Book Review--Until That Distant Day by Jill Stengl

Colette and her brother Pascoe are two sides of the same coin, dependent upon one another in the tumultuous world of the new Republic. Together they labor with other leaders of the sans-culottes to ensure freedom for all the downtrodden men and women of France.

But then the popular uprisings turn bloody and the rhetoric proves false. Suddenly, Colette finds herself at odds with Pascoe and struggling to unite her fractured family against the lure of violence. Charged with protecting an innocent young woman and desperately afraid of losing one of her beloved brothers, Colette doesn’t know where to turn or whom to trust as the bloodshed creeps ever closer to home. 

Until that distant day when peace returns to France, can she find the strength to defend her loved ones . . . even from one another? 

 Through My Window

After a long absence, Jill Stengl returns to Authorhood, and she heralds a tale of the French Revolution with a clear, unique voice and excellent plotting that transports us straight into the era. It is a journey of a woman’s search for good in a time where all good things seemed to have been rejected. And it was a journey for me as well, and my opinion of the tale progressed with the page.

I’ll admit, the first third of the book was not amazing for me. Certainly, the writing was excellent and she dropped me right into the world without error. That was part of the problem. Um…1792 Paris. Who would want to be there??? Okay, maybe there are some people, but I wasn’t one of them. Sure, I’d read and enjoyed another French Revolution novel, The Tale of Two Cites, but it was different. Until That Distant Day plants you living in this city, amongst the crowds, along the streets, inside the families. And it didn’t take long before I concluded that almost all men there were disgusting, faith was nearly non-existent, and man-kind was basically selfish. A pretty accurate truth, I guess.

            But I also had a problem of not liking many of the characters at first. Two out of three of our heroine’s brothers I despised, one a charming cad, the other a hot-headed brat. The one brother I did like (a quiet, religious young man) didn’t show up nearly enough for the first third. There was a mysterious doctor and his cold daughter who I thought might be likeable, but there were too many mysteries about them to be sure. As for our main character, Colette, she’s a tough, experienced woman with a scandalized past and a determination to do things right from now on. I liked her…but I didn’t quite connect with her…at first. And what about the romantic interest? I knew there was one in here somewhere, but there didn’t seem to be a decent man around! I wasn’t expecting Monsieur Perfection, but a good man at least…

            As I went into the second third, Colette became as disgusted and disillusioned with her culture as I was, and we suddenly became friends. And I was inspired as she started seeking out God, taking her stand, and determining to love no matter what. The brother who I did like came up as a main character! More was revealed about the Doctor and his daughter. A sweet side romance began. And the man for Colette? Oh…well, it turns out he’d been under my nose the entire time. Very sneaky, Mrs. Stengl, very sneaky. ;)

            And then WOOMPH!!!

            (Guess what sort of events started.)

            The last third of the book had me absolutely glued to the page, desperate for the characters who had indeed become my friends, delighting in their triumphs, mourning with their sorrows. Mrs. Stengl is a master story-teller; she knows just what strings to pull. I was sitting there, author-mode, thinking, “If this was my story, I’d do this—” The next moment I’d switched to reader-mode, gasping, “AUGH! SHE DID IT!!! NOoo, please let it turn out all right!” There were also twists I never saw coming. And I even found some forgiveness in me for the person I’d rounded up as the despicable villain. Around here, there was a change in character that I found a bit convenient, but hey, who am I to judge the workings of a tormented soul? It worked out great for the story, anyway. These were people…real…raw…imperfect, selfish, proud, foolish. But people…beloved of God.

            The suspense, the humor, the joy, the sorrow, the love…it all wound up into a triumphant conclusion that left me with one available conclusion about the book.

            I loved it.

Violence: French Revolution, folks. Blood. Happily, Jill Stengl really doesn’t get into gory descriptions. There is a mention of a head on a pike, but most of the really awful violence stayed off page.

Sexual: Paris. The culture is morally loose. Our heroine has had two affairs in her past (she’s not proud of them). There are two young women with child outside of marriage. Men and women are flirty. One of Colette’s brothers actually encourages her to take up the job of a mistress. But there was really no scenes or descriptions to provoke any problems for the reader. You know the bad is there, but it’s not bad for you. And the romance is so sweet and clean! Our heroine’s romance is unromantic in the most romantic way possible! Did that not make any sense? Read the book to understand.

Language: Plenty of profanity is said to be said, but we never see it on the page.

If you are interested in the French Revolution era, reading this book is not merely a suggestion, but an order! If you enjoy historical novels, you should definitely read this. And even if historical novels aren’t your genre of choice, you should still give this a try if you like good writing and real characters.

            It’s a difficult tale, an emotional tale, where all the story threads and characters are woven together with superb mastery and heart. Bravo, Mrs. Stengl!