Linguistics Professor Recommends Historical Fiction Novel

Title: Sydney's Story
Author: Eileen Clemens Granfors
Word Joy Publishing
Genre: Historical Fiction
250 pages
Buy: Paperback or Kindle

Reviewed by B. A. Goodman, Ph.D., originally for Amazon

A Great Literary and Historical Contribution

 

With this book, Eileen Granfors has managed to transport us with words and imagery to the bedlam that was 18th century England and France. She has also managed to show us the events within this context that happened to young Sydney Carton that explain his actions in the Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities. As a teacher, I would hold this volume up as required reading for all students after reading A Tale of Two Cities, to inspire them to think and write beyond the page of a single story. Having developed this entire history of Sydney Carton with only the slightest hints from the original about Carton’s upbringing reveals Ms. Granfors’ excellent research and dazzling imagination as Sydney grows from an abusive childhood to rebellious teen and finally, the loving hero of Luci Manette and of those who love the original Dickens’ book. Taking on modern tones, Ms. Granfors wisely incorporated themes of domestic abuse and domestic equality as well as the eighteenth century’s discrimination against the Romany people.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER
 Dr.  B. A. Goodman has a PhD is in Educational Linguistics. She is teaching multilingual education at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education in Astana, Kazakhstan.




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