Passionate feelings. Love, Hate, Fear, Anger...I think everyone has dealt with intense emotions at some time or other in their lives. For the characters in Lynn Austin's third installation in her Refiner's Fire series, A Light To My Path, these emotions are an everyday occurrence. Ms. Austin takes her readers on a journey into Civil War-era America to show how her characters deal with situations, people, and events that cause these feelings. Some are successfully handled, while others are not.The story begins with a scene of frenzied activity as Claire Fuller and her slave, Kitty, are rushing to pack everything they can carry and flee to safety. The Fuller Plantation was located in South Carolina and the Northern Army was on its way with armed soldiers to take over that part of the country. The impression is given that the relationship between owner and slave is not a good one. Other hints are given that a relationship exists between Kitty and a fellow slave named Grady. Grady reveals his plans to escape that same night and meet up with Northern soldiers who will set him free. Kitty is torn between wanting to be with Grady and her loyalty to Missy Claire. Kitty and Grady have similar back stories. Both endured terrifying ordeals as young children, both had cruel and uncaring owners as children, and both were without any family as young children. These histories set the stage for how they thought and behaved as adults. Kitty went through life with an acceptance of her position and how she was treated by her owner, Missy Claire. She had a stubborn refusal to believe that her life was worth anything more than how it was currently being lived, going so far as to not want to use her given name, Anna. Grady, on the other hand, used his experiences to fuel his hatred toward all white men and vowed revenge in some way when the opportunity came, and it did come.Kitty and Grady's first contact came in Charleston, South Carolina, as the presidential election loomed in July of 1860. Grady saw Kitty as she was sitting down and sketching while she waited for Missy Claire. Grady was in the city with his owner, Mr. Roger Fuller, who was attending political meetings whose aim was to dissuade anyone from voting for Abraham Lincoln in November of that year. Eventually, Mr. Fuller and Claire were married, and Kitty and Grady found themselves living on the same plantation. Through an odd set of circumstances, Kitty and Grady marry each other for convenience sake.Grady eventually does escape the plantation, and he does meet Northern soldiers who free him. He then joins their regiment and fights on behalf of the North. His army experiences were not pleasant. He loses a close friend, fights his relationship with God, and exacts revenge on the slave trader who owned him as a child. When he has the opportunity to take revenge again on a separate occasion, he hesitates and shows mercy giving the reader hope that he will not continue to be bitter and hateful. As the story begins to resolve, Kitty and Grady connect again and seek to discover their new roles in a changing South.Each of the different characters in this novel displayed a variety of traits. I could identify with some, but not others (thankfully!). Here are some words I would use to describe each of them.(Missy) Claire Fuller - Mean-Spirited, Hateful, Self-Absorbed, Entitled, ObliviousKitty (Anna) - Naive, Obedient, Gifted, Loyal, Self-SacrificingGrady - Wounded, Strong, Vengeful, Eager, Self-ConfidentDelia (Grady's mother-like figure) - Steady, Godly, Gentle, Realistic, SelflessI feel that one of the themes of this novel is forgiveness vs. revenge/bitterness. Each of the different characters were dealing with situations and events that would eventually force them to choose one or the other. Throughout the novel, Ms. Austin clearly demonstrates what can happen to a person if they allow hatred to fester in their lives. Bitterness, vengeance, hopelessness, and rebellion take hold, trapping you in a desperate cycle of belief and behaviour. I saw this in the character of Grady until he finally allowed God room to work in his heart. Then the real changes began, and a different man emerged. When God is allowed to work in the human heart, it is amazing the changes that He brings. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. I'm holding back the fifth star because, as with the other two books in this series, the story seemed to end too abruptly and you don't find out as much as you would like to as the book ends. This may have been a deliberate tactic by the author; a 'leave them wanting more' device or something. Other than that, a good read.A Light to My PathLynn AustinBook 3 of 3: Refiner's Fire Series432 pagesISBN: 1-55661-444-6$12.99 USD
These books are amazing! I love how Lynn Austin does the three books: Candle in the Darkness, Fire by Night, and A Light to my Path, each in a different perspective during the Civil War- A white woman from the South, a white woman from the North, and a male and female slave living in the South. They all impacted me in different ways because I saw different ways of thinking, whether they were for slavery or not. They all also did something for the cause, whether it be nursing, spying, making uniforms, or fighting. A Light to My Path probably impacted me the most, being from the perspective of slaves. I knew slavery was wrong and that they weren't treated well, but I had no idea of just how cruel the Masters/and or Masters' wives could be. I never thought about how big the consequence was for the littlest mistake, and it ripped my heart out every time one of them was punished.I liked how, even though Lynn showed how terrible the Owners could be, she also showed how they weren't all the same- that they didn't all treat their slaves so poorly. That there were really nice southerners that treated the slaves with respect.Another thing that I liked was how the people from each of the books were connected in some way, and I was expecting a happy reunion at the end of this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed when I didn't get the reunion I was looking forward to.The message in this book was great! Throughout the whole book you had Grady, who had grown to the age of nine knowing God, but then he was taken from his family and thrown into the worst conditions, that he practically gave up on life and even more- his Faith. Then you have Anna who never had time to grow a back-bone because she had been treated unkindly practically her whole life. The message from Grady was basically to not let your anger control you until it completely consumes everything about you, but to put God in control, because in the end it is God who will send judgement. Romans 12:19 (NIV)Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.The message that I get from Anna was to not let people walk all over me. That I do have to be kind and a servant to others, but that their are also times when I will just have to say no. I can't think of a verse for this right now, but I completely believe it.All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this series to everyone! I don't think this is a series meant just for women, but that men can totally read these as well.Go to my blog at: http://kissedbooks.blogspot.com/
What do You think about A Light To My Path (2004)?
Story Description:Refiner's Fire Book # 3. Kitty, a house slave, always figured it was easiest to do what she'd always done--obey Missy and follow orders. But when word arrives that the Yankees are coming, Kitty is faced with a decision: will she continue to follow the bidding of her owners, or will she embrace this chance for freedom? Never allowed to have ideas of her own, Kitty is overwhelmed by the magnitude of her decision. Yet it is her hope to find the "happy ever after" ending to her life--and to follow Grady, whom she loves--that is the driving force behind her choice. Where will it lead her?My Review:This book was very difficult for me to read because of the terrible inhumane and disturbing persecution the Negro people received from their white owners during the American Civil War. For the slightest thing these poor souls endured physical punishment that was so undeserved. The emotional abuse they suffered was equally as horrifying but their unwavering “faith” carried them through these dark times.The story centers mostly around Kitty and Grady. Kitty was a house slave to a white, spoiled, brat, named Missy Claire. Kitty figured it was easier to obey Missy’s every command no matter how trivial, that way she wouldn’t be given “40 lashes” or sent back to the deplorable conditions on “Slave Row”. She wasn’t allowed to learn to read or write, to have any thoughts or ideas of her own as she was “too stupid” and as a result found it impossible to make any type of decision on her own. Eventually, Kitty is faced with a decision that SHE MUST make for herself—a chance at freedom! Will she stay with Missy Claire where she is comfortable with her surroundings, knowing what each day would bring, or will she take a chance on freedom and never have to be “owned” or “obey” again in her life? Is familiarity and oppression less scary for her than her own freedom?Grady is only nine-years-old when he is ripped away from his mother and sold at a slave auction. His life is filled with beatings that bring him to his knees in pain, lashings that rip the skin and muscle open on his back exposing bone and almost bleeding to death. His first master is a violent slave trader named, Coop. But by the time, Coop loses Grady in a poker game, Grady is already filled with such rage, anger, and hatred all the time. Although the other slaves often tried to instil a faith and love for God in him, Grady wouldn’t have any part in religion whatsoever. If this God was supposed to be so loving and caring, He sure didn’t feel that way about Grady, or so he thought. Will Grady ever have a chance in life to experience freedom and be able to exact the revenge on white people he so deeply desires, or because of his deep-seated anger and hatred will he stay locked in a life of perpetual abuse? This novel broke my heart and made me cry in agony for the suffering of people just because their skin was a different colour. However, the book is also filled with many examples of deep faith, courage, strength, and an undying hope for a future that is filled with determination and freedom. The last in the “Refiner’s Fire Series”, A LIGHT TO MY PATH, is not a historical fiction novel I will soon forget. The amount of research that went into the writing of this novel is amazing as the details are extremely accurate. I would highly recommend this series to anyone but especially those whose favourite genre is ‘historical fiction’.
—Louise
Great ending to an amazing series. Part of me wishes there were one more book to tell what happens next to everyone, but I think then I'd just want another, and another! If all my curiosity were satisfied, it wouldn't be quite so good a story as one that interests me so much in the characters that I just keep wanting to know more of their stories.I loved learning so much about life during the Civil War from so many different viewpoints - slaves, Northerners, abolitionists, Southerners who were for the Confederacy, Southerners who were against it, doctors on the field, soldiers on both sides, etc. Really shows that there can be good people on every side of an issue - even one as clear-cut as the right and wrong of slavery.
—Heather
Gifted, amazing and talented - this is author Lynn Austin. This series had me completely enthralled throughout the whole series. It was one of those incredible storylines that stays with you long after reading the book. When I was reading this series I completely forgot I was even reading, this author pulls you right into the storyline as if you were there. When I forget I'm reading and feel like I'm living the story... THAT's a Great book! *** Kitty, a house slave, always figured it was easiest to do what she’d always done -- obey Missy and follow orders. But when word arrives that the Yankees are coming, Kitty is faced with a decision: will she continue to follow the bidding of her owners, or will she embrace this chance for freedom? Never allowed to have ideas of her own, Kitty is overwhelmed by the magnitude of her decision. Yet it is her hope to find the "happy ever after" ending to her life -- and to follow Grady, whom she loves -- that is the driving force behind her choice. Where will it lead her?
—Jacquelyn
