Review: A beautifully written historical novel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 19, 2011
John Wheatley has written an absorbing historical novel in "The Weeping Sands."  We follow three lives through time:  Jenna Shaw, a minor celebrity in modern-day England; Thomas Cheadle, a controversial character from the 1600s; and Isobel Harcourt, a broken-hearted woman recovering from a failed love affair in 1831.What links them together?  This is the compelling mystery that Wheatley unveils with an expert hand.Set in the period of the civil war, Thomas Cheadle is accused of murdering the husband of the woman he loves.In 1831, Isobel stays with her sister Emily after a failed love affair with a renowned artist has left her devastated.  She convalesces in a remote mansion called Baron Hill but soon begins having fantasies about the past and present.Jenna Shaw appears on a TV show called "What's My Lineage."  The show takes place in a rundown mansion, Baron Hill, and she is surprised to discover two relatives whose lives intersected in the remote past--Thomas Cheadle and Isobel Harcourt.Wheatley writes beautifully and captures the spirit and texture of each time period as he weaves a flawless tale of love and loss, told with historical authenticity.  How these characters' lives intersect will surprise you.  Highly recommended.