The Meeting Place

Series: Song of Acadia, Book 1

By: Janette One, T. Davis Bunn / Narrated By: Suzanne Toren

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Everything goes along Tra Lala Lala then WHAM!!!

In Acadia in the 18th century, times are fraught. You’re either French, or you’re British, and you’d better hope you’re British, by God, or you’re damned well screwed.

The day they’re gathering flowers for wedding bouquets, two women meet in a meadow—Catherine is British, and Louisa (tho’ I SWEAR, throughout the audiobook it sounds like Louise!) is French. Catherine knows she shoooould stay away from the French woman as she wouldn’t want to make trouble for her new husband who is in the British military, but there’s just something wonderful about Louisa.

The two become friends, helped by Catherine’s smattering of French, and all goes along Tra Lala Lala. They meet, talk of their husbands, study the Bible, become expectant mothers at the same time.

So we’re going along just fine and dandy, right? Wrong.

The Acadians are an independent lot and they refuse to sign a treaty with the British that’ll open them to taking arms up for the British. And that has the Brits worried and angry and planning war against them. Even as Catherine, Louisa, and their husbands grow closer as friends and trusted allies, things are falling apart.

And when Louisa’s baby fails to thrive and Catherine gives assistance by switching her own child for Louisa’s to get medical care for the babe, all hell breaks loose.

As The Meeting Place is the first book in the Song of Acadia series, one might assume that the wham dazzle ending is there just to make it IMPOSSIBLE not to pick up the second book, but it’s not that way at all. Throughout the book, tensions are mounting, plots are being hatched, hateful people are scheming. So I didn’t feel manipulated at all. Rather, my toes were curling in horror as I listened to what was happening to the French as a whole, and to what was happening to Catherine and Louisa as individuals.

Suzanne Toren does a fairly good job switching between her British and French accents, between her female and male voices, between her stalwart figures and her deplorable people, and between the mellow ease of Bible study and the major tension and action of the ending.

A good friend of mine wrote a fine novel, rather like this, but I must admit that her writing, her use of words was better. Still, the story of the Acadians is so compelling that I wound up liking The Meeting Place just fine.

Besides, it’s a relief to listen to characters who follow the word of God and live accordingly, thereby not making stupid and pride-full mistakes.