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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
This book should be right up my alley: strong female characters, an historical setting, it takes place almost literally in my back yard. But it simply hasn't clicked for me, and that makes me sad. I attempted to read this in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, so maybe part of my failure to finish this book has to do with my state of mind and the chaos that currently exists in the world.
Here's the thing: I think that based on the few chapters I was able to read, Lily & Marvena are compelling characters. I really, really want to know what happens and all of the twists & turns. But I can't, personally, get behind the third person present tense in which the book was written. I found myself continuously thrown out of the story by it. I dreaded picking up The Widows again just because I would have to fight my way through it.
(It's not just this book, though; I generally have a hard time with any book that is written in third person present tense.)
Now, if I were told that Ms. Montgomery had re-released her book in past tense, I'd be all over that like a duck on a June bug.
Here's the thing: I think that based on the few chapters I was able to read, Lily & Marvena are compelling characters. I really, really want to know what happens and all of the twists & turns. But I can't, personally, get behind the third person present tense in which the book was written. I found myself continuously thrown out of the story by it. I dreaded picking up The Widows again just because I would have to fight my way through it.
(It's not just this book, though; I generally have a hard time with any book that is written in third person present tense.)
Now, if I were told that Ms. Montgomery had re-released her book in past tense, I'd be all over that like a duck on a June bug.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A pleasant surprise
I was surprised by how quickly this book pulled me in, and how much I loved the characters. Beautiful writing and a powerful story. Mining, the fight to unionize, murder, all in the beautiful landscape of Southeast Ohio.
I was surprised by how quickly this book pulled me in, and how much I loved the characters. Beautiful writing and a powerful story. Mining, the fight to unionize, murder, all in the beautiful landscape of Southeast Ohio.
Very reminiscent of the Kopp Sisters series by Amy Stewart :)
2 stars
Well written historical fiction. I know there is a market for this book; however, it is not me. The writing is good, the characters are passable but I unfortunately did not enjoy the book very much. I'm not sure why, the book just was not exciting or fresh.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
Well written historical fiction. I know there is a market for this book; however, it is not me. The writing is good, the characters are passable but I unfortunately did not enjoy the book very much. I'm not sure why, the book just was not exciting or fresh.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
I had an odd relationship with this book for the first half or so. I enjoyed it when I was actively reading it, but had a hard time picking it up. However, this changed later in the story as things unfolded and I really came to love it. The murdered husband is never met by the reader in present day, but he is spoken of with such love by the narrating women that I found myself mourning the loss of a character we never met. There were lovely threads of resilience, themes of choice and freedom, and feminine strength in a time when women often had minimal power.
My biggest gripe is probably that many of the side characters weren’t nearly as three dimensional as the narrators. Even the two women’s own young children had no distinct personalities and felt like last minute additions to some scenes. But this was pretty well overshadowed by the main characters stories
My biggest gripe is probably that many of the side characters weren’t nearly as three dimensional as the narrators. Even the two women’s own young children had no distinct personalities and felt like last minute additions to some scenes. But this was pretty well overshadowed by the main characters stories
An enjoyable story about 2 women who work together to find out about the death of a husband and the whereabouts of a missing daughter. It takes place in a coal mining town of Ohio in 1924.
It is 1924 Kinship, Ohio. Lily Ross finds a unique way to avenge her husband's death. Her husband, Daniel, was a widely-respected sheriff. In order to have a fair amount of autonomy into investigating his death, Lily becomes Ohio's first female sheriff. Just a few hours after Daniel's funeral, Marvena Whitcomb, widow of a coal minor, approaches Lily's door to ask for help to locate her missing daughter.
Lily feels compelled to help Marvena. In so doing, both women sadly realize that Daniel was not the man that they thought he was. Furthermore, the murder was part of a much bigger scenario.
Lily, a mother with two young children, had her start working at the local jail. As the jail mistress, she was a record-keeper and also assisted her husband. When Daniel was transporting a prisoner, he was killed. Upon meeting Marvena, Lily discovered that the other woman had some sort of connection to Daniel. That no doubt made things difficult when it came to the fact that they began working together, even after Lily was appointed temporary sheriff.
Both women were widows, and hopefully that would have been enough to keep them working toward similar goals. Meanwhile, where they resided was a mining town, and there were difficulties in that situation. Sadly, their husbands were not the only lives lost at that time.
This debut novel was very well written. The descriptive style in which this historical fiction was written kept me turning pages deep into the night. The Widows is the first in a new series and I look forward to continuing with the next story. Also, there is a very good author's note at the end of the book that lends credence to the details of this story.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Lily feels compelled to help Marvena. In so doing, both women sadly realize that Daniel was not the man that they thought he was. Furthermore, the murder was part of a much bigger scenario.
Lily, a mother with two young children, had her start working at the local jail. As the jail mistress, she was a record-keeper and also assisted her husband. When Daniel was transporting a prisoner, he was killed. Upon meeting Marvena, Lily discovered that the other woman had some sort of connection to Daniel. That no doubt made things difficult when it came to the fact that they began working together, even after Lily was appointed temporary sheriff.
Both women were widows, and hopefully that would have been enough to keep them working toward similar goals. Meanwhile, where they resided was a mining town, and there were difficulties in that situation. Sadly, their husbands were not the only lives lost at that time.
This debut novel was very well written. The descriptive style in which this historical fiction was written kept me turning pages deep into the night. The Widows is the first in a new series and I look forward to continuing with the next story. Also, there is a very good author's note at the end of the book that lends credence to the details of this story.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.