The Spirit of Nora

The Spirit of Nora, A Novel by Lyle Scott Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis

Stretched across a backdrop of bustling New York, romantic Paris, and rural Russia in the early twentieth century, The Spirit of Nora vividly portrays the emergence of a young Minnesota woman into a fiercely independent spirit. Leaving her home on the farm with her childhood friend Ella for nursing training in New York, Nora enters a changing world. After befriending two doctors on the train east, Nora and Ella spend many evenings with Tristan and Soren. But a terrible tragedy pulls Ella from Nora, who eventually travels farther east, searching for redemption for failing her friend.

Nora becomes wrapped up in the permissive lifestyle of French artists, embracing relationships with the lively Cassandra and talented Auguste. While in France, she is confronted with physical temptations and spiritual uncertainty until she learns of the communal setting established on the estate of the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. The Spirit of Nora needs further nourishment for her wavering faith, and she continues yet farther east to Yasnaya Polyana to work with Tolstoy's translator. Through the following years Nora learns of hardship, love, war, and the difficulties in finding balance between right and wrong. Ultimately, she must come face to face with the legacy of her lost friend.

Expected publication: November 29th 2011 by Tate Publishing

ISBN139781613465899

Review
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, and honestly I really liked it. Nora is a strong woman living in a time when woman are fighting for their rights. As a young woman she travels to New York City seeking her place in the world. After the loss of her friend she travels to Eastern Europe seeking penance for failing her friend. We follow her thru life with love and loss and all the ravages of war in Europe. As a strong Christian woman she find her place thru it all and seeks what God calls her to do. Its an interesting look at this time period in history thru Nora's life while WWI is going on and how Russia changed thru it all. This is a good read for those who enjoy historical fiction.



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