Phoebe's Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher - A Book Review

      

     Of all the Suzanne Woods Fisher books that I have read, Phoebe’s Light is my absolute favorite. Often times historical Amish, Quaker, and Shaker books have a very similar and familiar feel to them, not so with Phoebe’s Light. While Fisher appears to stay true to the circumstances of the times, her two main female characters, Phoebe Starbuck (fictional) and Mary Coffin (historical), were quite independent for the era and for their faith traditions. One was wise from an early age, the other gained wisdom through the school of hard knocks. The many male characters who interact with these two ladies are as different from one another as night is from day. We see those genuine in their faith, those genuine in their adherence to rules, and those genuine in their repulsion to religion if not to faith, along with those who are extremely hypocritical. We see those who look at people of all station, creed and color as individuals worthy of respect, those who lack respect for anyone different from themselves, and those who would take advantage of any they could. We see the well-educated, the self-educated, those lacking education but not wisdom, and those lacking wisdom but not education.

     Phoebe’s Light is split between Mary’s story set on the recently settled island of Nantucket in the mid-1600s and Phoebe’s story set on the same island, but during the peak of the whaling industry of the mid-1700s. During Mary’s time association with or belonging to the Quakers was something often met with imprisonment and public whippings. During Phoebe’s a large percentage of Nantucket’s residents were members of the Society of Friends (Quakers), and were expected to follow their customs and traditions.

     In this book Fisher offers her readers a high level of tension that will keep pages turning long into the night. She also brings forth a few quite unexpected surprises before the stories final page. I highly recommend this story of contrasts and conflict, both internal and external. I also recommend clearing your calendar for a couple of days because you aren’t going to get anything else done once you start reading any way. Thank you to Revell Publishing for providing me with a copy of Phoebe’s Light in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for providing this review.