FREE FALLING
Review by Winona Cross (4/15/2003)
The Word on Romance
Denise is mesmerized by the charming, handsome Aaron and his sense of humor and compliments. They begin dating immediately, but after a few days, Denise is surprised to learn Aaron is controlling and cruel, as well as physically and mentally abusive. If Denise doesn't agree to do whatever Aaron asks he angrily reminds her, "you belong to me." Confused by Aaron's outbursts and abuse followed by kindness and apologies Denise begins having a recurrent, very realistic, and very frightening nightmare that she is falling. She awakens, struggling to breathe and to free herself from the bed linens smothering her. The dreams are so disturbing that Denise schedules an appointment with psychologist and dream interpreter, Dr. Leopold. He believes the dreams are warnings from a past life. Denise agrees to be hypnotized.
Entering a trance, Denise regresses to South Carolina prior to the Civil War and becomes Olivia Walters, the kind and gentle mistress of a plantation. Olivia's marriage to Byron, the cruel and controlling master, is part of a business deal between Byron and Olivia's uncle. Byron proudly shows his control and cruelty by having a slave whipped on their wedding day. Shortly after the marriage, Olivia personally experiences Byron's abuse and explosive temper. He brutally reminds her, "you belong to me."
Kind hearted Olivia can't tolerate or understand Byron's cruelty to the slaves. Her uncle always treated his slaves with compassion. Diligently working to make the lives of the slaves more humane, Olivia is continually punished for her abstinence and disobedience. How long can Olivia remain resolved to provide more for the slaves? When Byron purchases Wilson, a handsome, young slave to replace his aging coachman, Denise sees pride, kindness, and a gentle spirit in his eyes. As Wilson drives Olivia on her outings they talk and become friends, then lovers. Will Byron discover the affair? Will she escape Byron's abuse? Will she and Byron survive a rush for safety and freedom?
I would have enjoyed knowing more about the main characters, as well as the secondary characters. Olivia is the only character with dimension. She is first introduced as a proper and innocent young girl from the south. The things she sees and experiences force her to become more resolute and courageous. The extent of her love for Wilson and her fear and hatred of Byron are described but not well developed. There are many instances of Byron's cruelty, the way he indiscriminately orders the slaves to be punished, and the way he physically and mentally abuses Olivia. The only glimpse we see of Byron demonstrating anything besides cruelty is when he stops beating Olivia when she tells him that she is pregnant, that day he allows the slaves to have some time off from their chores. Wilson is seen only as kind and loving. He distrusts Byron and is angry at him for separating him from his sister. Ms. Neilson offers the reader tempting glimpses of the lives of other characters including the long time cook, matronly Gladys, and the new slave, young and exotic Blanche, as well as Byron's cousin, Boris, a member of the underground railroad.
FREE FALLING has a strong premise and interesting plot, but it also had its problems, which bothered this reader. Grammatical errors, point of view inconsistencies, and repetitive statements abound. Transitions from present day Denise to nineteenth century Olivia occur abruptly in the same scene leaving this reader struggling to catch up. FREE FALLING has a great deal of potential, but needs to be comprehensively edited and I believes the mistakes found in FREE FALLING are the errors of a beginning author. I believe that Ms. Neilson has the potential and talent to become a promising new star. She has good ideas and I would be happy to give her next book a try.
April 2003., 215 pp., $19.95., ISBN # 1-59129-841-5.