Freedom's Ring
Freedom’s Ring explores what happens when individuals reach the limit of their own ability and allow God to step in.
Heidi Chiavaroli crafts a wise Christian romance out of volatile circumstances in Freedom’s Ring, a novel about finding the courage to start anew, detailing the lives of two women across centuries. From the Boston Massacre and the American Revolution to the Boston Marathon bombing, history proves the triumph of grace.
Anaya David—a marathoner injured in the 2013 bombing, whose now estranged sister and niece were also injured—struggles to reclaim her relationships. Together with Brad, a man who helped save her, and who entrusts her with a family ring, she embarks on a journey to uncover the ring’s history. Their genealogical quest alternates with a fascinating account by Liberty Caldwell, a young American in the 1770s whose loyalty is tested, and with Anaya’s slow re-entrance into her sister’s life.
An uncomplicated plot emphasizes characters whose imagined guilt keeps them from accepting the bounty life has to offer. Christian themes on God’s sovereignty and forgiveness are drawn without glossing over the hardships the characters face when confronting their fears. Anaya dwells on her role in her niece’s injury, believing that had she only completed the race sooner, she and her relatives could have avoided the bombing. Liberty hesitates in admitting the full facts of her past to her betrothed. Each character finds the healing value in moving forward. A dynamic narrative alternates between eras, allowing one woman’s challenges to spur the other’s. Loose parallels between their attempts to embrace new love highlight the flawed self-image they’ve formed in response to pain.
Chiavaroli captures the spirit of the eighteenth century with sharp insights. Liberty’s chapters especially resound for their delicate portrait of a woman caught between patriotism and pragmatism. Despite rising tensions in her community, the need to make a life for herself as the sole survivor of her immediate family takes precedence. Her involvement with the British—when it would have seemed traitorous—provides an original canvas for conflicting emotions. They reach a crescendo in an unexpected encounter that reveals Liberty’s complex personality.
Evocative, rich with symbolism, honest in its portrayal of human errors, Freedom’s Ring explores what happens when individuals reach the limit of their own ability and allow God to step in.
Reviewed by
Karen Rigby
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
