Blurb:
Tatiana Bergman views life through a different lens than most. She says and does what she likes without regard for hurt feelings on the way. Living in the 1840s in rural Pennsylvania, her passionate, impulsive behavior confounds her sisters and appalls her peers.
Life only gets more complicated when Tatiana befriends Jonny Creek, a mischievous young man whose Native American blood puts him on the fringes of society. Jonny is trouble; Tatiana is intrigued. Together they spell out disaster. From being chased by wolves, to bashing around fancy gatherings, the unlikely pair get into one scrape after another.
When tragedy strikes the Bergman family, Tatiana is compelled to leave the security of her childhood home to live in the bustling city of Philadelphia. There, she is forced into adulthood as she deals with a mysterious young coworker and an unsavory employer.
Tatiana struggles to subdue her wild spirit and keep her heart pure while making the right choices and wrestling with her own woman she finds herself in a battle of her will between two young men and the God she serves.
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Author Bio:
Madeline Brock's love of people, history, the Lord, and good storytelling flows over into her writing. She was born and raised in Northwest Ohio and came from a homeschooling family of seven. Madeline has loved reading and writing from a very young age.
In childhood, a favorite activity was taking family road trips across the country. Several unique part-time jobs filled her teen years. Among these were: music teacher, nanny, and a historic museum costumed guide. A chocolate factory and a produce stand were also memorable work experiences.
After graduation, Madeline spent two years on a Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. Her primary activity was teaching at a private school. Now California's beautiful Central Valley is her home. She resides with four cats, her carpenter husband, and their infant daughter.
Two of Madeline's favorite books are Little Women and Anne of Green Gables. She loves the timeless way the authors relate and portray their characters. Madeline strives to write with the nostalgia and emotion of her favorite authors.
Author Social Media Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Madeline-Brock/e/B00RZUN60E
https://www.instagram.com/madeline_c55
https://www.facebook.com/maddybrockbooks
https://twitter.com/MadelineBrock01
My Review:
This book was a surprising and refreshing change of pace! While I was expecting a rather typical nineteenth-century romance, Madeline Brock offers so much more with “Tatiana.” It is easy to see the influence of “Anne of Green Gables” and “Little Women” that are mentioned in the author’s biographical information. I was not expecting the eponymous heroine to be ten years old at the story’s opening, and I loved being able to read about her childhood for about half of the book, which was a bit unique from other books within this genre. In fact, “Tatiana” could easily be enjoyed by a young adult or even teenage audience.
Tatiana herself undergoes a dramatic yet convincing character transformation throughout the course of the novel, to the extent that I would classify this book as a bildungsroman. An impetuous, undisciplined 10-year-old with no sense of decorum, Tatiana’s life begins to change when she meets Jonny Creek, a half-Indian boy fostered by a local family. Her metanoia, however, comes after a harrowing nighttime escape from a pack of wolves. While a bit melodramatic at times, Tatiana demonstrates the inevitable marching on of time and the importance of friendship and family.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.