I am only one-third of the way through this book but I can already tell that it is just as captivating as the two books that came before, Necessary Sins, and Lost Saints. I will stop back and update when I finish. Wish I had this book when I was on vacation because it makes for a great summer read. This author is one of my favorites. UPDATE... Native Stranger is a fantastic book, from start to finish. I love multigenerational family sagas, and this is one of the best ones I’ve read. I think there’s something for everyone here. From the Cheyenne Nation in Nebraska to Sullivan Island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, this book took me on a memorable journey. Author Elizabeth Bell has a knack for setting a memorable scene. Near the beginning, there is a funeral scene that is full of rich details that evoke a powerful emotional response. Here’s an example, “a red camellia shed petals like tears of blood across their path.” That’s just a fraction of the detail in that chapter. I won’t soon forget that tomb in the plantation’s cemetery. The star of the story is a young woman whom we know well from previous installments in the series. She possesses the rare beauty of her mother, though she isn’t particularly ladylike, at least not from the perspective of her meddling Aunt Hortense. She has a passion for wild creatures, including insects, reptiles, and amphibians. As it says in the book, “Clare saw beauty even in toads.” As a girl, Clare idolized an older orphaned boy named David, that her mother took in. They were close as children, and Clare expected to marry him when he returned from getting an education abroad. I could tell you about the painful reasons that David avoided the girl he adored, but the author tells it so much better than I could. I found myself believing they belonged together, and aching for them as their circumstances kept them apart. This book contains adult subject matter and is appropriate for a more mature audience. The romantic elements appear within the coming of age, young love, first love category. Somehow the author manages to portray these scenes from the perspective of both characters simultaneously. Readers who enjoy romance will be particularly drawn to this book, but I think there is something for everyone in this book, including contemptible villains, heart-wrenching drama, and the Native Stranger himself appears as if born from a classic western. For me, the best part of this book is the story of a young woman named Easter, who is a slave. Her story is devastating, and her character is nuanced, complex, and memorable. What Easter goes through provides a striking contrast to what Clare experiences. I fully expect these two women will have their hands full with the evil villain in the finale of this series, and I can’t wait to read it. Good thing it is “coming soon.” Native Stranger is beautifully written, carefully crafted, painstakingly researched, seeping with symbolism, and packed with dramatic angst. Like a fine garden, it’s decorated in the beauty and fragrance of all manner of flowers, just like all of Elizabeth Bell’s novels. I highly recommend this book and series.