Great characters, good writing, and twisty suspense (but a caveat as well).
My rating: ★★★★☆
Quite some time ago, I read and enjoyed A Name Unknown, the first book in this series. Eventually, I ran across A Song Unheard and remembered my desire to continue the series. So I reread the first book (see my review here), then dived into A Song Unheard.
This book delves into a little-known element of WWI in the United Kingdom: the Belgian refugees who flooded the country and how that affected the Welsh and English. As a fan of underserved history, I really enjoyed getting a glimpse of that part of the war and how Belgium played into the headlines of the day.
Starring great characters
In A Name Unknown, Willa is the character who is most resistant to her sister’s change of heart. Roseanna White did a great job in this book of showing Willa’s gradual softening without changing her personality too much. She wasn’t just another Rosemary; she was definitely the same Willa. Just as caring, just as stubborn, just as self-reliant.
She doesn’t necessarily always act like a top-notch thief, especially where the romance is concerned. But I enjoyed her as a character all the same. I also enjoyed the glimpses we get of the rest of the “family,” especially Barclay, the protective, somewhat annoying big brother. I’m looking forward to reading his story in the future, and I liked seeing some of the decisions he made in this book (although he didn’t always act like a top-notch thief either).
Willa and Lukas made an interesting combination. Let it be noted that in real life, a guy as cocky as Lukas would drive anybody a little bit nuts. And yes, some of the romance was a bit passionate for my taste. But paired with Willa’s stubbornness, his absolute faith that she was the one for him was actually a little . . . endearing? Entertaining? I smiled a little every time Willa was on a rant and Lukas would casually toss out a very serious comment about their future kids or the music they would play as a couple.
Lukas and his new leaf
But this is where I had a bit of trouble. Lukas is a playboy who, over the course of the story, mends his ways. I did appreciate the tasteful way his past was handled and the ways he grew as the story went on. But Lukas and his family are Catholic, and his change of heart involves (a) the decision that God does exist and (b) an off-screen visit to a priest. What actually happened during that visit is just…silent.
I really loved Margot (and vaguely remembered reading her grown-up story in White’s The Number of Love). She’s a great character, and her interactions with Gottlieb added a completely different dimension to her story. But at the same time, there’s this silent assumption that her faithful Catholicism is really just biblical Christianity under another name. You go to church? She goes to Mass. You have a pastor? She has a priest. End of story.
I recognize that this is a controversial subject. I also recognize that Roseanna M. White has converted to Catholicism since the writing of this book and that historically speaking, Catholicism was prevalent in Belgium during WWI. I don’t object to Catholic characters, and I don’t object to Catholic doctrine portrayed accurately to the time and place. But I do object to the portrayal of Catholicism as basically identical to biblical faith in Christ.
There’s no acknowledgment of the other elements of Catholicism—baptismal regeneration, veneration of the saints, the Eucharist as the resacrificing of Christ for sin. No acknowledgment of the Council of Trent’s statement that anyone who believes in Christ alone for redemption is accursed. It’s this watered-down, dishonest version of Catholicism that disappoints me, and I regret that it’s becoming so widespread in Christian fiction, especially in cases like this where the true, life-changing gospel really could have shined.
Willa and her new leaf
This is in stark contrast to the way faith is presented in the rest of the story, and especially the way it was presented in A Name Unknown. In those instances, simple trust is shown as the only necessary response for salvation. I wish there had been more actual Scripture involved rather than characters being guided by some kind of internal music or mathematics, but I enjoyed seeing the gradual warming in Willa and how the strong, gentle faith of her hostesses slowly affected her.
And if Lukas’s conversion is simply taken for granted, his growth throughout the rest of the book does reflect a realistic struggle to overcome his former reputation and do the right thing.
That plot, though
As for the plot—what a ride! I never expected the coding device to be what it was, and that made for a fascinating twist in the story. A simple decision suddenly becomes much less simple. As with the first book, things got a little convoluted toward the end, but it was an exciting tale all the way.
Is A Song Unheard for you?
If you enjoy stories that involve professional musicians, romance, and some intrigue, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy A Song Unheard. It’s a fascinating look at a different aspect of WWI, and we have some great characters to root for along the way. Roseanna M. White is a talented writer, and despite our theological differences, I look forward to giving Barclay’s story a try.
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If you enjoyed this book review of A Song Unheard by Roseanna M. White, you might also enjoy my book review of A Name Unknown by the same author. Read here, or join my newsletter list for book recommendations, a free short story, author updates, and more.
Happy reading!
Jayna Baas is the author of Preacher on the Run and director of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network. Learn more about Jayna here or join her email list for more recommendations.