A Newfound Land
(The Graham Saga, Book 4)
By Anna Belfrage
It’s 1672, and Matthew
Graham and his family have left Scotland. Having taken the drastic decision to
leave their homeland due to religious conflicts, Alexandra and Matthew hope for
a simpler, if harsher, life in the wilds of the Colony of Maryland.
Unfortunately, things don’t always turn out as you want them to, and the past has a nasty tendency to resurface at the most inappropriate moments. Both Matthew and Alex are forced to cope with the unexpected reappearance of people they had never thought to meet again, and the screw is turned that much tighter when the four rogue Burley brothers enter their lives.
Matters are further complicated by the strained relations between colonists and the Susquehannock Indians. When Matthew intercedes to stop the Burleys from abducting Indian women into slavery he makes lifelong – and deadly – enemies of them all.
Once again Alex is plunged into an existence where death seems to threaten her man wherever he goes.
Will Matthew see himself – and his family – safe in these new circumstances? And will the past finally be laid to rest?
"I
sit here at times and remember the life that was. Before..." His low voice
cut through the silence.
"Before we came," she filled
in...
Scotland
was no longer Matthew Graham's home. Forced to flee because of a wave of
unparalleled persecution, Matthew has sailed with his family across the
Atlantic Ocean, hoping for a new life with new opportunities in the Colony of
Maryland.
But
this is a harsh land, a wild one. It is nothing like Scotland. However, Matthew
and his wife, Alex, are determined to prosper. And although life is vastly
different from the one they left behind, at least here they are safe from
religious persecution. Although that is not true for everyone. The land that
they farm once belonged to the Susquehannock people, and although Matthew and
Alex have good relations with the Indians, others do not.
To make
matters worse, ghosts from both Matthew's and Alex's past threaten to destroy
the new life that they have worked so hard to create. And with a war with the
Indians becoming more and more probable, it seems that only time will tell who
will be the losers and who will write the history...
Anna
Belfrage continues to surprise me. When I don't think her writing can get any
better, Belfrage pulls another mesmerising story out of the hat. A Newfound
Land (The Graham Saga, Book 4) is another enthralling story in The Graham Saga
series.
I love
these characters so much, and once again, Alex and Matthew find themselves in
the thick of things. They try so desperately to get on with their lives and
live it peacefully, but life keeps getting in the way. Old enemies threaten
their lives and their sense of security. Matthew is drawn into a war which he
doesn't agree with. And Alex, well... She wants to live her life surrounded by
her children and the man she loves, but Alex is no push-over, and she will
stand her ground if anyone threatens what is hers, and she does not care who it
is, be it a vile slave trader or a conceited minister. If they dare to cross
her, then she will give them a piece of her mind!
We are
reintroduced to Magnus in this book. Magnus is Alex's father and comes from the
modern-day. He is a very ill man and has not long to live, and he wants to see
Alex one more time before he dies. Magnus' reunion with Alex is very
bittersweet and very emotional. I adored Magnus, more so in this book than the others. Like Alex, Magnus is a product of his times, and he is not adverse to
speaking his mind. However, he is like a fish out of water, and he knows it.
The 17th century is so vastly different compared to his time. He initially
views his daughter's marriage as one being subservient. He cannot understand
why Alex would want to stay in a time where women were considered less than a
man and had no say in anything. I thought Magnus' take on the 17th century was
very telling, and although the idea that travelling back in time has become
romanticised in recent fiction, Belfrage shows that actually, it isn't an era
that screams romance. Yes, The Graham Saga is above all things a love story,
but it is also brutally realistic in its depiction of the 17th century. Magnus
has forsaken modern medicine, modern conveniences for a world that is alien to
him. I thought his portrayal was fabulous.
A
Newfound Land explores what life was like for not only the colonists but also
the indigenous people whose lives were so brutally destroyed by those who
promised treaties of peace but delivered disease, devastation and death. I
thought Belfrage's portrayal of the Susquehannock tribe was fabulous. Belfrage
has described their insufferable plight with sensitivity and care, and although
their story is a secondary plot, I thought it was masterfully portrayed.
There
are several terrible antagonists in this tale, one of which we met in Book 2,
and I had hoped never to meet again. Dominic Jones is as vile in this book as
he was in Like Chaff in the Wind (The Graham Saga Book 2). His hatred for Matthew
is born of fear, for Matthew knows the truth of his character. Jones is a
worthy adversary to put against Matthew. Matthew is no saint, but he isn't
intentionally cruel, whereas Jones is. Jones pretends to be a man of standing
and wealth, but underneath it all, he is just a brutal murderer and desperate
man who cares nothing for anyone but himself.
Having read the first four books in The Graham Saga, it is very clear that this series is staggeringly ambitious in the telling. To keep such momentum going can only be achieved by a writer who not only documents the recorded history with scrupulous care but one who can give fictional characters a sense of realism. Belfrage is that writer. I haven't enjoyed a time-slip book so much since Diana Gabaldon's fabulous Outlander series.
A
Newfound Land (The Graham Saga, Book 4) stands very firmly on its own feet. So
if you so desired, you can jump right in at Book 4 and not feel lost as to what
was going on. However, I recommend you start with Book 1 just because it is
brilliant!
I Highly
Recommend.
Review
by Mary Anne Yarde.
The
Coffee Pot Book Club.
Pick up your copy of
A Newfound Land
Anna Belfrage
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d
have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial
professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has
authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century
Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The
King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century
England. She has recently released the first in a new series, The
Wanderer. This time, she steps out of her normal historical context and A Torch
in His Heart is with a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense with
paranormal and time-slip ingredients.
Find out more
about Anna by visiting her website, or herAmazon
page.
