Home to McCarron's Corner - Book Review

Home to McCarron’s Corner, by Sharon k. Middleton, is a historical fiction/fantasy with a contemporary twist. In the contemporary setting, Lily Van Der Houghton is struggling with finding direction for her life. She is a newly licensed physician but without a direct calling, so she takes time off to hike in the mountains with a few medical tools in her backpack. She falls through a time warp into 1763, in Cherokee Indian Territory.

Told mostly in Lily’s voice, she is able to recall the society of the 2000s from her “Beyond” life but does not try to forecast or alter her present, 1700s life. When speaking to others in the 18th century she uses their speech mannerisms, but during self-talk, she often reverts to 21st-century speech and modern slang, “Belle and I were both clad in riding habits, which were the ‘go to’ casual attire for women in the1700s”. The reader will be amused by her modern language when it is slipped into conversation. In a humorous twist, she has a dog named Hairy Potter. The author also has characters speaking short phrases in Gaelic Irish with translations.

Lily’s new role as shaman-in-training and midwife to a tribe of Cherokee Indians, casts her into ancient prophecy. She is treated as special and taught native lore. She rapidly learns herbal remedies and medicinal plant compounds from the tribe’s elderly shaman by memorizing prayers, chants, stories, and formulas for medicine since the

Cherokee had no written language. Lily is able to use her medical knowledge to aid the tribe.

The author’s knowledge of Cherokee culture and of colonial history is apparent in her attention to the practical life and details of this time period. The reader is introduced to the Keeper of Secrets, the Four Cardinal Directions, and the Cords of Life.

Lily has trained as an OB-GYN so when birthing emergencies occur in the tribal setting, she is able to use her advanced knowledge to intervene. The author’s vast medical knowledge is evident in the plot and enhances the storyline with suspense.

Marc and Lily fall in love early in the story with their entanglement expanding the plot first to an antebellum plantation, then to Ireland. Again the authenticity of the historic culture of the 1700s is tied into current day information that Lily would have known. This is most evident in her role as a physician.

The settings and sub-plots are well researched and entertaining. The exploits of a modern time traveler, who can recall experiences from her “Before” life while living a life in the distant past, is intriguing. The reader may be reminded of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlanders.

This is the second novel in a series but is a good stand-alone read. The potential for a sequel will entice the reader to look for this author’s next book.