I stumbled upon a recent review of my book.
Humbling.
Makes me want to order a copy
Humor me?
Every person has broken pieces in their lives. Some of us may experience them as painful splinters that hold us back from pursuing our dreams. Not so for Susan J Godwin, author of Rain Dodging: A Scholar’s Romp through Britain in Search of a Stuart Queen—an absorbing memoir, travel story, and work of historical nonfiction all in one that speaks to the intersection of scholarly, artistic, and personal exploration as experienced in Ms. Godwin’s life.
Blessed and armed with the gift of resilience in the face of trauma from a very young age, the narrator outstretches her arms toward life with an open heart, instinctively seeking her place in the world. She attempts this by investigating the lives and accomplishments of other strong and artistically gifted young women like her. With a scholarly passion for history, literature, and art, she returns to graduate school, traveling to Oxford University, England, and focuses her research on female royals from the 17th century British court. These royals include feminist-leaning writers who leave their artistic mark against all odds. In particular, she studies Queen Mary of Modena, originally from Italy and married to King James II of England. Readers who are literary buffs on the period will be fascinated by what Ms. Godwin divulges of these women’s personal and artistic evolution—and ultimately of Queen Mary of Modena’s contributions toward their self-actualization.
In concert with the narrator’s scholarly pursuits, the narrator’s open heart leads her to lives, loves, and memorable encounters that continually teach her more about herself. These were my favorite parts of the book! In frank, evocative, and sometimes lyrical language, the narrator also shares her experiences of what it means to love, be loved, and be whole in a complicated, sometimes dangerous, but ultimately beautiful world. A world where for Susan Godwin, life triumphantly becomes what she makes of it. Discovering her good-heartedness, earnestness, curiosity, determination, humility, creative genius, and candid humor throughout the story, I came to love the narrator’s character.
Beautifully titled Rain Dodging, a metaphor that captures the narrator’s agility and survival in the capricious dance of life, Ms. Godwin’s touching and sometimes hilarious story is a wonderful read.
Shameless promotion. To order:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rain-dodging-susan-j-godwin/1142849116?ean=9781647425692
