In the past 6 months, Claire Laurent has lost her mother, her father, her home, and the only work she has ever known—the work of a forger. A talented artist, Claire has been forced to forge famous paintings for years; but now that her father is dead, she must start over, and make a new life for herself. Forced to flee New Orleans out of fear that the men who killed her father would be looking for her, Claire settles in Nashville, with no idea what she will do to survive; but within a day, Claire manages to land a prestigious interview with the richest woman in Tennessee, at the Belmont Mansion.
Setting her novel in the late 1860’s, as the South continues to recover from its devastating defeat, Tamera Alexander truly captures the enchanting time period. As someone who is fascinated with the beauty of the Old South and reconstruction period and has frequently dreamed of a world of big puffy dresses, southern gentlemen, old southern mansions, grand staircases, and windows taller than me, I was captivated by “A Lasting Impression”. I have not read a story set during this time period that has caught my attention this much since “Gone With the Wind”, which happens to be my favorite story of all time.
The detail and imagery in “A Lasting Impression” is exceptional—from the descriptions of the various art to the perfect details of old southern culture! Tamera Alexander has a beautiful writing style that flows and makes you feel as if you have actually landed in the most beautiful time period that ever existed! I have never read a book with such detail! I love escapism; and as an avid reader of fantasy, thrillers, and other various fiction, I find that escape as I frantically search for every clue to solve a murder, dive deep into Elyon’s lake, take the train to Hogwarts, or get inside the head of a deranged serial killer. The escape that I found in “A Lasting Impression” was very unique as I landed in a time-period that I’ve always dreamed of. Tamera Alexander sent me there.
The characters could not have been better! I connected with Claire, who could be sweet and quiet at times but really came out of her shell as the story progressed, becoming lively and spirited as she slowly began to believe more in herself. I found myself laughing out loud and smiling at Sutton’s southern gentleman qualities; and Adelicia was intriguing and I never knew what to expect next from her!
This is the first book that I’ve ever read by Tamera Alexander and I’m already anticipating reading it again very soon, along with as many other books I can get of hers! Her engaging writing style and captivating imagery and detail, complementing a beautiful story written from a Christian perspective is refreshing and beautiful and has definitely made me a huge fan! As a matter of fact, I dare to say that “A Lasting Impression” has made it onto my top 5 favorite stories of all time! I hope there will be many other Belmont Mansion novels!
*This book was provided by Bethany House Publishing in exchange for my honest review*
Wow, Sarah! Sounds like a great novel! And your review was great!
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