The Amethyst Heart ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

The Amethyst Heart by Penelope J. Stokes

Cover Wars



G👀dreads

In The Amethyst Heart, she weaves the past and present into an unforgettable story of one Mississippi family's joy, sorrow, and hope. Amethyst's 93rd birthday celebration is a big disappointment. Not only has her great-granddaughter "Little Am" become a sullen stranger, but her son Conrad announces plans to sell the historical family home and put his mother into a retirement facility. When Conrad leaves to get the realtor, Amethyst pulls out a 12-gauge shotgun, then rushes to lock the doors. While great-grandmother and great-granddaughter anxiously wait for Conrad's return, Amethyst passes on the family's rich legacy of stories-but will she be able to protect her beloved home? Narrator Cristine McMurdo-Wallis' stirring performance transports you from the days of pre-Civil War plantations, through the turbulent unrest of the 60s, to the present-day South.
For some reason GR has two descriptions depending on which book cover you click.
The only possession Miss Amethyst Noble loves as much as the antique brooch she wears at her throat is Noble House-a symbol of freedom, faith, and a family history proudly and inextricably entwined with the history of a nation. For a hundred and forty years, Noble House has been a place of shelter, hope, and healing in Cambridge, Mississippi. A place of miracles. 
When she discovers her dissolute son has designs to sell the ancestral home out from under her, Miss Amethyst-ninety-three years old and as sharp as ever isn't about to let that legacy go. If her son is lost to her, there's still her granddaughter. 
Little Am, who had once held such sweet promise, but the gentle, good-natured child has mutated in her teenage years into something else altogether. But whatever it takes, Little Am is going to know that the Noble family heritage is worth fighting for.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

The How/Why: Sometimes the book chooses you. In one of my FB Book Groups they did a Fun and Games post:


Mine was "The answer was no once again... and then the murders began." 
Someone else posted: 
The old woman sat at her dressing table and peered into the mirror working with one shaky hand to tuck a stray wisp of hair into the upswept bun. Then the murders began"  
OHHHH, I said to myself "that sounds interesting". It's from The Amethyst Heart by Penelope J Stoles. I enjoy books with the 'genarians (septuagenarians, octogenarians, nonagenarians). Although I admit I'm not a fan of the labels. Or maybe I just don't like that I'm a septuagenarian! Anyhow she went on to say:

I was pleasantly surprised the audiobook was available on Hoopla. When I went to GR it has a 4.18* average. Lots of 4 and 5 star reviews (I didn't read) but I looked at one three star. The review said she struggled with the rating because the story was very interesting and well written EXCEPT the use of the N word and variants of it. She counted them! 12 N words (with a broken heart emoji). 
I thought if its interesting and well written and that's the only complaint I think it's important to remember it was mid-1800s. As offensive as it is today, we can't change history.
There was only one comment and it said This is a period piece. The n word will be said. Get over it.  We have no control over the tragedy's of the past. If you're reading something historical, you should be getting history in the mix. I fear for the history people will be reading 50 years from now.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 4.5 Stars

🎉 Overall Enjoyment? 🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉 I always have a tough time saying bad times were enjoyable. Maybe I should change this category to Overall Storytelling. 

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕ But go in knowing this was during a time when Şlɐvɇry and discriminati0n against black people was prevalent. There ARE disturbing scenes as to how they were treated and referred to. 

🕮 Would I want a sequel?  Maybe 🤷 Not really necessary but wouldn't shy away from a continuing story of Little Am as an adult. 

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Yes ➕

💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? Google says: Şlɐvɇry and Ⱥb0liti0nism , ḰƘḴ and Cïvïl Wɐr. I'm adding if you're triᵷᵷered by the Ñ word you should pass on this one. But TBH I think you'd be missing out on a great story. 

🌶 Spice? No

🌪 Plot Twist? No

👟 Pace? Good, but long

💻 Tidbits ~ What a treasure to have a great-grandmother to tell you your family history based on her memories and the journals of your great-grandmother’s grandmother. 

What do you do when its you're 93rd Birthday, you have all your wits in tact, and your selfish son and his wife along with their sulky granddaughter (her namesake Little Am) show up on your doorstep insisting he is going to sell your legacy home and check you into Shady Pines? You send the son and DIL out for ice cream, then you grab your 12-guage shotgun and lock all the doors. Duh!
Great granddaughter is so impressed that Gran Am even owns a gun, that she decides to stay when Amethyst throws her son and DIL off her property. Even the sheriff can't get her to open the doors, because there is no law against locking your doors! 

The son is an attorney so he'll just declare her incompetent so he can sell off the house to pay his debts. *No*So*Fast* The judge will decide.

In the meantime, Gran Am spends quality time telling Little Am about her family history. Settled in with the old journals, beverages and snacks, it's going to take a while. Little Am is out of school for a week so it's all good. She starts with Gran Am's grandparents, the first to own the land and the house. He was a doctor dedicated to helping anyone in need, much to the chagrin of his white community. 140 years of history and six generations of the Noble family in Mississippi. She takes us through the Antebellum Era, the abolitionist movement, the Civil War, Şlɐvɇs escaping via the Underground Railroad, the Civil Rights movement, and up to the present day in the "modern" south. 

The very ending with Little Am (not so sulky anymore) is very emotional. I'm not crying, you're crying. You have been warned. But in a good heartwarming way, not a rip your heart out way.

I listened to the audiobook. The narration by Cristine McMurdo-Wallis was good. 
I do believe it's a little too long (14 hours). There were a couple of parts that (IMO) could have been eliminated without distracting from the history and the story. 

ETA: FTM - Being Christian Fiction it is very Faith forward. 

🎧 Narrator: Cristine McMurdo-Wallis 👍

🎧14.10 hours 🕮 368 pages

Sincerity, Purity, Nobility
was the inscription on the back
 of the brooch/pendant.

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