"Heart of Wisdom" by Jacqueline Seewald: Review/Giveaway

Review by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

In 1920, the Demsky family emigrated to America to join Chaim, husband and father, who had arrived eight years earlier so he could make enough money for the family to be together again. A traditionalist, Chaim was the head of the family and earned a living. His wife, Malka, took care of the family of four girls and kept house for them.

The two oldest girls, Rivka, sixteen, and Chava, are deep in the throes of sibling rivalry, a condition that will continue into their adult lives. Lena is twelve and the peacemaker of the family. Sora, ten, is considered the brightest of the girls and is destined for college.

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Image Source Historia

When it is time for the girls to marry, their prospective husbands must ask Chaim for permission, which is most times reluctantly given. Grandchildren arrive and the family continues—until Sora’s husband is accused of murder.

While Sora is sure he is innocent, the rest of the family are sure he is not. Advice to divorce him lest he bring more shame to their name, to let the police and courts decide, and remarks about how she should never have married him, bring more tension.

With the help of a local lawyer, Sora is determined to find the truth and set her husband free. The question is, will she be able to do it in time?

The story is rich in history and details of a close-knit family living in a new country and culture. The historical aspect of the first part of the book transforms the family from characters on the page to people readers will feel they’ve met. The tension of hunting the killer moves the story at a faster pace as Sora rushes to save her husband. Take a step back in time and join the search!

A prolific writer, Seewald has written twenty books for adults, teens, and children, in addition to novellas, short stories, poems, essays, reviews, and articles. The Bad Wife was reviewed here in KRL.

To enter to win a pdf copy of Heart of Wisdom, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "wisdom,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 14, 2023. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode went up last week.

You can use this link to purchase the book or click here. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She writes about eco-friendly topics, pets and wildlife for magazines and reviews mysteries and thrillers for KRL. A collection of her short stories, published by Untreed Reads, From Hay to Eternity: Ten Tales of Crime and Deception can be found at all the usual outlets. Each one is a little weird and all have a twist you won't see coming.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.