VICTORIAN TOWN
by Nancy Thorne
Abby Parker planned out her whole life: complete her final year of high school, go to college, get a job, move away from her insane family, stay best friends with Jessica.
But, that was before she broke into the nearby tourist attraction and unwittingly answered a call from a centuries-old spirit who dragged her into the 19th century.
Now she must solve a Victorian mystery without getting herself killed, or worse, spend a lifetime trapped in the past, leaving behind everyone she loves and altering their lives forever.
When she meets gorgeous Benjamin, the future looks a lot like wreckage.
I looked for a lock on the door but there wasn't one. All I needed was for Dr. Edgecombe to walk in and see me naked, even if he was a real doctor or a real delusion. I stripped while listening for footsteps and placed my torn and dirty clothes in a pile beside the washbasin table. The porcelain pitcher was filled to the brim with water, seemingly prepared for unexpected guests. I poured it all into the basin.
A small box that read LYE SOAP had been placed on two woven facecloths and one towel. I dipped one of the cloths into the water and felt the ring slip to my knuckle. I ran the washcloth over my hands before scrubbing every other part of me. It was when I dried myself with the extremely scratchy towel that I noticed the sparkling luster of the ring's silver. I squinted at it uncertainly. Nothing made any sense. I needed to get into that bed.
Plopping onto the mattress, my body sank gently into the feathery stuffing until I was sure I'd never been that comfortable in my life. I grabbed the side of the bedspread, pulled it over me, and fixated on the ceiling for what felt like the longest time, counting the circular knots in the wood − and that's when I must have dozed off.
"Are you awake, Abigail?" Martha's voice seeped through the door.
I opened my eyes, one at a time, to the ceiling. Still in Victorian Town. "Yes, I think so."
"Dinner is almost ready. You must be famished."
Dinner? I must have slept for hours. "Oh, okay. I'll just be a few minutes."
"Do take your time, Abigail. I have given you a respectful allotment of advance notice."
The latch secured to the chest at the bottom of the bed was easy to open. However, the solid wood lid was heavier than I imagined and difficult to raise. I heaved until it stayed upright, then peered at the contents. Linens and clothes in a multitude of colors and prints were folded with exactness and nestled in layers. On top of everything was a red dress.
"Will have to do." I lifted it from the trunk and placed it on the bed. It had a fitted waist and a wide full skirt with buttons that ran up the front from the midsection to the lace trim on the collar. I then took out everything that looked like underwear and placed each item beside the dress. Every piece of clothing appeared lovingly cared for. There was nothing at all in the trunk that resembled a bra, and the closest thing to clean panties I was going to get were the pajama-style pantalettes Martha had mentioned. They reached almost to my ankles and were sewn together along the inside seam until reaching the crotch, where they were just, well, open, so I don't think spinster aunt had mended them very well.
✯✯✯✯✯ What a unique love story! by Liza O'Connor
I don’t even know how to share this story without spoilers.
Thereforth, let me tell you about the author...she has done a great deal of research for this story which takes place in modern times and the Victorian era in the U.S. She lays the town out in fabulous detail. The clothes, the houses, the blacksmith, even the privy.
The heroine, Abby, was born in modern times to an unhappy family. The only ones who seems to love her is her dog and her best friend.
By placing a ring Abby found upon her finger, she ends up in the same town, only more than a hundred years earlier. Despite her strange clothes (she’s wearing pants), her bemoaning the loss of her cell phones, and the inability to dance properly, a family takes her in, and she adapts and falls in love with the smithy Ben.
Thus, she returns to her own time soon after. For it she stays, she’ll change history. To prove the point, she and her best friend research the town in modern time. However, when people that she loves in this past have futures that turn out less than what she wants, Abby returns to try and fix matters...several times. It’s a tricky thing when you play with the past. And the best of intentions are not a sure fix.
And I’m not saying anymore, other than READ THIS BOOK!
✯✯✯✯✯ Great read! by Sarah Rutter
Honestly couldn't put this book down. I kept telling myself "just one more chapter" but then I'd read five! Overall a really great read.
✯✯✯✯ YA Time-Travel by Petula Winmill
Abigail Parker chases her dog into a local tourist attraction and finds something he dug up. She ends up suddenly transported into the past, with a mystery to solve. Will her traveling backwards and forwards mess with history ?? If so who will be affected ??
This is a sweet innocent time-travel story. Our heroine is a teenager with an unhappy family life and a best friend who is not pleased with her new interest.
An entertaining book for younger readers.
✯✯✯✯ Changing the past by Rebecca Austin
Abby Parker is following her dog Riley when she finds a ring that takes her back in time to 1876. There she must solve a mystery regarding the disappearance of Elizabeth Edgecombe, the sister of her new friend Martha.
But when Abby takes off the ring she is back to the current time with her best friend Jess. The two work together to try and figure out what happened in the past.
But when Abby meets Benjamin Dunstone in the past, where will Abby remain?
I enjoyed this book and how Abby was torn between the two worlds and trying to do what she could to save those she cared about. Yet she found her friendship with Jess was starting to get strained as Jess was worried that Abby was going to change the past so that it would alter the future.
I thought it was great how the author explained everything in the past to Abby and how much of a hard time Abby had initially with adapting to everything. She thought it was a joke to begin with so it was pretty interesting how she realized the truth.
I was super curious to see what was going to happen every time Abby went back after learning what was going to happen with the archives and how she did change certain things.
I wasn't really surprised at the end but part of me was as I really thought Jess would be involved.
Nancy Thorne is an award-winning author of fiction inspired by the romance, courage and struggles of youth.
Born and raised in a suburb of Toronto, she fostered a passion for creating stories in grade school but hid it much too well. Five years ago she stepped away from the pediatric health care field to pursue her lifelong dream of telling them.
When she's not writing books or reading, she's dreaming.
Nancy lives outside of Toronto with her husband, two sons and an incredibly energetic fox-red labrador.
She loves to hear from her readers, even just to say hi.
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