Triumph
A Novel of the Human Spirit
by Jodi Lea Stewart
Genre: Historical Fiction
Seething with old prejudices, wealth, poverty, voodoo, and young hot blood, TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit will take you through the Louisiana swamps, New Orleans, the Texas prairies, and into the bustling but racially troubled city of St. Louis in the mid-twentieth century . . . and lead you to a place where people are accepted because of character and heart—nothing more, nothing less.
At a time when the world needs more warmth and acceptance, two little girls – Mercy and Annie, take us on a journey where color doesn’t matter, and character and heart are the only things that do!
Deep in the Louisiana swamps, 1903, five-year-old Willy
is kidnapped by a Vodou Priestess. One day, he will fight bloody battles in
France and come face-to-face with the horrors of Vodou.
In bustling New Orleans, 1903, bachelor Jack—a
former Texas Ranger—has an encounter with a young beauty hiding in his hotel
room. What she wants and needs will change his life forever.
1958 St. Louis, two girls of different races, Mercy
and Annie, meet in the fifth grade. Together, they secretly explore St. Louis
via bus and streetcar, encountering cultural prejudices at every turn—
including from within one girl’s own family. The turbulent times and the Civil
Rights Movement will test the girls’ loyalty and affect their choices on
In a saga spanning from 1903 to 1968, compelling
characters navigate the stormy paths of life in New Orleans, St. Louis, and
Texas until they all collide in a startling and dramatic way.
Editorial Reviews
Review
*5-star rating by K.C. Finn, Reviewer with
"Reader's Favorite"*
"Author Jodi Lea Stewart has crafted a mighty tale that packs a huge
emotional punch, and you can feel its impact on every page of this excellent
novel. The central protagonists, Mercy and Annie, could not be more different
on the page, and the dialogue and descriptive work put into this distinction
are effective and highly imaginative. It is the twisting events of the
intriguing and unusual plot line that brings out their similarities and the
true human spirit, which is a wonderful thing to become more and more invested
in as the story continues. The historical atmosphere of the piece was also
vividly portrayed. I really adored St. Louis in a time of such progress, yet so
much tension. Overall, I would definitely recommend TRIUMPH, a Novel of
the Human Spirit to readers who enjoy historical sagas that deliver on
friendship, hope, and heart.
Written for an adult readership, the work does contain graphic scenes and some
disturbing imagery that is relevant to the present danger of the
plot."
* Five Stars for Jodi Lea Stewart's latest literary treasure*
"In her new book, TRIUMPH, prolific author, Jodi Lea Stewart,
brilliantly tackles a lineup of some of the toughest literary challenges a
writer can face. Writing in the present tense. Telling a dual time frame story.
Dealing with dialect. Writing from a young protagonist's perspective. And, the
most challenging of all--shedding a light of hope and encouragement on the most
incendiary social concern of our nation--racism. Ordinarily, in the hands of a
less skilled writer, any one of these could be the kiss of death of a novel.
That's not the case with Stewart. The characters are compelling and believable.
The settings are powerful and rendered with a touch of uncanny realism. The
literary magic spell Stewart casts over this story is so effective, you do not
realize the commanding lesson it teaches until you close the cover and replay
all the clever and endearing elements that make it so thought-provoking.
I have read Stewart's other books, and I am always pleasantly surprised at her
ability to deliver her deep universally themed messages wrapped in disarmingly
simple premises."
~ DB Jackson, Author, Screenwriter, Winner of the WesternHeritage
Award
*5-star Review by Cyrus Webb - Media Personality, Author, and Top-Amazon
Reviewer*
"In TRIUMPH, author Jodi Lea Stewart shows that time
and place have nothing to do with the power of the human spirit. The reader
will see themselves in characters that might not look like them but carry their
desire to rise and thrive--and therein lies its power and a lesson..."
Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite
Review Rating: 5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star
review!
A beautiful story that is deftly told, Triumph is set over long years and has
the reader drifting through different timelines and across different cities.
The author writes about three storylines in the novel and combines different
narrative voices, including an irresistible first-person narrative voice that
stays with the reader throughout. The lyrical writing, coupled with the apt use
of the local accent, enriches the story and augments the realism that permeates
it. The reader can picture the characters and know about their background from
how they speak. The author handles themes that are as relevant and sensitive to
contemporary readers as these were to characters since 1903. This is one of
those novels that compel readers to think about one of the pressing problems of
America: the color line. And it also asks serious questions about identity.
Triumph: A Novel of the Human Spirit is a powerful testimony that we can
outgrow the pettiness that defines people by their color and see a human spirit
behind the shade of skin.
From the Author
TRIUMPH,
a Novel of the Human Spirit is extra special
to me for many reasons, not the least of which is because it exemplifies my
personal feelings about ethics and the differences in human beings as something
to be celebrated, not feared or hated. The keys are always respect and acceptance regardless
of race or creed or whatever the world wants to call "imperfect" or
"different."
Other sub-reasons for writing this novel were to highlight life in St.
Louis and beyond in the 1950s and early 1960s. I wanted to expose some of the
dangers (okay, the horrors) lurking in old New Orleans, honor the Texas
Rangers, and express my respect for people who learn how to overlook the color
barriers that separate and dishonor us as people.
TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit is for readers who enjoy high-concept books written with a literary pen, and those who wish to see justice fulfilled and old prejudices shattered.
Amazon
* B&N
* Bookbub
* Goodreads
Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/TRIUMPH-Spirit-Jodi-Lea-Stewart-ebook/dp/B08CGJ4FWP
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/triumph-jodi-lea-stewart/1137304690?ean=9781950560301
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/triumph-a-novel-of-the-human-spirit-by-jodi-lea-stewart
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55630390-triumph
TRIUMPH Book Trailer
Link:
https://youtu.be/4yhh2-GRuLg?feature=shared
About
the Author
Jodi Lea Stewart is a fiction author who believes in and writes about the triumph of
the human spirit through overcoming adversity via grit, humor, and stubborn
tenacity. Her writing reflects her life beginning in Texas, Missouri, and
Oklahoma, later moving as a youngster to an Arizona cattle ranch next door to
the Navajo Nation, and, as a young adult, resuming in her native Texas. Growing
up, she climbed petroglyph-etched boulders, bounced two feet in the air in the
backend of pickups wrestling through washed-out terracotta roads, and rode
horseback on the winds of her imagination through the arroyos and mountains of
the Arizona high country. Her lifetime friendship with all nationalities,
cowpunchers, and the southern gentry allows Jodi to write comfortably about
anything in the Southwest, the South, and far BEYOND.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Amazon
* Goodreads
Author
Links
Website: https://jodileastewart.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJodiLeaStewart
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JodiLeaStewart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodileastewart
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jodi-Lea-Stewart/author/B0085YFWZ6
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5830653.Jodi_Lea_Stewart
Giveaway
$20 Amazon
Follow
the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
https://www.silverdaggertours.com/sdsxx-tours/triumph-book-tour-and-giveaway
This sounds like a book that I would really enjoy.
ReplyDelete