Passengers

PASSENGERS by Elizabeth Collums, Historical/Family Drama, 309 pp., $8.99 (Kindle)

Title: PASSENGERS
Author: Elizabeth Collums
Publisher: Amite River Press
Pages: 309
Genre: Historical Fiction/Family Drama

During the Great Irish Famine the Ewing family made their way from their rural cottage to the village of Highland Way. Annie, the oldest daughter was left to care for her mother and younger sister after her father left to find work in Dublin.

A mysterious letter arrives from America forcing Annie, Lily, and Katy into a harrowing journey. The hand written note not only will expose deep secrets, it will also challenge the strength and fortitude of the Ewing women, leading each member into their own soul searching voyage.
Follow this extraordinary passage that begins in Ireland and leads each woman to uncover their own courage and truths in this new world.

Review:

Katy Ewing and her daughters Annie and Lily live in a rural Irish village in the midst of the famine.  Katy's husband has gone to New York in hopes of providing for his family, but Katy has not heard from him in a while.  On top of this, Katy has not felt the same since the birth of Lily and has left Annie with a lot of responsibility.  When Katy receives a letter from the United States, a new world opens up to her as she learns of her family origins and finds courage to track down her husband and family in New York.  With this new found determination Katy packs up the girls and starts on a journey that will open up their lives to new opportunity, family and healing.  

Passengers in an epic family saga that covers decades in time and many issues.  I was drawn into Annie's character right off the bat, she was the driving force behind change in the story as Katie was lost and forlorn from the start.  I was intrigued by Katie's family and the mystery of her mother.  I enjoyed the history of the famine and the immigration to New York.  The conditions on the boat and the living conditions in New York were very accurate and heart wrenching to read.  All of the characters do grow and change throughout the story, though it seems like a lot of it comes from pure luck and God's will as the story swayed towards Christian Fiction.  I was impressed with all of the work that the Ewing family was able to do in New York and loved how it changed each of them individually.  Since this story covered such a large span of time, some important events seemed almost glossed over, such as deaths and marriages just happen in a sentence or two.  Overall, a heartwarming and sweeping historical family tale.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

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As Annie was trying her best to capture and absorb all these extraordinary surroundings so she could accurately relay every detail to her daddy one day her ears picked up the sound of humming. Annie had never heard her mama sing much less hum but she knew it was a woman’s voice. Her visual recording would have to wait as she slowly pulled her arm out from underneath Lily’s head, got to her feet and followed the sound out of the big room they had spent the night in and down the long hallway. The woman’s voice was now on the other side of last door on the end. All her muscles tightened as her feet froze to the floor. She had dreams like this before. When she needed to run, when she was being chased and couldn’t see who was chasing her, but she still knew she needed to move. Her breathes became shallow and she could feel her heart pounding like her senses were telling her there was danger on the other side. “Oh God, please help me, I’m so tired, I’m scared, and this can’t be my fault. Lily and I need somebody. We need our mama”….then suddenly some invisible strength, not of her own making, lifted her hand as she pushed the hinged door open. There in the middle of this huge stark white kitchen was her mama swirling around. Katy had a long white apron tied to her waist with the bottom lifted like it was a ball gown and she was making her own music while dancing to a waltz. Annie saw her mama’s burn scarred face like she had never seen it before. She was smiling and having a whispered conversation with her imaginary dance partner. She had the most peaceful and contented expression that Annie had ever seen before. Annie was certain that this was somehow a miracle in the making. God had finally heard her prayers and her mama had been transformed.

Ann C. Purvis, chose to publish her first novel under her birth name, Elizabeth Collums; this is her true roots and where she has drawn from many of the experiences she wrote about. She lives in Denham Springs, Louisiana and enjoys DIY projects. She has two daughters, a step daughter, son-in-law, two amazing granddaughters, and her dog Daisy.

Website Address: ElizabethCollums.com

Facebook Address: https://www.facebook.com/ann.purvis.754