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4 out of 4 stars
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The thrill of unbridled young love is an unrelenting force that goes to the extreme to exist. This love is what drives Charlotte, the daughter of a powerful attorney, and Tey, a Native American boy, to defy the norms of the time and try to find a way to be together. They face opposition from both the societal prejudice of the 1880s and Charlotte’s father, who hates the Native Americans with an unrelenting passion. Together they try to find a way to be together without Charlotte’s father finding out as he vowed Charlotte would never be allowed to be with Tey. Lexy Duck’s novel The Tattered Black Book tells this story.
I found myself unwilling to put it down once I started; there was never a dull part. The narrative started with a young child, Danny, finding a journal and begging her Auntie to read it to her. The story bounced from their perspective to the perspectives of Charlotte and others in her tale. This kept me in suspense as the story was always moving around to the different characters. This suspense lasted until the very last page of the book.
It also allowed for the characters to be seen in more depth. For example, Tey could be seen through the hateful eyes of Charlotte’s father. Then he would be described from Charlotte’s loving viewpoint, and his personality was furthered fleshed out. This was done for all the characters and created a well-developed cast that each stood out in their own way.
The writing was my favorite part. There were only a few grammatical issues, and I believed it was professionally edited. More importantly, the writing flowed with the story. Each word added to the narrative and gave me a crystal-clear view of each event that took place. Duck’s stunning historical details brought the time period to life and gave each character a physical description that matched the depth of personality each possessed.
This book is more than deserving of 4 out of 4 stars. I can think of nothing I did not like about it. However, there was the use of some profanity and mentions of violence. Readers of romance and historical fiction will enjoy this remarkable tale. It is a quick read that hijacks the imagination and takes you along for quite the ride. The literary elements of the novel work in tandem to create a masterpiece. I would be the first to read another book by Duck if she chooses to write one.
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The Tattered Black Book
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