I received an advance-release copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars
What a satisfying read. An excellent combination of Christian women’s fiction and literary historical fiction. The story behind Melville’s Moby Dick becomes something entirely different when told from the female point of view. Day to day life on Nantucket for the wives and children of the men on whaling voyages carried its own struggles and victories. Powell gives us a warm and heartfelt look at them though characters that resonate with strength and hope.

Interesting tale on the true account story of Captain Owen Chase from the whaling ship Essex battered by a huge sperm whale in the 1820s,  A religious and god fearing family from Nantucket, are put to the test with family tragedy, harshness of their environment and long separations from their beloved father.  Chase suffers from the traumatic memories of the tragedy and never really gets over it.  Despite this, there are uplifting moments of close family relationships and friendships. Felt quite emotional as I finished it as I’d built a relationship with the characters. Fascinated to read the original account inspired Melville’s take of Moby Dick.  Visited the Cape Cod area last year so this inspired me to read the book.

Told in the voice of Peggy, whaleman Owen Chase’s wife, and then in his daughter’s voice, The Voice of Melody give us insight into how women lived and survived while waiting for the men away at sea to return, sometimes waiting years. Owen returns to unmet children, unforeseen deaths, and untold hardships. The women around him face them all with grace and strength. But how will Owen’s ordeals affect his family?

Kaylene Powell’s The Voice of Melody is well-written with a natural flow that makes it a breeze to read. I liked most the relationships shown between different people on the island of Nantucket, how people from different parts of town are treated compared to others, how African Americans are treated. It is an interesting point of view for such a well known incident. I can relate to Annie’s character a lot. She struggles with trying to please everyone, do everything for everyone, make people like her. It hits home.

I have only two critiques for this book. My first is that I wish Powell would have spent as much time on Annie’s adulthood as her childhood. I was invested in her as the main character, and it felt like most of her life was skimmed with large gaps in between. My second is the amount of religion in this book. I would actually categorize it as Christian Historical Fiction. If I had known this, I would not have read it, but I did end up enjoy the story, so this is just a preference.

The Voice of Melody by Kaylene Powell is a work of historical fiction. It will be published April 17, 2018 by Concierge Marketing Inc.

Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was an easy read, an interesting story, but something I typically would not have chosen for myself. It’s always good to have an open mind. I would recommend this book to any Christian Fiction fans.

I want to thank NetGalley and Concierge Marketing Inc. for giving me a free e-book copy in exchange for my honest review.