Eric SchumacherCritiques

An elderly woman with dementia reminisces about her (sometimes rough) life. There is a dual timeline, with the current plot showing us a confused woman in a nursing facility. The other plot dates back to the woman’s childhood (with an abusive father), and subsequent life. The writing is fine, pulling the reader into the world of the main character. But this is a religious story, so I was not the target audience, and indeed the story was not for me for that reason.
I won a free copy of this book (thanks to the author & publisher!) and am voluntarily providing an honest review.

It's amazing how this author could fill in the complete life of a woman and make you love her and feel as though she's been a friend forever in only 34 pages. But indeed that is what he does and he does it wonderfully. I was completely captivated by 95-year-old Lottie and the story of her life with her son, Jack, and her two marriages. This is a genuinely beautiful, moving, poetic novella that I most highly recommend.

I won this book in a giveaway.

A beautiful short story of a woman who has dementia and lives in an assisted living center. The past is clear to her, but the present is difficult to navigate. When she wakes, she does not realize where she is, who she is and who anyone else is but is able to slowly piece somethings together on good days. But her memories of the past are there, along with the scary things that happened and the love that she was fortunate to have and share.

I have had an aunt, an uncle and a grandmother who had dementia and parts of this reminded me of all three. Please do not pass this story up, it is a treasure.

Schumacher's God's Hammer is the story of Hakon Haraldsson, a boy, who matures to become the first Christian Viking king. Sent as a gift of trust to be raised in the court of the English king Athelstan, Hakon adopts the ways of the English including the religion. Later after the death of his father, he returns to his homeland with the help of those who which to overthrow his brother Eric Bloodaxe. Hakon must again free himself as a pawn in other's plans and create his destiny. An excellent mix of history and where the record is thin, plausible fiction completes the story. Very well done historical fiction.

Hakon won the battle against his brother Erik Bloodaxe and the High Seat of the North. But now he has to find the way to keep his seat against rebellious and ambitious jarls with changing alliances. Of course, there are people who are not that thrilled with their king’s religion, or his wish to convert his country to Christianity.

This was another action packed book, which was read rather quickly. Hakon is a likable character who undoubtedly makes mistakes, sometimes rather big and rash ones. He still seems at times little naïve and young but it will be interesting to see how he will turn like. Will he become more Viking like in his beliefs and make compromises? He seemed to become a bit more comfortable with killing and such. He is still a boy so it will be interesting to see what kind of man he will be.½