you’ll find the book even more fun. Green has done an excellent job of working in details of the Chicago World’s Fair into her story.
My thanks to Bethany House for a copy of this book and the ability to freely post my opinion.
Rating
About the Author
(www.jocelyngreen.com) inspires faith and courage as the award-winning and bestselling author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including The Mark of the King, Wedded to War, and The 5 Love Languages Military Edition, which she coauthored with bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman. Her books have garnered starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly, and have been honored with the Christy Award, the gold medal from the Military Writers Society of America, and the Golden Scroll Award from the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association. She graduated from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, with a BA in English, concentration in writing. Jocelyn lives with her husband, Rob, and two children in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Visit her at www.jocelyngreen.com.
