Content in her comfortable marriage of twenty-two years, Jane Lindsay had never expected to watch her husband, rad, pack his belongings and walk out the door of their Manhattan home. But when it happens, she feels powerless to stop him and the course of events that follow Brad’s departure.
Jane finds an old ring in a box of relics from a British jumble sale and discovers a Latin inscription in the band along with just one recognizable word: Jane. Feeling an instant connection to the mysterious ring bearing her namesake, Jane begins a journey to learn more about the ring—and perhaps about herself.~
In the sixteenth-century, Lucy Day becomes the dressmaker to Lady Jane Grey, an innocent young woman whose fate seems to be controlled by a dangerous political and religious climate, one threatening to deny her true love and pursuit of her own interests.
As the stories of both Janes dovetail through the journey of one ring, it becomes clear that each woman has far more influence over her life than she once imagined. It all comes down to the choices each makes despite the realities they face.
Book Review
Two Janes. Two different time periods in history. Each facing a very significant choice. Because when everything else is stripped away, love is a choice.
Meissner's writing between two time periods is flawless and never leaves you with that awkward feeling that you sometimes get when reading a book tackling this type of story line. In fact, she accomplishes it so seamlessly that you soon seen the shadows and echoes of similarity between the two Janes.
One of those similarities is the ring. It is the thing that ties these stories together. The ring originally starts out as a part of Lady Jane's story. Fourth in line to the throne of England, she is given the ring as part of an unofficial engagement. Although only thirteen she bears a heady responsibility as the future heir to the throne.
The ring eventually finds its way to the other Jane in the spine of a Common Book of Prayers. This Jane is facing choices of her own as her son has moved out for college and her husband has announced they need some time apart.
Back and forth you will read the stories of these two Janes. By far the best line in the book to me was this one on page 238, ""Faith to Jane was not something to be bargained with or leveraged. It was to be as subtle and unstoppable as the beating of your own heart."
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