Phoebe's Light ~ Review

Phoebe's Light
Nantucket Legacy #1
By Suzanne Woods Fisher

Phoebe Starbuck has always known what she wants and no one can dissuade her once her mind is made up.  And Phoebe has decided that Captain Phineas Foulger is the man she is to marry. Though he is considerably older than her - she knows that he is perfect for her.

Phoebe's stubbornness just strikes Matthew Macy as wrong - she was once promised to him. But that was before he was put out of the church, before he lost his father, and before his family was in debt. Phoebe still has an effect on Matthew but her head and heart have seemingly been turned by the Captain's charm and perhaps his wealth.

When Phoebe gets her husband, she soon finds herself on an adventure like she always desired but following her own desires may not be just what she had always dreamed it being. Worse Matthew has been employed by Captain Foulger as the ship's cooper. But Matthew has made a promise to Phoebe's father to be there when she realizes the mistake she has made. Soon the sea has made its presence known to Phoebe and little gives her comfort aboard ship. Only the gift of Great Mary's journal from more than a century ago offers her distraction. And marriage to the Captain is not what she expected though her fragile health aboard the ship surely has some bearing upon his manner.

Phoebe's Light takes the reader on two different journeys Phoebe's and Mary Coffin's. Mary grew up in Puritan Massachusetts, a land where religious freedom is just a dream for the Quakers and Anabaptists who sought it within the colony. This intolerance led the Coffin family to settle on Nantucket. But Nantucket wasn't the easy life that Mary's father led them to believe rather it was one of hard work on a land not willing to be easily tamed. Together these two stories come together and offer a glimpse into the early days Nantucket Island while America was still a group of colonies under the rule of a distant monarch. 
 
This is the first book in a new series by Suzanne Woods Fisher. Nantucket Legacy if this book is but a taste of what is forthcoming is sure to delight fans of historical fiction. Focusing on Nantucket's Quaker roots one is struck by the intolerance of those seeking religious freedom for those seeking the same. This book is also an examination of how one goes about determining the path one's life should follow. Is there an inner urging? Is this self? Or is it God?  I highly recommend this book it is an interesting and enjoyable read that one will enjoy sharing with a friend or two and perfect for a book club discussion.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher Revell with no expectations of a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:
Phoebe Starbuck has always adjusted her sails and rudder to the whims of her father. Now, for the first time, she's doing what she wants to do: marrying Captain Phineas Foulger and sailing far away from Nantucket. As she leaves on her grand adventure, her father gives her two gifts, both of which Phoebe sees little need for. The first is an old sheepskin journal from Great Mary, her highly revered great-grandmother. The other is a "minder" on the whaling ship in the form of cooper Matthew Macy, a man whom she loathes.

Soon Phoebe discovers that life at sea is no easier than life on land. Lonely, seasick, and disillusioned, she turns the pages of Great Mary's journal and finds herself drawn into the life of this noble woman. To Phoebe's shock, her great-grandmother has left a secret behind that carries repercussions for everyone aboard the ship, especially her husband the captain and her shadow the cooper. This story within a story catapults Phoebe into seeing her life in an entirely new way--just in time.

In this brand-new series, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher brings her signature twists and turns to bear on a fascinating new faith community: the Quakers of colonial-era Nantucket Island.