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Review by Arlene Germain

Dhari Weston’s life is rapidly descending into a vortex of romantic ambiguity, emotional chaos, and familial obligations. Just when she thought it couldn’t possibly become any more complex, Dhari must now leave her home in Michigan and drive through the Georgia countryside to locate and hopefully sell the 1806 plantation which she has recently inherited from an unknown distant aunt, Anna Grayson. 

Erin Hughes, a local college professor and architectural historian, is contacted by Dhari’s realtor to assess the antebellum property and provide any pertinent information to help make a quick sale possible.  Erin’s fascination with the old house eventually extends toward its new owner.  However, Dr. Hughes has her own secrets to contend with and, for the moment, is content with living the academic life free of personal commitments.

With the help of Nessie Tinker, an elderly neighbor woman who knows so much more than it appears, Dhari and Erin begin to explore the history of Anna Grayson, her house, and the mysteries of the past known only to Nessie. The lives of these three women will merge in ways none would have guessed possible. The convoluted roots of each woman’s past will eventually surface, much like those of the witness tree one first sees when arriving at the Grayson plantation.

Marianne K. Martin’s latest book is a most enjoyable and satisfying reading experience. The realistic and richly drawn characters are complex as well as compelling. Dhari has a life with which many readers can readily identify. Caring for an ill parent, trying to forge a committed relationship, and successfully performing one’s job are all true to life issues many readers cope with daily. There are no quick or easy fixes here. Dhari’s journey through the course of the book will plausibly lead to conflict resolutions that are reflective of both the growth and acceptance of who Dhari truly aspires to be. Erin, too, will confront personal doubts that many in her position grapple with as they lead their lives. Her family roots, identity, and loyalties all become entangled as Erin strives to uncover the past of Grayson plantation as well as her own ancestry.

Too often the reader finds many characters in romance genre novels to be flat, static, and even stereotypical. Martin has created two engaging, intelligent, and practical women. It isn’t difficult to draw parallels between these women and those whom the reader actually knows.  The dialogue is straightforward and credible. There are times when the contemplative mood is minimally captured in simply a line or two.  Dhari says, “You took care of me like that without even knowing me.” To which Nessie simply replies, “I got all the knowin’ I need” (p. 45). 

The plotting is deftly constructed so that the narrative flows quite effortlessly from one event to the next.  Pacing is crucial when it comes to engaging the reader. Here the author offers just the right degree of foreshadowing which enables the reader to discover the necessary elements to solve the puzzle. Martin has done her research for this period in history, and the novel reflects this attention to detail. The contrasts drawn between the culture and pace of Dhari’s Michigan lifestyle with that of Erin’s rural Georgia existence provide humor, warmth, and an insight into what is really important when living one’s life.  In the end the actual geography is only a secondary consideration. As Nessie says, “But ya can’t know where ya are now ‘less ya know where ya come from” (p. 74).

Under the Witness Tree is an evocative and adroitly composed novel which quietly draws in the reader and successfully immerses her in both the sometimes somber pre-Civil War past and the uncertain hurried present. The irony of each woman’s situation serves to forge a bond among them that these individuals can neither avoid nor predict. This is a story of generations; the desire and the promise of those women from vastly different backgrounds carry forth into the contemporary scene of Dhari’s and Erin’s life.  Insightful character analyses, intriguing reflections upon the past, intrinsically compelling and endearing personalities, and intelligent prose all contribute to a unique and engrossing novel. Under the Witness Tree is the sort of book that remains with you long after you’ve read that last page.

Click here to read a sample chapter of "Under the Witness Tree"

ARLENE GERMAIN is currently a book reviewer for the OutLook Press, Lambda Book Report, the Midwest Book Review, the Independent Gay Writer, the Golden Crown Literary Society newsletter, The Crown, and the JustAboutWrite.com Newsletter/e-zine. She is also a freelance copyeditor and proofreader. A former English teacher who resides in Massachusetts with her partner and two dogs, Arlene enjoys travel, music, film and theater, writing poetry, golf, and the beach. Feel free to drop her an email.

Rating: (on a scale of 1-5, with one being poor and five as excellent)
Under the Witness Tree

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Marianne K. Martin currently resides in Michigan as a writer and professional photographer. After many years of teaching in the public school system, she first turned her hobbies into a career as a photojournalist with the Michigan Women's Times. She is the bestselling author of several books published by Naiad and Bella Books. Her short stories can be found in three Naiad anthologies: Lady Be Good, The Touch of Your Hand, and The Very Thought of You. Click here to visit her Web site.

Under the Witness Tree Author: Marianne K. Martin Category: Historical Romance Paperback: 210 pages Published: October 2004 ISBN: 1932859004 Retail: $12.95 Publisher: Bywater Books Click here to buy UNDER THE WITNESS TREE

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