A Distance Too Grand

Reviewed by:

Lilia Snyder from Louisville, Kentucky, a Professional Writing student at Taylor University in Upland, IN.

REVIEW INTRODUCTION

Title:

A Distance Too Grand

Author:

Regina Scott

Publisher:

Revell a Division of Baker Publishing Group

Publication Date:

October 1, 2019

Format:

Print book

Length:

372 pages

OVERVIEW

Meg Pero is an aspiring photographer, so after her father dies, she seizes the chance to go on a survey around the Grand Canyon in order to begin her career. However, things don’t go as smoothly as she’d like because the very person leading the survey is Captain Ben Coleridge, the man whom she fell in love with at West Point, but then later turned down his marriage proposal.

Captain Ben Coleridge leads the survey in hopes to find a road for the army. Not only that, but he believes that his father, Colonel Coleridge who went missing is somewhere in the canyon, and he aims to find him. It’s not easy leading a survey and searching for his father when old feelings for his photographer get in the way. In the end, Meg and Ben must come together, along with their team members, if they want to survive the dangers of the canyon and achieve their goals.

Not only is this a great story, but Regina Scott really makes the setting of the Grand Canyon come alive, and it feels like you are at the Grand Canyon with the characters. I also enjoyed learning about what photography was like in the nineteenth century, and you can tell the author really did her research. However, I wish Meg and Ben’s relationship, as well as Meg’s faith in God, could have been developed a little more. Even though the ending did make me happy, it also left me feeling a little disappointed. All in all, this was a very fun book to read and I would recommend this to anyone, especially if you enjoy historical fiction and romance.

ASSESSMENT

Rating

4 out of 5 stars

Suggested Audience

Ages 15 and up. Anyone who loves historical fiction.

Christian Impact

I will say that the beginning of the book does not touch on Christianity as nearly as much as the end. The characters struggle with wanting to please others, which is something that every Christian deals with, but they learn that it is most important to please God over parents or military leaders. It also touches on doubts about God through Meg grieving over her father, trying make a career as a photographer, and the dangers she faces in the Grand Canyon. Many Christians and even those who aren’t can find many ways to relate to the characters.

Other Notes (Optional)

The author tells the book in both Meg and Ben’s point of view, each chapter is divided up between them, and she does it in a way that really flows well in the story. Also, the romance in this book is very clean. There is a scene where the characters sleep next to each other, but they do it in order to survive. At another point in the book, Meg and Ben discover a dead body that appeared to be murdered, and so they bury it, but that’s probably about as gr