The Rose and the Whip by Jae Hodges

Publication Date: March 25, 2020

WordCrafts Press

Hardcover, Paperback, & eBook; 252 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Lidia Wardell walked naked through the Newbury meeting house. She was prosecuted, and publicly whipped for this crime. This event is common historical knowledge. The Rose and the Whip is set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in May 1663, but tells the entire story of systematic persecution of dissenters, by dissenters. Lidia relates the story of her life, and the series of events that culminated in her decision to take this action in protest of the Puritan community leaders' treatment of Quakers. As she is charged, sentenced, and tied to the whipping post, then subsequently thrashed with twenty or thirty lashes, she critically examines each of these events and reflects on how they served to transform her and her perspectives on truth and faith.

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THOUGHTS/REVIEW:

The Rose and the Whip written by Jae Hodges is about the little known colonial period set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1663. The story is centered on a woman named Lidia Wardell who expressed against the oppression against the Quakers by the Puritans. The same group of people who had left Mother England against religious prosecution only to exact brutal tactics of torment against the Quakers. Lidia, sick and tired of the heinous punishments and torture, decided to walk into the Newbury meeting house naked. Lidia was severely punished for this by being tied to a post and received lashes. 

Hodges wrote about our heroine, a strong woman who stood up against oppression and religious prosecution and unfair treatment of the Quakers. This was written well, and I found myself feeling every lash Lidia had to endure and truly sympathized with the Quakers. I felt that I learned a lot about the era which I was not very familiar with. I knew about the roles of women at the time, but was very enlightened to learn about the violence and unfair treatment by the Puritans. 

I recommend this amazing historical fiction read that really immersed me into that time period. Thank you to the author and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour for having me in this fantastic book tour.

About the Author

Everyone has a history and a story. Jae uses the most alluring stories from the chronicles of her own ancestry and others around her to create timeless tales of everyday people making history. On her quest to capture the essence of walking in their footsteps, she travels and uses her pencil and camera lens to imagine them in their own surroundings.

Jae lives on the Tennessee River in Alabama with her husband and companion pooch.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, July 27 Review at Books, Cooks, Looks Wednesday, July 29 Review at Passages to the Past Thursday, July 30 Interview at Passages to the Past Saturday, August 1 Review at Reading is My Remedy Wednesday, August 5 Review at Gwendalyn's Books Friday, August 7 Feature at I'm All About Books Wednesday, August 12 Review at Books and Zebras Thursday, August 13 Review at Older & Smarter Friday, August 14 Guest Post at Chicks, Rogues and Scandals Monday, August 17 Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit Thursday, August 20 Review at Nurse Bookie

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a copy of The Rose and the Whip by Jae Hodges! To enter, please use the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on August 20th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Paperback giveaway is open to the US only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen. Rose and the Whip