Genevieve
Zeal is such a beautiful story, and the historical fiction timeline was amazing. The Harrison and Tirzah chapters were so detailed, emotional, and honestly my favorite part of the entire book. I was glued to the pages every time the story went back to them.
The modern day storyline, didn’t grab me in the same way. I kept waiting to connect with those characters the way I connected with the past, but something just didn’t click for me.
The story is a multi generational love story that stretches across 150+ years. You jump between 1865, right after the Civil War, where Harrison, a newly freed Union soldier, goes back to the Mississippi plantation to find the woman he loves, Tirzah.
Then you flip to modern day Harlem, where Ardelia and Oliver are engaged, and he hands her an old family letter that ends up meaning way more than it seems.
Along the way, the book digs into Black history, the legacy of slavery, systemic oppression, the Great Migration, and how trauma and hope get passed down through generations. It’s a lot, but in a really meaningful way.
Overall, still a really strong and powerful read. The historical sections alone were worth the read, and I’m glad I picked this one up.
Zeal is such a beautiful story, and the historical fiction timeline was amazing. The Harrison and Tirzah chapters were so detailed, emotional, and honestly my favorite part of the entire book. I was glued to the pages every time the story went back to them.
The modern day storyline, didn’t grab me in the same way. I kept waiting to connect with those characters the way I connected with the past, but something just didn’t click for me.
The story is a multi generational love story that stretches across 150+ years. You jump between 1865, right after the Civil War, where Harrison, a newly freed Union soldier, goes back to the Mississippi plantation to find the woman he loves, Tirzah.
Then you flip to modern day Harlem, where Ardelia and Oliver are engaged, and he hands her an old family letter that ends up meaning way more than it seems.
Along the way, the book digs into Black history, the legacy of slavery, systemic oppression, the Great Migration, and how trauma and hope get passed down through generations. It’s a lot, but in a really meaningful way.
Overall, still a really strong and powerful read. The historical sections alone were worth the read, and I’m glad I picked this one up.