Review: a haunting tale from start to finish
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2013
White Heaven Women is a very welcome addition to my growing list of beloved books. Debut author, Jessie B. Tyson makes the reader feel the emotions that the characters were expressing. I found myself shivering a couple of times, and I was even afraid to fall asleep, for fear of having nightmares, which was how the story of White Heaven Women began.One stormy night, the main character, Sally Witherspane, was having a bad dream which included a red-eyed devil. On the first night that I read this, it was actually raining in our place, much like the rain that Sally had always feared. When I realized this is actually a paranormal novel, I prepared myself for a tumultuous evening. But I stopped at Chapter 3, because I thought I heard something moving outside my bedroom windows. I freaked out! OMG, I thought I could never sleep again. Yes, I was such a coward. Ha! Anyway, the next day, in the afternoon, I continued reading and didn't stop until I was finished.White Heaven Women is very easy to read and quick-paced. From the moment the author told me of her Audio/Video clip on youtube about the story behind the blue ghosts of Whitehaven, I got intrigued and knew this was going to be a good read. I listened to Jessie's voice five(5) times until I read her book, so her voice was floating in my head while I encountered Sally's nightmares and discoveries.  The first part of the book got to me. The retelling of the events that happened a century ago was heartbreaking - the untimely conception of a child, the gossips in the neighborhood, the death of a newborn child, the non-acceptance in the family - all of which were just so sad.Yet, it was truly a great experience reading a book that talked about reincarnation, love between a mother and a child, the acceptance and abomination of a sickness of a child and the finding of true love. There was character development as the story progresses which was a good thing. The idea of reincarnation was not new to me, as I believe that I was also a "someone" in my past life. Whoever he or she may have been, I think he or she would be pleased to know that I live, lived and definitely will live my life to the fullest.Kudos to Jessie Tyson for a haunting yet satisfyingly delightful story. I loved the ending, too! You are a great storyteller, your knowledge of supernatural elements in the story were a good concept and it thrilled me to know that it was based on a true-to-life experience. And thank you for taking me to Cumbria, surely it is a magical place; a place I would love to go to in the future. Bravo Jessie, for a compelling debut novel!