The Healing of Natalie Curtis by Jane Kirkpatrick Review

 Happy Thursday Friends :)

I pray today finds you all well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

I'm personally really looking forward to this weekend. Monday is Thanksgiving here in Canada, and my mom is hosting our family Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. I always enjoy helping her with it, and ever since moving out so many years ago, I always have fun preparing a few different dishes to take with me to her place.

This year I've been going through many recipes trying to decide what to make, and I can't wait to get to work in the kitchen in the following days.

Before I jump into all that though, I thought it would be fun to share a bonus extra book review with you all this week.

Last year, around this same time, I read my first novel by Jane Kirkpatrick (review here), and it wasn't, unfortunately, a positive experience for me.

I was really wanting to try another one of her books, to give them another chance, and I recently got the chance to do so.

Keep reading to find out if I ended up enjoying this one more than I did the first book I read by her.

The Healing of Natalie Curtis by Jane Kirkpatrick:

Source: Publisher as Part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: September 7th, 2021

Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction

Synopsis:

Classically trained pianist and singer Natalie Curtis isolated herself for five years after a breakdown just before she was to debut with the New York Philharmonic. Guilt-ridden and songless, Natalie can't seem to recapture the joy music once brought her. In 1902, her brother invites her to join him in the West to search for healing. What she finds are songs she'd never before encountered--the haunting melodies, rhythms, and stories of Native Americans.

But their music is under attack. The US government's Code of Offenses prohibits American's indigenous people from singing, dancing, or speaking their own languages as the powers that be insist on assimilation. Natalie makes it her mission not only to document these songs before they disappear but to appeal to President Teddy Roosevelt himself, who is the only man with the power to repeal the unjust law. Will she succeed and step into a new song . . . and a new future?

Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick weaves yet another lyrical tale based on a true story that will keep readers captivated to the very end. 

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I read my first novel by Jane Kirkpatrick last year, and unfortunately, it wasn't one I ended up enjoying. I was really wanting to give another one of her books a try, and I thought this one sounded interesting. Unfortunately, I ended up disliking this one even more than I did the first one, and as such, I've come to the conclusion that I don't think her books are for me.

I do want to start this review off by saying that I greatly appreciated the insane amounts of research the author much have done to present Natalie's story authentically and accurately. You can easily tell of the the author's love for the character, the time period, and the cause that Natalie is championing, as it all comes across easily to the reader. I'm also impressed by the way Jane Kirkpatrick takes it upon herself to tell the life story of so many women who have changed and/or fought for change in history, and it's definitely a unique approach to storytelling.

That being said, I really didn't enjoy this book at all. I thought it was extremely boring, and hard to muddle through, and it honestly reads more like a history textbook than it does an actual novel. In particular, the second half really drags along, and I found myself having to skim certain sections just to make it through, and that's not a normal occurrence for me. I also felt the characters weren't well developed, and as such, the only one I really ended up caring about was George. In many instances, Natalie comes across as almost rude and selfish, and she wasn't my favorite character to have to read about.

Perhaps, though, my least favorite part of all was that I really have no idea why this book was labeled Christian fiction. Faith plays next to no part of the story, and Natalie's references to many of the "spiritual" practices throughout the story really didn't seem to be referring to Jesus at all, and instead seemed to be almost referring to a non personal deity. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way, and I remember an offhanded thought that Natalie has about how music has become her religion. 

It definitely wasn't what I was expecting from a Christian read, and it was a little off putting. That being said, if you're looking for a detailed, clean biographical style of historical story, then maybe this is the book you're looking for. It just unfortunately wasn't what I was expecting, and isn't one I will see myself rereading or recommending in the future.

Final Rating: 2/5.

Thanks so much to Revell Publishing for allowing me to read and review this.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have a great rest of your day guys! I'll be back tomorrow to share another review with you all.