The Blue Hour is a gripping and emotional historical fiction book, a story of romance, the story of a woman who is deceived into marrying an abuser, the story of how she survives the relationship, and the story of how she moves on.
Emily’s first true love was ripped out of her life due to a tragic accident when she was almost eighteen. Samuel Todd was the first guy she had even looked at twice since then. Unfortunately for her, she could have chosen a much better man to become attracted to.
When Samuel Todd fills her head with tales of moving out west to Oregon and them making a life and family of their own, she falls for him. Emily is upset when her family tries to talk her out of doing this. They see him for what he is, but Emily is blinded by love.
While on the Oregon Trail is when she finds out what the man she married is really like. Not an easy trail to travel in those days, they take it all the way to Oregon, and after so long, his temper gets the better of him. But the people on the trail with them look out for Emily. I cringed when I thought he was going to beat her with a crowbar because of one simple mistake that she made, one that anyone could have innocently made.
goats and cows, flickr
I admit that I’m spoiled by technology, but preparing to go west on the Oregon Trail took way more preparation than I ever thought it would. I’ve raised goats and cows and slaughtered them, but I’m not sure I would have done so well preparing to take off in a wagon train with all of these animals. Kudos to those who did and survived until they arrived at their destination.
Once they arrived in Oregon, Samuel’s actions didn’t improve, they only grew worse until he almost killed her. When faced with ruin and devastation, Emily receives love and friendship from her neighbors. Okay, I say neighbors, but there were five miles between their homes.
I think this book should be divided into two parts. Part 1 would take place while Emily is with Samuel; part 2 would be after Samuel. So much happens in each part, it’s almost like each part needs its own review.
Mt. Hood, Oregon, flickr
When Samuel dies, Emily has to decide whether to stay in Oregon or head back home to her family. Because of news she receives from back home, the decision is made. Now, she has to make it on her own in Oregon. Even though she loves Oregon, that prospect is just a bit scary.
Another man, Cole, enters her life and is obviously in love with her, but Emily’s emotions and body have been so scarred by Samuel that she is afraid to open up to how she feels. Somehow, she must overcome what Samuel put her through and learn how to accept love once again.
This is a historical fiction book that you don’t want to miss. I was sent a copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed it so much that after reading it, I bought a copy for my mom to enjoy. If you would like to purchase your own copy, I’ve provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: The Blue Hour
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open up to imagination, www.studentpulse.com
Favorite Sentences:
The cool mist on the water, smooth and lustrous as glass, the silent camaraderie of the rowers, the cold stiffness in his muscles that gave way to warm, fluid motion; he’d savored it all.
Emily had by now learned to steer clear of Samuel as if he were a crock of preserves during a hot spell – she never knew when he might blow apart from mounting pressure inside.
By the time information reached these remote outposts, it was often as stale as last week’s bread.
These men wheeled around, their grimy clothes hanging from their emaciated frames like rotten skin.
Her plants responded to her ministrations as a sick patient responds to loving care.
cowboy show – fisticuffs, wikimedia commons
New Words Learned:
coulees – deep ravines or gulches, usually dry, that have been formed by running water
fisticuffs – combat with the fists
humidor– a container or storage room for cigars or other preparations of tobacco, fitted with means for keeping the tobacco suitably moist
mullein – any of various plants belonging to the genus Verbascum, of the figwort family, native to the Old World, especially V. thapsus, a tall plant with woolly leaves and a dense spike of yellow flowers.
nascent– beginning to exist or develop
phalanx – a compact or closely massed body of persons, animals, or things
rubes – unsophisticated people from rural areas; they are also called hicks.
windlass – a device for raising or hauling objects, usually consisting of a horizontal cylinder or barrel turned by a crank, lever, motor, or the like, upon which a cable, rope, or chain winds, the outer end of the cable being attached directly or indirectly to the weight to be raised or the thing to be hauled or pulled; winch
About the Author:
Originally from Los Angeles, Vicki Righettini lived in Oregon for over twenty years, where she developed an abiding love of the land and the Oregon way of life. She is an award-winning, nationally produced playwright, as well as a retired singer-actress. She currently lives in San Diego with her husband and the world’s shyest cat. The Blue Hour is her first novel.
I’m glad you enjoyed ‘The Blue Hour’ so much! I hope your mother enjoys it as much as you did!
My mom enjoyed it as much as I did if not more. She read through it in only days! I was amazed when she finished it before my review of it published.