New review of Sappho Sings

A wonderful new review of my novel Sappho Sings has just been posted by Nan Hawthorne, author of BELOVED PILGRIM and AN INVOLUNTARY KING.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

Review: Sappho Sings, by Peggy Ullman Bell

Sappho Sings

Peggy Ullman Bell
Reviewed by Nan Hawthorne
The historical Sappho, about whom we sadly know so little, was known in her time as The Poetess, and fittingly Peggy Ullman Bell has made this fictional biography a work full of beauty and poetry.  The novel is strewn with verse by Sappho herself and by her literary descendants, like Byron and Swinburne, each piece perfect for where it resides along the garden path of the story.  This is a lovely, sensitive interpretation of the poet's life, and the included poetry makes it a veritable garden of delights. more

List Price: $15.95
About the author:
Nan Hawthorne is a historical novelist with a particular interest in exploding the myths of the Middle Ages. Her books include AN INVOLUNTARY KING: A TALE OF ANGLO SAXON ENGLAND,
and LOVING THE GODDESS WITHIN. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Beloved Pilgrim

Authored by Nan Hawthorne
Unwilling to settle for the passive life of a noblewoman, Elisabeth dons her late twin brother's armor and sets out for the Holy Land. On the journey she learns many things, not the least of which is that she can pass for a young man because, as she says, "People see what they expect to see." Her lessons also include that honor is not always where you expect to find it, and that true love can come in the form... of another woman. (quote from book listing on Amazon.com link above.)

Sarah and Hagar

http://www.vocolot.com/music/heart_beat/sarah_and_hagar.html

I am calling you, oh Sarah;
This is your sister, Hagar,
calling through the centuries
to reach you from afar.

Here is my son, Ishmael,
your sister's son, alive.
We share the sons of Abraham:
two peoples, one tribe.

Oh yes, I am your Sarah.
I remember you, Hagar.
Your voice comes through the distance,
a cry upon my heart.

It was I who cast you out, in fear and jealousy;
Yet your vision survived the wilderness
to reach your destiny.

But it wasn't till my Isaac lay under the knife
that I recognized your peril,
the danger to your life.

I tremble now, Hagar,
for our peril's still the same.
We will not survive as strangers;
We must speak each other's name.

We must tell each others' stories,
make each other strong,
and sing the dream of ancient lands
where both of us belong.

Oh, let us hear the prayers
where spirit first was sown,
that all of our children
may call this land their home.

By Linda Hirschhorn (© 1988,2000)