Oh, Gussie! I felt her restless spirit as she tried to escape the uncomfortable situation at home. Though I understood her dilemma, she had much growing up to do. What better way to mature than finding herself amid a plague in India? I love how author Kimberly Duffy's culture and the tragic circumstances during the breakout. I learned a few details, which like Gussie, it made me more aware of the world around me.
Also, once Gabriel comes into the picture, prepare to swoon! Best kissing scenes in my recent reads. ;)
I'm glad Gabriel has his own fears and that they both figured out where they belong, embracing their differences, and accepting themselves as God created them.

This book not only has a gorgeous cover, it has a story contained within its pages that is just as lovely, if not more, than the outside.
I love Kimberly Duffy's words throughout this book. Her writing style is just perfect.
Gussie is a fabulous heroine, I really loved her. She does not like her family's expectations they've placed on her. Behaving as a respectable young lady, and doing what she can to make a good match. Her job of choice is traveling the country as Miss Adventuress. Then, when she finds herself in the midst of a scandal, she sails across the world to India, where two of her childhood best friends reside.
Gussie loves India, it's cultures and it's rich colors. I loved seeing the country through her eyes, and India really came alive for me as never before.
It also is about the bubonic plague. Sadly, some of this felt all too relatable. It's quite intriguing to me to read about plagues we've had in the past, and see similarities and differences to what our world is experiencing today.
Overall, I found this to be an intriguing historical fiction. I loved it, and look forward to reading more books by this author.
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Augusta Travers has escaped the strictures of New York high society and the condemnation of her family by repeatedly running away from home. And every time, her family sends her Uncle James, a retired Pinkerton agent out to find her.

Gussie doesn’t really run away, she simply ignores her family’s wishes and travels all over the United States photographing the wonders and writing a column for Ladies Weekly under the pseudonym of Miss Adventuress. She even takes along a companion to maintain propriety. Although she has no qualms about ditching her companion when Gussie can no longer stomach her wet-blanket attitude.

After all, it’s 1897 and women have proven themselves perfectly capable. They don’t need protection from a man to board a train, mount a horse, or sail to parts unknown. When someone reveals Gussie’s identity to New York society on the day of her sister’s wedding, her parents insist she removes herself to Chicago and lives in seclusion until the furor dies down. If she can find a suitable husband while in exile, even better.

Gussie would rather die. She takes off for India, instead. When she arrives in Poona, she surprises her childhood friends, Catherine, and her twin brother, Specs. Only Specs has morphed from a shorter-than-Gussie gangly teen into a taller-than-Gussie-and-very-handsome physician.

As Gussie struggles with her changing feelings for Specs, she embraces the city and country that fill her with a sense of belonging. Something she hasn’t felt in her own home or city since her parents’ change in social status.

Why I Loved this Book

Duffy paints word pictures as lush and exotic as an Indian sari. Historical fiction lovers will love the attention to detail. Romance lovers will love Gussie’s discovery of her new feelings towards a childhood friend. Those interested in social justice will find a new hero in Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati. But most importantly, every child of God who has ever felt the sting of disapproval, unkind words, and misplaced expectations will find healing in Gussie’s story.

If you could only buy one book this month, choose this one.

"Every Word Unsaid" is a Christian romance set in 1897 mostly in India. When Augusta's family became rich, she longed for the life they had before, when she was valued rather than a failure at the required social graces. She rebelled by periodically running off to see the world and writing about her adventures for a lady's magazine. Yet her family's hurtful words still follow her, making her feel worthless and like she'll never belong. When she visits her childhood friends in India, though, she realizes that some people do value her. Still, she struggled to believe their healing words over the hurtful ones.

Her childhood best friend, Gabriel, is now a handsome man. He still supports her and builds her up. He loves her even though he struggles with the fear of losing his loved ones like he did his parents. He knows Augusta's impulsiveness and love of adventure, though, so he doesn't let himself hope she'll stay.

This is a story about how past hurts shape our futures if we listen to the lies and hurtful words. How we find our worth in God, not in how others view us. The main characters were complex, reacted realistically to events, and I cared about what happened to them. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting and enjoyable historical.

Every Word Unsaid is a lovely story about Augusta, or "Gussie" who takes pictures and writes stories for a women's magazine. She travels all over the U.S. and writes of her adventures as "Miss Adventuress" Soon, the opportunity to go to India comes up, which excites her, because her two best friends from her childhood live there. Her family is very critical of everything she does, so she prepares to go to India without telling anyone. Her beloved uncle, of course, follows her as he has always done, which surprises her at how fast he finds her. But he is the only family member that shows her affection and understanding of why she is always traveling. When she meets up with her friends in India, she doesn't recognize Gabriel at first, whom she has always nicknamed "Specs" because of his glasses. He and his twin sister, Catherine, are happy to see her, except there is a pandemic of bubonic plague going on in their part of India. She soon learns that there is so much more to life than what she has written, so she writes her own book of her travels that is unlike her series in the magazine. She also notices how grown up and handsome her old friend Specs has become. A very clean and wonderful story I will enjoy reading again and again.

Gussie is an adventure. I love the side of her that is Miss Adventuress and I love the side of her that discovers the rest of her. I love Specks and Catherine and of course Uncle James. I feel for Gussie in her family. In books I often see the misunderstood girl who doesn't quite fit, but she is very much still loved which is the important factor. Based on her impressions, that is not what I get from her family, which adds a different dynamic to this story.

I love the author's imagery of India. The writing was beautiful even if the plague was not. The native characters brought perspective and understanding to an outsider. It was truly like I was there with them.

While there is an element of love, I hesitate to say romance, but there is definitely a good build on the relationship, this story is mostly about Gussie finding who she is and what she wants to become. There is the element of faith and growth in that. I can't say enough about how I loved this story.

The beauty of this story is timeless and I loved every minute.

I was given an early copy through the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest review.

J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote that “not all those who wander are lost.” That is certainly true for some; for others, they have convinced themselves they are on a mission, all the while searching for a true purpose. It is this concept, as well as the topic of another of Tolkien’s classic lines— “Faithless is he who says farewell when the road darkens”—that is explored in Kimberly Duffy’s latest historical fiction novel, Every Word Unsaid.

In the America of the late 1890s, Augusta Travers is on a mission to prove to herself, her family, and society’s naysayers that a woman can be an adventurer. “Nothing brought [her] more joy than slipping away.” (Loc 37) With her Kodak camera, she travels around the country, documenting her escapades with photographs and whimsical depictions in the popular column she writes anonymously for a ladies’ magazine. Her readers “expected greater things from Gussie than her own family, who only wanted her to marry well.” (Loc 209) Her elite, social-climbing New York family not only disapproves of her and her work, but also fears the scandal they may be embroiled in by association if her identity is ever revealed and her reputation ruined. She spends all of her time escaping her family’s suffocating condemnation. “Life at home… It stifles me. I feel as though I’m drowning in the tedium of it. I can’t breathe there. Exploring and writing and taking photographs makes me feel alive.” (Loc 326)

When the feared scandal eventually occurs, Gussie once again sees an opportunity to flee the oppressive expectations of her status as a young woman in a wealthy family. This time, though, she journeys to India, where her steadfast childhood friends now reside. And it is unlike anything she has ever experienced or expected. “America, with its youthful zeal and brazen thirst, whispered a sonnet to Gussie’s heart. But India sang, her voice a thunderous roar, to the percussion of drums.” (Loc 1058)

The colorful chaos of India’s welcoming embrace encourages Gussie to hope for a more meaningful life. But as her eyes are opened to the cruel injustices beyond her camera lense, will she choose to shine a light on the shadows or slip away from the suffering?

This was a beautifully written tale. And I usually admire flawed characters; relatable flaws lend authenticity to stories. However, I could not quite overcome my aversion to this heroine. Her family situation simply did not convincingly explain her spoiled behavior throughout the story. The way Gussie treated even the people who loved and admired her most was distastefully immature. I expected her to eventually evolve through her experiences, and to a certain extent, she did. Yet even after witnessing real adversity—like plague and famine and the violent plight of truly oppressed women—she just could not seem to dismiss her self-centered focus. She was not cold-hearted by any means, and she was certainly affected by what she witnessed, but that was ultimately the issue—she was absorbed by how it all affected her. This is the first time in a long time that I did not want the hero to fall for the heroine.

There are so many other wonderful elements woven into the fabric of this tale that redeemed it for me. The fascinating secondary characters had a depth and heart to them that made me wish to know more about them. The book’s stunning and intriguing cover art merely hints at the loveliness of the lyrical prose behind it. The descriptions of both beauty and agony are visceral and hypnotic.

Readers will appreciate the delicate essence of shared experiences that transcend both time and borders in Every Word Unsaid.

4 out of 5 Stars

Every Word Unsaid is the newest release by Kimberly Duffy, and I’m very happy to say we get to see more of India! This beautiful country played a big part in her previous books, and I’m really happy it was featured in this book again, in a very new, original way.

But first things first. We have a very feisty woman named Gussie who knows what she wants in life: to have adventures and travel the world and write about them, and to make photographs. However, she feels very unsupported by her family, who only see her as a potential scandal waiting to happen, and really want her to settle down and marry rich. Her uncle, aka my favorite character, is a former Pinkerton detective and follows her on her journeys, while she tries to throw him off her trail. However, she can’t manage to shake off that inevitable scandal, and if forced to live with relatives. So of course she secretly goes to India! Paid by her editor at the newspaper for whom she writes lively columns. However, India has a way to change your heart, and she might discover another side of herself, and when see meets her childhood friends, one of whom has grown into quite the handsome man, she might lose her heart, right in the middle of a pandemic.

I love how this story is mostly about self discovery. Gussie starts out as, let’s be honest, a very selfish character who makes instant decisions without thinking them through. It was really hard to like her, as I wanted to shake some sense into her! This made the start of the novel hard, but the adventures she had were enough to make up for it. And I understand where it comes from, she feels abandoned by her family, and is adrift, but it is still hard to read as she is so much in denial! However in India things get better as she learns from other women about her worth and how she has been blessed with gifts and an open heart. I really loved those conversations! Gabriel helps her too, but supporting her work. And I loved the theme about how words can have such an impact too! The title was well chosen. We got to see a lot of India, how the harmful political decisions impacted the Indian population, and how widows and orphans were treated. It gave the story more depth! Of course the beauty is also not ignored! The themes were close to my heart and I think they were truly well done, not preachy but honest.

And now about the romance, which we’re all waiting for, right? Gabriel is awesome in the beginning, a nerdy intelligent doctor and childhood friend, so it doesn’t get much better in my opinion for a start. And I absolutely loved him, they seemed perfect together! But near the end some things happened that made me dislike him a little bit, their relationship is very, very bumpy. I mean, it’s not really put me off from reading and I still loved it very much, but there were some decisions he made I really couldn’t understand. But the ending was very nice, and I do love the story and everything that happened! This book is about so much more than romance, there are multiple female friendships and side plots, way too much to mention in this already too long review.

All in all, I loved this original story - and I secretly hope uncle gets a sequel!

I got an e-arc from Netgalley, but it hasn’t influenced my opinions.

Kimberly Duffy’s admiration for India shines in Every Word Unsaid. Although Gussie’s journey starts in America, circumstances bring her to India, an exotic setting brought to life by Duffy’s stunning descriptions. An example: “America, with its youthful zeal and brazen thirst, whispered a sonnet to Gussie’s heart. But India sang, her voice a thunderous roar, to the percussion of drums. It reached inside her and wrestled with the accusations that had chased her across the ocean.” Beautiful prose.

Every Word Unsaid follows Gussie’s path to maturity. A life of monetary privilege coupled with youthful ignorance and family dysfunction leads Gussie to reckless decisions. Some readers may not appreciate the duration of her immaturity, but as the story progresses, Gussie comes into her own. Her time in India begets insight into her passions and gifts, an awareness of injustice, and a true understanding of the power of words. The latter stands as my favorite theme in this novel. Gussie’s wrestling with words spoken over her is a relatable struggle for many, including myself. I loved seeing her overcome the disparaging words by choosing to believe the truth.

While Every Word Unsaid briefly mentions Nora and Owen from A Mosaic of Wings, this novel is a stand-alone and might be my favorite story by Kimberly Duffy. Every Word Unsaid will appeal to readers who enjoy inspirational historical fiction with character development, serious themes, and a friends-to-lovers romance. 4.5 Stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Augusta Travers is a risk taker, with a heart that is full of compassion, and we travel in her shoes, from the US to India, and you will never know where you will end up!

Gussie loves life and people, and especially her childhood friends, Specs, aka Gabriel, and Catherine, and ends up finding them, after many years, in India.

This story is filled with family, joy, compassion, and love! Yes, love for friends and for those less fortunate, going beyond words with action, and in Gussies case pictures.

This is a story that is filled with emotions, and whether you agree with what is going on, and I'm sure you will have an opinion, I sure did, we travel along, and in the end, didn't want the story to end. I did love the epilogue.

Be sure to read the author's notes!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.

Really loved this book! Gussie was such an interesting character. Way before her time in wanting to be a journalist and working towards women's rights. I loved the way she followed her own path, not what others expected of her. Though sometimes hard to allow yourself to be open to different dreams, as we grow emotionally, she was ready to explore her options.
Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC. I will be recommending this story to others.

There is something familiar in Kimberly Duffy's writings that take the readers to exotic places without ever leaving their homes. With the protagonist's travels, Kimberly once again takes her readers to India in the late 1800s to a time under British rule, unspeakable poverty, desperate conditions, and astounding beauty.

Augusta "Gussie" Travers escapes her family's climb into social status by writing for Ladies Weekly magazine as "Miss Adventuress." She travels throughout the United States, taking photographs and writing articles that allow her readers to escape the drudgery of daily life. Her writing is light-hearted and witty, and her photographs are breath-taking illustrations of her travels. When her identity is leaked on the morning of her sister's wedding, she is denigrated and renounced by her family. Her parents decide to exile her to her aunt's in Chicago, where she might learn some of the finer societal manners, and where she won't be able to harm their social status by her outrageous behavior. Her boss at Ladies Weekly offers to send her to India for a more exotic trip than she's been on before.

As Gussie is leaving for Chicago in the company of her uncle--once a Pinkerton agent--she ditches the train she's on and heads to Boston to catch a ship to England and then India. While in India she meets up with her childhood friends Specs and Catherine. And while in India, she finds that she has come home. She has found the place where she is accepted for who she is, where she is valued for her thoughts and ideas, where she is treated with respect and honor--all things that have been missing from her family's treatment and opinions of her. She also finds love. It's a topsy-turvy road to romance for Gussie (and dare I say it, a rather formulaic road to romance).

I am not sure where Kimberly came up with the title for Every Word Unsaid, because there were not many words left unsaid by the time the book is finished. Gussie and Specs hashed, rehashed, and sometimes over-hashed their words with each other. But this book is one that was surprisingly compelling. There are events that bring out anger, compassion, excitement, betrayal, understanding, and several other emotions. It will cause readers like me to lose sleep because they just can't put it down, but it's worth every minute. I looked back to see that I have read all of Kimberly's books and they are all just as enjoyable as this one.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a ride on an elephant to fulfill a bucket list item.

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I struggled with this one. I did like the overall message of finding one's self-worth, but the book felt all over the place in many parts. I felt the romance angle was rushed and a bit unrealistic. I had a difficult time liking the heroine, though I did like her independence, and it made it hard for me to stay engaged. She just felt too self-centered. I've known people who have had miscarriages, and I didn't feel that angle was handled or portrayed as well as it could've been. The writing itself was fine, as was the setting/descriptions.

This is a new author for me, but I will definitely read anything else she writes. Her writing is phenomenal and evokes India (from a colonist's point of view, yes) with exquisite precision. Gussie is a woman ahead of her time, determined to be independent and self-sufficient. She writes for a woman's magazine (anonymously) and when her identity is revealed, she decides to travel to India instead of going into seclusion. Her two childhood friends work as missionaries and when she sees her childhood sweetheart again - sparks fly, opinions and beliefs are challenged, and lives are irrevocably changed. I really enjoyed this book and am grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read it! I will read it again and again!

Much to the chagrin of Gussie's parents, she is traveling all over the country writing under a nom de plume for a women's magazine. Her parents and all other NY society elite are scandalized by this when her identity comes out. Instead of going into seclusion at her Aunt's in Chicago at the behest of her parents, she takes off on a new adventure -- to India. India is where Gussie's childhood friends, Specs and Catherine live. Specs was her childhood sweetheart. He now goes by his given name of Gabriel instead of the fond nickname Gussie gave him and he is a doctor doing missionary work.

This is a sweet tale of women's rights and women's hearts and minds. So much love and so much forgiveness! And a few hardheads.

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

This book had a lots of really powerful lines and I particularly felt the message of "finding self-worth" was important.

However, the story was a bit chaotic at times. The heroine and hero's romantic relationship was very hot/cold. When things were resolved between them at the end, it was done very brusquely. There just seemed to be very little trust or understanding between them up until the very last chapter. The heroine was also hard to love. I enjoyed her streak of independence and adventure, but overall she came across as difficult to root for because of her occasional disregard for others.

Potential *SPOILER*

TW: miscarriage
I had an issue with the way miscarriage was represented in this book. The heroine told her best friend (who was expecting a child, who had fallen down the stairs while carrying the child, and who couldn't feel her baby move anymore) that she thought the baby was still alive inside her. This felt like extremely false hope/a tactless thing to say to the friend, who was later upset with the heroine for telling her that her unborn baby was alive when she clearly had no medical authority to make that call. Then in the epilogue, about twenty pages after the baby is lost, the best friend is heavily pregnant and married all over again without ever introducing us to the new spouse. It made the grief the friend had just felt about losing her first child and previous husband hard for the reader to process, because she was so angry and upset just moments before... and then the next time we see her in the book she is pregnant again and happily married to someone we'd never met before. It wasn't explained well and didn't feel like that part of the storyline was given much of a thoughtful conclusion.

This is inspirational/Christian fiction, but it did not feel preachy.

I have a hard time reviewing books that I generally like, where the author writes her characters consistently, there are no complaints with the prose, the scene setting is done well, in short, where the author did her job, but I disagreed with the message and the main character on a philosophical level. I'm torn.

For a bit of background, I had the same trouble with this author's first book, but loved the second, because she was very solid and clear with the truth and theology she presented, and it gave me hope for the author's trajectory, but unfortunately, this book was more like the first in that the main female character was profoundly self-centered and her resolution was in an external change of circumstances, which in my opinion, is not the deeper answer her heart needed.
As a result, I felt "okaaaaayyy, I don't reeeeaaaally DISAGREE with the message," but it was not accompanied with the power of the gospel like in A Tapestry of Light, which would have taken this book from "meh" to powerful. Am I splitting hairs? I ask myself this, but I really don't think so, because I believe the readers need a more powerful message and I know this author is capable of delivering it.

So like I said, the character (Gussie) is self centered, which I think is a lot of my problem with fictional feminist historical characters, and I really liked the background and explanation of her family life that made you empathize and gave depth to her reasons for being so. Better yet, her goal in life wasn't the stereotypical "have a man's job," which was unique; she just wanted freedom from society's expectations. The male MC appears to suffer from anxiety, which was another novel thing for a Christian fiction book and gave the book nuance. So, there were definitely things I liked!

The entire message of the book was about finding your identity, not in what people say you should be, but "who you are," which included "the One who made you" in the list but wasn't really FOUNDED on Him. This message felt very 21st century to me and very out of place for 1899. (The main couple was also very handsy, which I also thought was out of place for the era). Gussie is searching, wandering, running in her search for her identity, and when she arrives in this exotic location and falls in love with an old friend, her heart comes home. Oh, yikes. My dear, dear friend- Jesus is the answer to your searching, wandering and running, not a man or an exotic place or in "being you." There are references to the characters praying, but little else about their character arcs displayed the heart of a true Christian- no surrender, no dependence on God.

Here are some quotes from the book:
"You are whole, entirely enough." (Then why did Jesus have to come and die? He's the one who makes you whole.)
"The library offered Gussie her only solace." (I'm wondering if she's been in the Word today?)
"Perhaps she could find meaning and purpose in Hampi." (Oh cringe. Don't you have anyone to speak truth to you and counter this thinking?)
"Now, having discovered there is, after all, a place I wish to rest, I have learned it isn't where I wander that gives my life purpose, but the people I love. The things I fight for. Who and what I believe in." (Um... What DO you believe in and why is it last on your list?)

I would encourage readers who do struggle with their identity and find freedom in the idea from this book that your identity is not in others' expectations of you, to take it one step further and ground your identity in Jesus Christ, in His sacrifice and life-altering love for you. Please don't stop where Gussie stopped, because I believe it is not enough for true peace. This book is a good first step in the right direction, but the real richness can be found in a deeper place.

The publisher provided me with a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but all opinions are my own.

Oh this was trash. As an Indian person, I cringed as I read the book and could not finish it. Another "exotic" book written for the white lady who ignores the country for her small troubles. The country is just a background for this boring womans life.

In EVERY WORD UNSAID, KIMBERLY DUFFY uses her incredible command of the English language to not only describe the surroundings, but also the emotions and complexities of human nature. It is a beautiful book with an amazing story and unforgettable characters. There is also a strong Christian message woven into it, especially that of overcoming fear and rejection. It is a book that really needs to be savoured to get the most enjoyment out of it.
Augusta (Gussie) Travers’ enthusiasm for life, and wanting to live it to the full, her daring travels in order to get stories and photographs for her column in the Ladies’ Weekly as the Adventuress, cause her family, who have never taken the time to understand her, to reject her. In fact the only people who really love her for herself are her Uncle James, a former Pinkerton agent, and her childhood friends, Catherine and Gabriel (Specs).
When the identity of the Adventuress is discovered, the scandal is too much for her family and they send her to stay with her aunt in Chicago until she falls into line with their expectations. She chooses rather to take up her editor’s offer to go to India for six months and write about her travels there, managing to escape her indomitable Uncle James, who follows her there.
I really like the way that Bimla, who also suffers from rejection by her family, relates to Gussie, and they form a strong bond. I like to see their refusal to be defined by what others say about them. One of my favourite quotations from the book, and there are many, is, “ We aren’t responsible for where we have come from.Only where we go. ”
As we follow Gussie’s journey we see how the people she meets, the change in her relationship with Specs, Catherine and Uncle James, the horrors of the bubonic plague, the abject poverty, together with the beauty that shines through in spite of everything, lead to her wanting to do something worthwhile with her story writing and photographic gifts.
I will leave the story here, as I do not want to spoil the read for you.
This is a novel that I will definitely read again. I cannot recommend Every Word Unsaid highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.