Loss and Gain

Loss and Gain: The Story of a Convert by Bl John Henry Newman, 432 pages

One of Newman's two novels (the other is Callista), Loss and Gain is the story of Charles Reding, the only son of an Anglican country vicar, and the personal, philosophical, and religious dilemmas he faces during his studies at Oxford.  Ultimately these struggles cost him university honors, a comfortable career, and the good opinion of his professors, friends, and family, as they lead him into the Catholic Church.

Obviously, there is a connection between the novel and Newman's own experience, although he was some twenty years older at the time of his conversion than his fictional creation.  The novel benefits greatly from this - it is not a tale of road to Damascus experiences, of which Newman was suspicious, but rather a slow, gradual, but ultimately irresistible attraction.  Newman occasionally interrupts the narrative to speak directly to the reader, a device which admirably covers some of his deficiencies as a storyteller and keeps the plot moving despite the lack of action.  Adding to the novel's charm is the author's satirical take on the varieties of Victorian religion.  The result is a quiet, convincing, beautiful portrayal of one young man's devotion to truth and corresponding willingness to lose his life in order to find it.

June

June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore    400 pages

Dual timelines and dual heroines make up Miranda Beverly-Whitemore’s fourth novel, June. At the heart of this suspenseful tale are movie stars, inheritances, and the fine line between truthfulnesses and falsehoods.

I loved that the title had played three roles, first as the book’s title; second, as the 1955 heroine’s name; and third, as the month both timelines occurred: June 1955 and June 2015.

The book opens in June 2015. Cassie Danvers has retreated back to her grandmother’s home, Two Oaks, in small town St. Jude, Ohio. She seems a tad delusional, or maybe, it’s just sensitivity to the spirits that still lurk in the crumbling mansion. Even her dreams are made of the houses’ long-gone inhabitants. She also seems to be suffering from clinical depression.

The mansion is almost beyond repair, yet all the twenty-five year-old wants to do is stay in bed. She barely eats, lets the mail pile up on the foyer floor, and refuses to answer the landline. Cassie is not only mourning her grandmother, but she is reeling from the breakup, which instigated (I think), with her beau, Jim, back in New York City.

Then the doorbell rings.

The story then switches to June 1955. Told from Lindie’s point of view, the whole town is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a film crew, in town to shoot the exteriors for Erie Canal. Starring in the movie are handsomer-than-handsome Jack Montgomery and more-beautiful-than- a-spring day Diane DeSoto.

June is expected to marry Artie Danvers in three days’ time, provided he returns to St. Jude.

June is a wonderful novel, full of interesting characters and plot twists. It took me a little while to get into the story. I had hoped to be pulled in quicker to the story. Cassie’s section was slower to develop than June’s. I think Lindie’s strong character had a lot to do with it. That’s the reason I give June 4 out of 5 stars.

I received this novel from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.