Review: A Family Saga Well Told
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 4, 2013
As an eBook, the reader has the advantage here.  The trilogy is complete when loaded to your eReader!  No waiting to pick up the books in order.Lisa Tawn Bergren presents her reader with three historical romance novels focusing on the Anders sisters, Elsa and Tora, and Elsa's friend, Kaatje Janssen. All three young women immigrate to America from Bergen, Norway, with other Bergensers looking for a newer, more enriching way of life.Not only does each of these three young women make the trip to America, each has her own romance, heartbreak and renewal.  The character development is rich and diverse.Bergren is not afraid to insert the subject of adultery in her trilogy.  Some have expressed a discomfort with that subject, but this reader sees it as an important introduction of the effect of sin in relationships and against God, and the result of such actions and choices. Definitely much-needed reminders for us all.Bergren is a good writer stylistically and her descriptive language paints amazing images for her readers.  These three books rely heavily on the meaning for these women, especially Elsa, of the Northern Lights. Bergren uses this to show off her clever handling of description.Truly, these are enjoyable stories but definitely depend on one another. The endings create a looseness that would leave the reader without much to solidly complete their interpretation of the story, if the next book were not available.I highly recommend these books, whether read in eBook format or otherwise.  They are rich with relationship, love, friendship, but also show the truth that life has its heartbreak, loss, tragedy.  And yet, there can always be healing.