"Sofia's Tune" by Cindy Thomson

About this book:

  “In Sofia’s Tune, we meet Sofia Falcone, a young woman who has been living in New York only a short time when she is stunned to discover a family secret, one that soon sends her beloved mother into a mental institution. Scrambling to keep her job and care for her mother, Sofia is convinced confronting the past will heal all wounds, but her old world Italian family wants to keep the past in the past.
  During this time, she encounters Antonio, a Vaudeville pianist with a street-smart dog, seeking to discover why his father was mysteriously killed. Their crossed paths uncover a frightening underworld in Little Italy. Bringing the truth to light may cost Sofia’s mother’s sanity, Antonio’s career, and the livelihoods of countless immigrants. Change is on the horizon, but it may not bring what they expect.”


Series: Book #3 in the “Ellis Island” series. Review of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!

Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned & read; Prayers & Thanking God; Going to Mass & Church; Lighting candles; Many talks about God, prayers, & answered prayers; Most ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Antonio isn’t positive God hears their prayers, but hopes He does *Spoiler* Near the end he prays for God to forgive his disbelief *End of Spoiler*; Many, many mentions of God, Jesus, & talents from God; Many mentions of prayers, answered prayers, praying, blessings over food, thanking God, crossing, & lighting a candle for someone; Many mentions of churches, mass, & going to both; Many mentions of nuns, priests, confessions, sins and forgiveness, & a convent; Many mentions of Catholics, Protestants, Lutherans, Christians, & Evangelicals; Mentions of listening to God; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of pastors & reverends; Mentions of blessings; Mentions of mission aid societies; Mentions of crucifixes & a rosary; Mentions of holy water & alters; Mentions of a Pope; A few mentions of hymns & worship; A few mentions of miracles; A few mentions of saints; A couple mentions of angels; A mention of Godspeed; A mention of a cross to bear;

*Note: Mentions of an evil eye & curses (Sofia doesn’t believe in them); A few mentions of demons; A mention of having a devil of a time; A mention of a hell hole.

Negative Content- Minor Cussing including: a ‘dash’, a form of ‘idiot’, a ‘what in blazes’, two ‘blasted’s, three ‘what the devil’; Antonio curses once (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Fighting, being hit, & pain (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of a murder, a bullet, mafia bosses, gangs, thugs/criminals, & threats (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of a baby that died in an accident (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, drunkenness, & pubs/saloons/taverns/bars; Mentions of a husband beating his wife & her injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of Sofia’s momma harming herself & being a danger to others (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of an asylum & cruelty rumors around it; Mentions of a woman passing out after falling in water (others think she was dead, she wasn’t; barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of violence, fighting, blood, & injuries (including harming one’s self); Mentions of prejudice; Mentions of prisons & trials; Mentions of debts; Mentions of smoking, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, & tobacco; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip, rumors, & busybodies; A few mentions of salves & slavery; A few mentions of wars & battles; A few mentions of stealing & thieves; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of cheating;

A mention of a president’s assassination; A mention of a murderer; A mention of a burglar; A mention of a witch & her broomstick; A mention of a dog that could have been ran over.

Sexual Content- a forced kiss and three semi-detailed kisses; A few touches & embraces (barely-above-not-detailed); Some Noticing & Smelling; A brute tries to corner/grab Sofia & she kicks him in between his legs; Another man touches Sofia’s waist & kisses her neck (he’s later fired and it’s revealed that he molested others); Mentions of a bawdy boarding house/house of ill repute; Mentions of a male impersonating a female in a show (he dresses up and goes by a female name; someone refers to him as a ‘her’); A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of married couples kissing & blushing; A couple mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of a brothel; A mention of wanting to fall into a man’s arms; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.   

-Sofia Falcone

-Antonio Baggio
                                         P.O.V. switches between them.

                                              Set in 1903
                                                        412 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Like the two previous books in this series, there was a lot of historical content that was really interesting in “Sofia’s Tune”. The romance thread was very light and really only touched on (though they kissed a few times which felt out of the blue for me because of those reasons), but it was overall pretty clean in that regard. 

I liked seeing all of the Spiritual Content, but I will say the book felt a little long at times and there were some parts I wasn't a fan of. 

See y’all with a new review on Friday!

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"Annie's Stories" by Cindy Thomson {+ Winner of the "Child of Mine" giveaway!}

About this book:

  “The year is 1901, the literary sensation The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is taking New York City by storm, and everyone wonders where the next great book will come from. But to Annie Gallagher, stories are more than entertainment—they’re a sweet reminder of her storyteller father. After his death, Annie fled Ireland for the land of dreams, finding work at Hawkins House.
   But when a fellow boarder with something to hide is accused of misconduct and authorities threaten to shut down the boardinghouse, Annie fears she may lose her new friends, her housekeeping job . . . and her means of funding her dream: a memorial library to honor her father. Furthermore, the friendly postman shows a little too much interest in Annie—and in her father’s unpublished stories. In fact, he suspects these tales may hold a grand secret.
   Though the postman’s intentions seem pure, Annie wants to share her father’s stories on her own terms. Determined to prove herself, Annie must forge her own path to aid her friend and create the future she’s always envisioned . . . where dreams really do come true.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Ellis Island” series {You can see my review of book #1, “Grace’s Pictures”, Here!}

Spiritual Content- Annie thinks God can’t be bothered, that He abandoned her and that “If God was not with the president, then how could Annie ever expect he would protect her?” (*Spoiler* She becomes stronger her in Faith at the end. *End of Spoiler*); Father Weldon helped Annie a lot & talks about God to her; Stephen has a firm Faith; Church going; Many Scriptures & Psalms are quoted; A hymn is sung; a “for the love of St. Michael”; Many Talks about God.  

Negative Content- Minor Cussing including: two ‘stupid’, two ‘idiot’s, two ‘what the devil’s, two ‘get a backbone’; Stephan calls his cowlick hair ‘cursed’; Suicide is mentioned (how the man did it, nothing else); Cigar smoking (not-detailed, not the main characters); Annie has nightmares/flashbacks of her time at Magdalene Laundry.

Sexual Content- A flashback to Annie at Magdalene Laundry and a boy kissing her & a doctor lingers while giving her a check-up (just how she felt, not-detailed/semi-detailed); A 2^nd character tells Annie that she tempted a man, that he forced himself on her, violated her (she calls herself soiled) and *Spoiler* she has a miscarriage after all that. *End of Spoiler*; a hint about a girl who was raped (no detaileds); Love & Falling in love.    

-Annie Gallagher

-Stephen Adams

                                         P.O.V. switches between them.

                                              Set in 1901
                                                        382 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens- 

(and a half)

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating- 

{Because of the Magdalene Laundry and what Annie went through there = lower ratings}

I really liked how “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” played such a major role and how Annie really grew in her Faith. I also liked how both characters loved books. This quote made me crack up!

‘He was an average-looking, hard working fellow who was more comfortable reading about people in books than socializing with them.’

Winner of the “Child of Mine” giveaway is Hannah R.! Please contact me at booksforchristiangirls@yahoo.com or on our FaceBook!

See y’all on Friday with another review!

 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Tyndale House Publishers) for this review.