Carol Preston
From the author:
Mary’s Guardian is an historical novel. It’s a story about my ancestors who were forced to begin a new life in a new country a world away from everything they knew. When I consider this I can’t imagine how a human being can face such circumstances without God. I wanted to write their story and reflect on how the God I know in my life may have worked in theirs to bring them through their crises and their loss, and may have inspired them to have the courage to build a new life. As I write these stories my own faith is also challenged and heightened as I am reminded of how the power and love of God, the work of His Spirit can lead us and carry us through anything we might face in life. My hope is that those who read Mary’s Guardian may be moved to consider where their strength and courage comes from.
Reviews:
Mary’s Guardian by Carol Preston. Even Before Publishing, 2011 pb 222p $19.95
Mary’s guardian, William is transported to Australia after years on the streets and in a Lincoln prison. In Sydney he seeks out Mary, whom he had protected as a child and together they start a life of hope in a new land.
The convicts’ survival depends on the whim of the officers, who together with the convicts are often starving. We learn of the hope and subsequent heartbreak of farming when the crops often fail, the grief of losing a child, and the heartbreak of floods. Gradually William and Mary come to recognise their dependence on God.
William is a strong character who always looks on the bright side even when things are bleak and his wife Mary is a real fighter. Even the minor characters are believable. Both the characters and the events are based on the author’s extensive research. This enjoyable book provides a real insight into the courage and persistence of Australia’s early pioneers as they confront such harsh conditions. Their story continues in Carol’s next novel ‘Charlotte’s Angel’. JB
MARY’S GUARDIAN
Carol Preston
Even Before Publishing
Although Mary’s Guardian is historical fiction it relates the true story of life in England in the years preceding the arrival of the First Fleet in Australia in 1788. It also details life in the fledgling colony for the first decades of our existence.
Carol Preston has done her research well and Mary’s Guardian tells of the great sacrifice and personal integrity of a few at one end of the spectrum while at the other end was utter depravity and dishonesty. On these foundations our great nation was established.
Mary’s Guardian is the story of William and Mary who defy the odds and make good in a harsh land that was little understood by the English settlers. The unrelenting floods; the loss of crops and livestock year after the year; the corrupt rum trade; the heartbreak at the loss of young lives were able to be borne only by looking forward and believing that life would be easier for their children.
Even if one is not a descendant of convict stock, Mary’s Guardian is an easily read book. However, if one’s ancestry does stretch back to our colonial days it is almost essential reading so as to understand our roots. DS
Other books by Carol Preston:
THE FACE OF FORGIVENESS
Carol Preston
Inspire Publishing
Norah is the eternal optimist and Kathryn is a confirmed pessimist. Their lives become enmeshed from the time that they meet en route to Australia in the early part of the nineteenth century. Both come from Ireland - eighteen year old Norah as a free settler and Kathryn, a little older, to serve a seven year sentence.
The Face of Forgiveness is a riveting, historically accurate and well written novel that tells of the hardships, pain, suffering and heartache of the men and women who built the foundations of this nation. It also recounts the fighting spirit and the indomitable courage of the same people. For me, one of the main attractions of the book is the underlying theme of ‘choice’: that every choice we make has a consequence, so choose carefully!
Read the book to learn how Norah and Kathryn’s lives evolve over a thirty year period. Be prepared to expect the unexpected! The Face of Forgiveness deserves a place on your book shelf. It is a book to remember.
DS
THE FACE OF FORGIVENESS
Carol Preston
Inspire Publishing
This historical fiction story begins in colonial Australia in 1839. Aboard a convict ship two young women begin a friendship which will last their lifetime. In only a few months their lives take very different paths. Both marry ex-convicts – one a good man, with honest ambitions and a love for his family, the other unremorsefully addicted to a life of crime which brings his family unremitting heartache and hardship. The women’s deepening friendship and their faith, draws their families together over decades, despite challenging issues of conflict, broken promises and tragedy. The novels themes are forgiveness, acceptance, faith, friendship and hope. An enjoyable novel, giving the reader a glimpse of rural and family life in colonial Australia. AA
THE FACE OF FORGIVENESS
Carol Preston
Inspire Publishing
Inspired by her family history, Preston presents a well-researched historical fiction about two families whose lives are intertwined. Two women, with a life-long friendship in spite of their dramatically different marriages and the strain between the two families, learn the power of forgiveness and love. Unfortunately the story has too much detail, which overwhelms the dramatic tension. WN