Review: Celey (Heritage Series Volume II) by Susan Diane Black Blackmon

Celey by Susan Diane Black Blackmon is the second book in the Heritage Series, a collection of historical novels based on real-life characters and events. Standing between fact and fiction, Celey is a heartwarming novel about hardship, family, and the hopes and dreams of a town in 19th-century Arkansas, for an engrossing and evocative work of historical fiction.

Waldron is a place on a difficult journey from wilderness to civilization, and Celey, a young woman of sixteen, experiences what it means to live in an unsafe environment, where women cannot go around town unaccompanied and bullies seem to go unpunished. Through her story, Blackmon explores the good and the bad of a community in the making, during a time when looking out for each other was essential, especially when local authorities could not be counted on, and taking justice into your own hands might be the only choice.

Tom Anderson wants to lay his hands on the best properties in the county, no matter how dirty he has to play. Celey knows Tom is a bully, and that he holds a dangerous grudge against her father who refused to sell him his farm, so when he corners her and threatens her, she is beyond terrified. Fortunately, Daniel Tillman is passing by, and he manages to save Celey from impending harm.

From that day on, two things are clear to the community: something must be done to make Waldron a safe place, and Celey and Daniel are in love. Knowing they couldn’t count on their corrupt sheriff, Waldron decides to work together to get rid of Tom Anderson, but they also know it takes more to make a community safe and strong – building ties, forging bonds, following God’s word, and raising families together is the real key to survival. It means not being alone in the fight against the powerful and the cruel, malady and death, and sadness and solitude – weighty topics, to be sure, but handled here with grace and subtlety.

Blackmon’s research on daily life in 19th-century Arkansas provides a remarkable backdrop to Celey’s story, which feels as immediate as a contemporary story. The author doesn’t shy away from the harsh reality of the time, nor from grief and its accompanying dark thoughts, and the arduous healing process that follows. The characters heavily rely on the comfort of faith, and when Celey herself starts to doubt her faith, brought down by the tragic events of her life, Blackmon chisels out a whole new depth to her character.

The nuances of Celey’s feelings make the reader ache for all her troubles, while also admiring her strength, for a truly multilayered character, as well as an emotionally complex reading experience. Where the action scenes can be a bit dry and explanation-heavy, Celey’s inner life is always brought to the page with reverberating clarity, and the real-life wisdom by which Celey and her family live feels down-to-earth and immediately relatable.

Well-written, historically accurate, and vividly emotional, this heartwrenching piece of historical fiction is an unforgettable novel about everyday people facing universal issues, which ultimately carries a powerful message of hope.