The Wild Rose of Lancaster

Wild Rose #1

by Ruth Carmichael Ellinger

When her young husband dies, Elizabeth Davidson Cameron attempts to make a life for herself and her young son. Alone, and overwhelmed by grief, she loses everything—even her faith. Forced to return to Wildrose, the family-owned farm situated in the picturesque Ohio Valley, Elizabeth defies social proprieties and seeks employment.

Born with the fiery blood of her Scottish father and grandfather, sons of clan Davidson, Elizabeth vows to succeed without the aid of God or family.

Bitter toward God over the untimely death of her husband, Elizabeth refuses help from her affluent father, the controlling and powerful Isaac James Davidson. Isaac is angered when Elizabeth takes a job as a nurse for a local doctor and his invalid wife. Their bitter clashes drive Elizabeth from Wildrose—but not from the prayers of her Christian mother and devoted brother, Jacob. Befriended by the doctor and his wife, Elizabeth is challenged to return to her faith, but not without facing herself in a tempestuous struggle of wills.

402 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2005

About the author

RUTH CARMICHAEL ELLINGER is the primary author for this inspirational collection, Women of the Secret Place. She was born and raised in the Ohio Valley, the setting for her historical and inspirational trilogy, The Wild Rose of Lancaster, Wild Rose of Promise, and Sword of the Wild Rose. Ruth is a two-time recipient of the American Christian Writers Writer of the Year award and the 2010 Brandon Arts Council Award, Artist of the Year for Excellence in the Arts. She has received numerous writing awards for both fiction and nonfiction. Ruth is currently the co-director of Florida Inspirational Writers Retreat, and founder and president of Brandon Christian Writers. As a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Ruth celebrated her patriot ancestry by winning first place for OH DAR, Bells of Freedom. Ruth is a member of two Scottish clans, Carmichael and Davidson. The author s unique ministry experiences have taken her and her family from deserts of Arizona to the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia to the tropical banana plantations of Central America. She writes about her experiences in her blog, The Shepherdess. Ruth and her husband, a pastor, make their home in Florida and spend time at their summer home, Wildrose Cottage, an 1882 restored historical cottage in the picturesque Ohio Valley area. They have four grown children: Lucy, Kendy, Kathy, and James.

Reviews

[aMandalin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yah for my Grammy!!!! (grandma) She wrote this book! It is the history of my ancestors - true story too. It is full of action and suspence, love and pain. Since it is a true story, it is all the more adventurous!

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've finally finished this book after a long hiatus! College definitely cuts into one's pleasure-reading time (and in my case, pretty much cuts it out altogether). Unfortunately, this book didn't really encourage me to set aside time to finish this book; what really pushed me was the need to start another book (prompted by the several new ones under the Christmas tree).

Setting: Ohio Valley, Fairfield County, 1870's. Wildrose is the estate of the Davidsons, and Rosebank is the estate of Dr. Whitman, and several towns (Springfield, Lancaster) were also mentioned. The Ohio setting was emphasized well, both in name and the descriptions of the countryside. I enjoyed the detailed directional aspects, since I recognize the names, but the flowery descriptions of foliage didn't pop out at me at all. I thought the representation of the date was generally realistic--some brief mentions of the Civil War, no modern speech that I could see. (We'll get to the other problems with the dialogue later)

Characters: These characters had the opportunity to be so rich and multi-dimensional, lovable and frustrating at the same time, and capable of breaking a reader's heart. But no. Let's start with the main character, Elizabeth. The first impression I had of her was a legitimately crazy woman, since it was from the POV of her brother. Her actions at that time were never really explained in light of her character, because I never got a good grasp on what her character actually was. She seemed to be everything at different times, which to some extent is a character personality in and of itself, but with Elizabeth there were no obvious limitations. Her one definite trait was her independent streak. (which, objectively, is perfectly fine, but usually not my type of female character, so my personal preference took a hit) At the worst times, Elizabeth was terribly emotional and hysterical, and then yet startlingly clear-headed enough to do what she needed. The problem was that her character arc wasn't much of an arc; rather, it was more like a slinky. Overall, she grated on my nerves.

Isaac, one of the other major characters and Elizabeth's father, could have been one of those heart-breaking characters, had he been written well. Unlike Elizabeth, Isaac's personality is one to which I am very much attracted. (I also am looking for insight on how to write such a character) Stern, gruff, self-sufficient, and stubborn, he is the picture of a strong family figure, and when you add the loving and doting nature for his wife and children, the combination warms my heart. If the storyline with Isaac was executed well, that would overshadow the whiny voice of Elizabeth. But alas, there was one major problem with Isaac: he kept acting out of character. His character arc wasn't smooth; like Elizabeth's, it more resembled a slinky. I loved Isaac when he was himself. When he would break down or become emotional, I would immediately become detached from the story because it would seem fake. I knew the issues with him would be fixed, and I was disappointed with how everything was resolved, because it was all out of character.

Elizabeth's brothers were pretty good. I liked that there were several siblings. Jacob was slightly unrealistic, although he could have been fine. I wasn't sure how to gauge his character, because he didn't really have a true storyline.

Writing style: Eh ... not very good. Most of it was somewhat flat. There was probably a little too much telling instead of showing. The real issue, however, lay in the dialogue. Most of the dialogue was extremely stilted and long-winded. Not only that, but it was also, much of the time, overly introspective. Seriously, how many people are naturally able to understand all of your problems? How many are able to know exactly why their relationship with God is faltering? I'm not saying there is no one, but in this book they weren't part of their personalities; they were merely ways of telling (ooh, there's that bad word again) the reader what was happening with the characters.

Faith content: There was a lot of it there. There was too much. Too many sermons coming from multiple people. It was too predictable, unfortunately, in relation to Isaac. As with the writing and dialogue, the content seemed forced and awkward.

All in all, this book had a lot of opportunity: it's about Scottish people who have a strong sense of heritage (plus for me), the Ohio Valley (plus for me), and it's set in the 19th century (historical fiction is always a plus for me). But the execution was sadly lacking.

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Normally, I adore stories about the Scots. In fact, one of my favorite series of all time is the Stonewycke books by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella. Wild Rose of Lancaster didn't even come close. My biggest complaint is the main character. She's supposed to be strong and independent, but to me she comes across as downright whiny! Even after her emancipation from her family's controlling ways, she sounds more like a spoiled child than ever. I finally reached the point where I quit reading the book, which I rarely do (always wanting to give the author the benefit of the doubt and the chance to redeem him or herself). I also took exception to Elizabeth's comment regarding the Doctor's wife who had been paralyzed in an accident some years before that "he loved her even though she could not be a real wife to him"... um, really? At first, I was hoping this was part of her attitude that would be adjusted and overcome as the book went on and her character developed, but that was never addressed. The only upside to listening to the audio version was the brief hymn interludes with a Scottish flavor. More than once I found myself annoyed that the book resumed and interupted my listening. My advice, dump this series and pick up the Stonewycke series instead.