Jocelyn Green

The one thing Sylvie Townsend wants most is what she feared she was destined never to have--a family of her own. But taking in Polish immigrant Rose Dabrowski to raise and love quells those fears--until seventeen-year-old Rose goes missing at the World's Fair, and Sylvie's world unravels. Brushed off by the authorities, Sylvie turns to her boarder, Kristof Bartok, for help. He is Rose's violin instructor and the concertmaster for the Columbian Exposition Orchestra, and his language skills are vital to helping Sylvie navigate the immigrant communities where their search leads. From the glittering architecture of the fair to the dark houses of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods, they're taken on a search that points to Rose's long-lost family. Is Sylvie willing to let the girl go? And as Kristof and Sylvie grow closer, can she reconcile her craving for control with her yearning to belong?

Shadows of the White City

Moriah Howard

“Healing doesn't mean forgetting the loss, nor does it mean enshrining it. Healing, at least for me, has meant holding both the blessings I once had and the blessings I still do, but holding them loosely in open hands

"Choice is one of the greatest gifts there is.”

“Doing the right thing," she said at length, “often means doing the hard thing.”

“I hope you have since learned you can stop striving to earn a place you've already been given. You're already a beloved child of God. You can't perform your way into or out of His family. It's grace, son."

“Waiting is such hard work," he said. "But remember, just be- cause we are still doesn't mean that God is. We can rely on Him." Be still, and know that I am God.

“I don't doubt God's ability. But sometimes I struggle to trust His timing."

“Just because you can't control everything doesn't mean it isn't being handled. Trust the One who is far better at orchestrating every detail than we could ever be."

“I am not afraid of storms, for the One who made the sea is in my boat with me.”

“Where We are Weak, God is strong. He can take our small- est offerings and make of them a feast.”

“That is the question, isn't it? God says that as His child, I am good enough for Him-not because of what I've done, but because of what Christ has done on my behalf. For some reason, I often forget that."

“Would he give Gregor a chance to rise to the challenge, or was he so convinced his brother would fail that he didn't allow him room to succeed?“

“The people closest to us should be the first ones to lift us up, forgive our faults, and believe we can do better.”

“The opposite of fear is not courage. The opposite of fear is faith. You can't take care of her, but we can still believe that God can, and will, and is doing so right now. Faith, Sylvie."

“Families are born, but they can also be chosen.”

Heather Wood

This is one of my most anticipated releases for 2021, as I am a fan of both Jocelyn Green and all things Chicago. So if this book disappointed me, I knew it was going to be a hard fall! But it truly wasn't.
Set during the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, Shadows of the White City continues Sylvie's story from Veiled in Smoke- and she's now 43 and the single parent of an adopted teen.
Shadows of the White City was a lot of things:
-dripping with information, it is a very detailed and descriptive look at the World's Fair, per Green's usual style.
-it is a mystery as the characters search for a missing person.
-it is a (dare I use the words "middle aged?") love story, gentle and respectful.
-it is a thoughtful, probing look into motivations of our own hearts, shines the gospel on them, and gives us the tools to love with a more selfless, pure, faith-based love.

I liked that the characters were older, because they were more grounded and mature as they interacted and made difficult decisions; nothing about their story was about their raging hormones or physical attractiveness, which is a nice relief from a lot of romances. The secondary characters were anything but flat. Each of them added their own challenges to the story and had interesting growth. Having read all of Jocelyn Green's published fiction, I think the Windy City ones are some of my favorites, because although they don't protect you from the dark underbelly of the times, they are less graphic and gritty than her earlier works. We are told that young women disappear into brothels never to be found again, but we don't have to go see it for ourselves. This makes a far less traumatizing book for the reader and one of the reasons I enjoyed it. Shadows had a completely happy ending (even in the romance. Unlike *some* of Green's books😂), which is a huge plus for me.

I loved seeing 1893 Chicago, although I imagine not every reader will care for the extent of the detail as much as I did. Shadows of the White City reminded me of everything I love about Jocelyn Green's writing. I love the thoughtfulness of it, I love her characters, I love the theology and the way she writes. I wouldn't have changed anything about this book.

I received an advance copy from Netgalley and the publisher but I was not compensated or required to leave a positive review. All opinions are entirely my own.

Shadows of the White City

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