Seething with old prejudices, wealth, poverty, voodoo, and young hot blood, TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit will take you through the Louisiana swamps, New Orleans, the Texas prairies, and into the bustling but racially troubled city of St. Louis in the mid-twentieth century . . . and lead you to a place where people are accepted because of character and heart—nothing more, nothing less.
Triumph
A Novel of the Human Spirit
by Jodi Lea Stewart
Genre: Historical Fiction
At a time when the world needs more warmth and acceptance, two little girls – Mercy and Annie, take us on a journey where color doesn’t matter, and character and heart are the only things that do!
Deep in the Louisiana swamps, 1903, five-year-old Willy is kidnapped by a Vodou Priestess. One day, he will fight bloody battles in France and come face-to-face with the horrors of Vodou.
In
bustling New Orleans, 1903, bachelor Jack—a former Texas Ranger—has
an encounter with a young beauty hiding in his hotel room. What she
wants and needs will change his life forever.
1958
St. Louis, two girls of different races, Mercy and Annie, meet in the
fifth grade. Together, they secretly explore St. Louis via bus and
streetcar, encountering cultural prejudices at every turn—
including from within one girl’s own family. The turbulent times
and the Civil Rights Movement will test the girls’ loyalty and
affect their choices on
In
a saga spanning from 1903 to 1968, compelling characters navigate the
stormy paths of life in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Texas until they
all collide in a startling and dramatic way.
Editorial Reviews
Review
*5-star rating by
K.C. Finn, Reviewer with "Reader's Favorite"*
"Author
Jodi Lea Stewart has crafted a mighty tale that packs a huge
emotional punch, and you can feel its impact on every page of this
excellent novel. The central protagonists, Mercy and Annie, could not
be more different on the page, and the dialogue and descriptive work
put into this distinction are effective and highly imaginative. It is
the twisting events of the intriguing and unusual plot line that
brings out their similarities and the true human spirit, which is a
wonderful thing to become more and more invested in as the story
continues. The historical atmosphere of the piece was also vividly
portrayed. I really adored St. Louis in a time of such progress, yet
so much tension. Overall, I would definitely recommend TRIUMPH,
a Novel of the Human Spirit to readers who enjoy historical
sagas that deliver on friendship, hope, and heart.
Written for
an adult readership, the work does contain graphic scenes and some
disturbing imagery that is relevant to the present danger of the
plot."
* Five Stars for Jodi Lea
Stewart's latest literary treasure*
"In her new
book, TRIUMPH, prolific author, Jodi Lea Stewart,
brilliantly tackles a lineup of some of the toughest literary
challenges a writer can face. Writing in the present tense. Telling a
dual time frame story. Dealing with dialect. Writing from a young
protagonist's perspective. And, the most challenging of all--shedding
a light of hope and encouragement on the most incendiary social
concern of our nation--racism. Ordinarily, in the hands of a less
skilled writer, any one of these could be the kiss of death of a
novel. That's not the case with Stewart. The characters are
compelling and believable. The settings are powerful and rendered
with a touch of uncanny realism. The literary magic spell Stewart
casts over this story is so effective, you do not realize the
commanding lesson it teaches until you close the cover and replay all
the clever and endearing elements that make it so
thought-provoking.
I have read Stewart's other books, and I am
always pleasantly surprised at her ability to deliver her deep
universally themed messages wrapped in disarmingly simple
premises."
~ DB Jackson, Author, Screenwriter,
Winner of the WesternHeritage Award
*5-star Review by Cyrus
Webb - Media Personality, Author, and Top-Amazon
Reviewer*
"In TRIUMPH, author Jodi Lea
Stewart shows that time and place have nothing to do with the
power of the human spirit. The reader will see themselves in
characters that might not look like them but carry their desire to
rise and thrive--and therein lies its power and a lesson..."
Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers'
Favorite
Review Rating: 5 Stars - Congratulations
on your 5-star review!
A beautiful story that is deftly
told, Triumph is set over long years and has the reader drifting
through different timelines and across different cities. The author
writes about three storylines in the novel and combines different
narrative voices, including an irresistible first-person narrative
voice that stays with the reader throughout. The lyrical writing,
coupled with the apt use of the local accent, enriches the story and
augments the realism that permeates it. The reader can picture the
characters and know about their background from how they speak. The
author handles themes that are as relevant and sensitive to
contemporary readers as these were to characters since 1903. This is
one of those novels that compel readers to think about one of the
pressing problems of America: the color line. And it also asks
serious questions about identity. Triumph: A Novel of the Human
Spirit is a powerful testimony that we can outgrow the pettiness that
defines people by their color and see a human spirit behind the shade
of skin.
From the Author
TRIUMPH, a Novel
of the Human Spirit is extra special to me for many reasons,
not the least of which is because it exemplifies my personal feelings
about ethics and the differences in human beings as something to be
celebrated, not feared or hated. The keys are always respect
and acceptance regardless of race or creed or whatever the
world wants to call "imperfect" or "different."
Other
sub-reasons for writing this novel were to highlight life in St.
Louis and beyond in the 1950s and early 1960s. I wanted to expose
some of the dangers (okay, the horrors) lurking in old New Orleans,
honor the Texas Rangers, and express my respect for people who learn
how to overlook the color barriers that separate and dishonor us as
people.
TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit is for readers who enjoy high-concept books written with a literary pen, and those who wish to see justice fulfilled and old prejudices shattered.
Amazon * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads
Jodi Lea Stewart is a fiction author who believes in and writes about the triumph of the human spirit through overcoming adversity via grit, humor, and stubborn tenacity. Her writing reflects her life beginning in Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, later moving as a youngster to an Arizona cattle ranch next door to the Navajo Nation, and, as a young adult, resuming in her native Texas. Growing up, she climbed petroglyph-etched boulders, bounced two feet in the air in the backend of pickups wrestling through washed-out terracotta roads, and rode horseback on the winds of her imagination through the arroyos and mountains of the Arizona high country. Her lifetime friendship with all nationalities, cowpunchers, and the southern gentry allows Jodi to write comfortably about anything in the Southwest, the South, and far BEYOND.
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This book sounds like a very good read.
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