Alice B. reviewed on 10/7/2020 + 3559 more book reviews

This book is NOT an Anna Pigeon novel. It is unique. I did wonder throughout the book whether the two heroines would be implicated and thought it would be a much stronger story if they were not. And I was rewarded. The book is an outstanding illustration of the problems women faced in the 19th century, and shows a rather unique solution to an otherwise impossible problem that should never have occurred. Whether we want to admit it or not, women have come a long way in the United States, and it is now possible to function as adults, while in the era of this setting, it was not. There are a few interesting twists. It is said this is based on women's diaries from the era, and I can well imagine.

The book also illustrates the way in which a husband's cruelty was more or less taken for granted by most wives, who were powerless to resist. It does not paint a particularly accurate picture of a true Christian husband, though there is some hint that the cruel husbands at least claimed to confess the Christian faith. From reading nearly all of this author's books I am aware she is not totally knowledgeable and could profit from doing a bit more homework. Her bias is mild, but it shows. Not bad for a first novel, overall.

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