Review: A Vision of Lucy by Margaret Brownley

Before I get to today's review (it's for the last book in the Rocky Creek trilogy), I just wanted to make a mention that this post is somewhat special.... it's my 50th blog post! Woo-hoo! :) And now, on to the review:

Book Cover and Synopsis:

Trouble follows Lucy wherever she goes. So does a vision of second chances . . . and love.

Lucy Fairbanks dreams of working as a photographer at the Rocky Creek newspaper. Her deepest hope is that her father will see her as an artist, the way he thought of her deceased mother, whose paintings still hang on their walls.

But disaster follows Lucy on every photo assignment: a mess of petticoats and ribbons, an accidental shooting, even a fire.

When Lucy meets David Wolf—a rugged, reclusive man who lives on the outskirts of town—she thinks she can catch the attention of the town with his photograph. She doesn't count on her feelings stirring whenever she's near him.

Two things happen next that forever change the course of Lucy's life. But will these events draw her closer to God or push her further away? And how will David accept this new vision of Lucy?

My Thoughts:
What's not to love about a historical novel involving a woman photographer? I really can't say, because right from the first page I was immediately hooked!! Lucy is a riot of a character, with her non-stop chattering and habit of getting into strange and embarrassing situations.

Being somewhat of a shutterbug myself, I was highly amused to read the plethora of negative opinions held towards early photography; many people thought it a passing fad, while newspapers were declaring photos too trivial to print, saying they would detract from high quality news reporting. What a laugh!! It's these type of comments, paired with excellent characters, that make this book SO much fun!

Each chapter begins with an amusing quote about photography by a "Miss Gertrude Hasslebrink", supposed author of a photography book in 1878. I found these short thoughts and quotes so amusing that I actually tried to find a copy of the book online, only to discover it's fictional and the quotes were purely made up for A Vision of Lucy! LOL. :)

I really enjoyed this book, it had just a great combination of things going on. Lucy's fun personality and penchant for getting into trouble, paired with the extremely intriguing subject of early photography, a case of missing persons, and a man labeled as "wild" who Lucy has taken a liking to... all these things mix together in just the right way to make this book a real gem in the historical genre. Highly recommended!

My Rating: 5 stars