Carrie Fancett Pagels Reviews Veil of Pearls by MaryLu Tyndall

Veil of Pearls
By MaryLu Tyndall
(Barbour, 2012)
5 stars*****


Reviewed by Carrie Fancett Pagels

MaryLu’s Best Book Yet!

Althea become Adelia when she escaped Sir Walter Miles. MaryLu Tyndall’s newest story, set in federalist era Charleston, South Carolina, has all the makings of an amazing novel. The setting, the characterization, the story, and MaryLu’s voice come together to give the reader an amazing emotional experience. I would like to thank Barbour for allowing the Colonial American Christian Writers and the Overcoming Through Time—With God’s Help blog, an advance PDF copy to read.  I flat-out loved this story.

It takes a multi-published author to pull off a story about a white slave who has raced to her freedom, from the islands where Althea enjoyed a happy childhood until taken captive by Miles, and then becoming Adelia, a healer working with a physician in Charleston. Adelia is a feisty gal who has had to struggle to become free and has endured insufferable indignities at the hand of her “owner.”

Fabulous job of conveying the physician’s own mixed reactions to his times and to slavery and of incorporating his back story into the work with a deft hand. And of showing Adelia’s reaction to the slaves in Charleston and the sweet little girl that is slave to the doctor.

Her early interaction with the Rutledge family, wealthy plantation owners, portends of the problems that could bring strife between Adelia and the very bored Morgan—who needs to get a life.  He, also has been living a double existence, unbeknownst to his father.  With unflinching detail, MaryLu exposes Morgan’s father and brother as the brutes they are. 

Adalia,finds herself pulled into a society that will never fully accept her if they find out the truth of her past. I sure hope all those families in Charleston, where I lived for seven years, don’t take offense at their last names being associated with some nasty characters, such as the ever-spiteful Emerald Middleton.  Miss Middleton is “a piece of work” as we’d call her nowadays. Both Morgan and Adelia need the Lord to help them with their situation and with this conniver.  There is also a demonic-type character in this book who well portrays how satan tries to come against us when we are at our weakest.

This was an amazing book. MaryLu's best book yet!!! You will be thinking about this book and the characters long after you are done reading.  I would LOVE to see this made into a movie.  It would be great. 

MaryLu's books can be found on CBD, Amazon, Lifeway, Barnes and Noble, and other book stores.


Thank you to Marian Baay for the book trailer.  You can read Marian's review on Colonial Quills (click here.)

GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest.  Drawing will be late Saturday.  Your choice of MaryLu's books, choice of format*. Void where prohibited by law. *International winners will only receive the book in Kindle format not as a paperback.