A taut, compulsively readable tale…
Set in 1944, Kingston’s stand-alone sequel to The City Island Messenger is a coming-of-age tale of love, friendship, revenge, and reincarnation. The world around City Island is caught up in war, and the close-knit community is reeling from the effect. Bound and gagged in a damp grave in New York’s Potter’s Field after witnessing her parents’ murder, 14-year-old Rose’s only hope of survival is Hart Island’s legendary Mortuary Man. Despite his wariness, the latter agrees to let Rose go. But there are bigger dangers awaiting the young girls ahead. Well-researched and vivid segments are interspersed detailing Rose’s backstory as a fierce young girl too stubborn to succumb to death threats, establishing her as a fierce yet vulnerable protagonist. Kingston’s dialogue is evocative of the period, and his sharply drawn characters are well-sketched. He writes about the Island with vivid descriptions of the landscape, bringing the close-knit community to life. Although Rose’s story stays at the center, the true power of the novel is in the bonds of friendship and family. Deeply engrossing and poignant, the novel makes for a page-turner.
THE GIRL FROM POTTER’S FIELD (ISLAND TALES)
by James Gregory Kingston
ISBN 979-8469085331
Pub date September 2, 2021
Price $21.99 (USD) Hardcover, $14.99 Paperback, $0.00 Kindle edition