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bellatora's review against another edition
3.0
This is a prequel to [b:The Heretic's Daughter|3181953|The Heretic's Daughter|Kathleen Kent|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344269239s/3181953.jpg|3214749], which I thought was pretty good historical fiction, so I was disappointed with this novel.
While Martha was a strict mother that clashed with her daughter but revealed her deep love for her, the Martha here is just…kinda terrible. There is a line between a headstrong, sharp-tongued woman and a bully, and Martha crosses that line. I never figured out when or why Thomas fell in love with her. He just suddenly did. Even though Martha had been nothing but mean to him. I mean, one of the servants smirked a bit when she jumped into the mud after refusing his hand to help her down and so she retaliates by making him sleep in the barn on a bitterly cold night. That is bullying behavior!!! And just because you are too proud does not mean other people should suffer for it!
And the thing is – she never gets better. I could accept all this if she goes through a humbling experience and becomes more controlled and compassionate, but that doesn’t happen. She remains arrogant and proud and biting. And Thomas falls for her anyway.
Plus, I thought the whole following-the-king’s-assassins was unnecessary and surprisingly lame. I think it would’ve worked better if it was all from Martha/Thomas’ perspectives and there were hints that some kind of conspiracy was going down but the reader wasn’t sure what or who the danger was until later. Instead of laying it out. Plus, the assassins kept getting killed of in semi-random ways. A servant girl poisons one because she’s a colonial spy! Indians capture one and burn him alive! It was all these things that had nothing to do with Martha/Thomas and if the focus is on them, then these assassin’s and their doom is just a side plot.
Also, I could not stand that Martha was all, “Is your name really Thomas Morgan?” and he just admits it without saying “HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THAT????” He does not question that she knows the name of the ship he came over on or his real name without any good way that she should have known that. She knows because the tinsmith is really an English spy (or loyalist or something) and hints these things at her and maybe it would be good for Thomas to know these things. I mean, maybe this came up earlier and I skimmed over it. Possible. Or it’s possible that it’s just a massive plot hole.
While Martha was a strict mother that clashed with her daughter but revealed her deep love for her, the Martha here is just…kinda terrible. There is a line between a headstrong, sharp-tongued woman and a bully, and Martha crosses that line. I never figured out when or why Thomas fell in love with her. He just suddenly did. Even though Martha had been nothing but mean to him. I mean, one of the servants smirked a bit when she jumped into the mud after refusing his hand to help her down and so she retaliates by making him sleep in the barn on a bitterly cold night. That is bullying behavior!!! And just because you are too proud does not mean other people should suffer for it!
And the thing is – she never gets better. I could accept all this if she goes through a humbling experience and becomes more controlled and compassionate, but that doesn’t happen. She remains arrogant and proud and biting. And Thomas falls for her anyway.
Plus, I thought the whole following-the-king’s-assassins was unnecessary and surprisingly lame. I think it would’ve worked better if it was all from Martha/Thomas’ perspectives and there were hints that some kind of conspiracy was going down but the reader wasn’t sure what or who the danger was until later. Instead of laying it out. Plus, the assassins kept getting killed of in semi-random ways. A servant girl poisons one because she’s a colonial spy! Indians capture one and burn him alive! It was all these things that had nothing to do with Martha/Thomas and if the focus is on them, then these assassin’s and their doom is just a side plot.
Also, I could not stand that Martha was all, “Is your name really Thomas Morgan?” and he just admits it without saying “HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THAT????” He does not question that she knows the name of the ship he came over on or his real name without any good way that she should have known that. She knows because the tinsmith is really an English spy (or loyalist or something) and hints these things at her and maybe it would be good for Thomas to know these things. I mean, maybe this came up earlier and I skimmed over it. Possible. Or it’s possible that it’s just a massive plot hole.
rosehasthorn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Could be a bit slow at times and could also be complicated to follow along with. When the story came back to the adventurous scenes or the character-building scenes it was hard to put down!
saycheeze37's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really enjoyable book. I like the way the author told it from two sides, good guys vs. bad guys. The historical facts fell easily into the story. Common everyday activities of colonial America really came to life. The shy relationship between the lead character was nicely done, as was the telling of journey of the Englishmen who tried to "conquer" America and take back their criminal. A great read.
tucker4's review against another edition
3.0
I generally liked this book, but there were a few things that bothered me.
First was that every chapter switched back and forth between two stories. It all came together in the end and I knew the stories would eventually intertwine, but the frequent back and forth meant that as I got wrapped up in one of the stories, the focus would switch to the other and I would have to reorient myself to the new scene. The sensation I ended up with (for the first half of the book anyway) was that every new chapter I started almost felt like when you start a new book altogether as storylines would pick up in completely different places from where they left off. I also thought more time (at least in the beginning) should have been spent on the Martha/Thomas storyline rather than the other.
It's not really an "action-packed" story in terms of events or really inter-character development and therefore the story did feel a little slow at times.
Kent uses a lot of descriptive language, which could be very poetic, but at times I thought it took over the story. I prefer a story that's a little more focused on the characters, but as that is just my personal preference, I imagine some will give the book more stars because of this.
First was that every chapter switched back and forth between two stories. It all came together in the end and I knew the stories would eventually intertwine, but the frequent back and forth meant that as I got wrapped up in one of the stories, the focus would switch to the other and I would have to reorient myself to the new scene. The sensation I ended up with (for the first half of the book anyway) was that every new chapter I started almost felt like when you start a new book altogether as storylines would pick up in completely different places from where they left off. I also thought more time (at least in the beginning) should have been spent on the Martha/Thomas storyline rather than the other.
It's not really an "action-packed" story in terms of events or really inter-character development and therefore the story did feel a little slow at times.
Kent uses a lot of descriptive language, which could be very poetic, but at times I thought it took over the story. I prefer a story that's a little more focused on the characters, but as that is just my personal preference, I imagine some will give the book more stars because of this.
amywrites's review against another edition
3.0
I finally read another book! (Actually I read this a while ago and never got around to posting it)
This was a pretty good book. It takes place in the 1670s in New England and follows Martha, a young woman who is sent to be a servant at her cousin’s house because she’s refusing to marry. There she meets Thomas, a Welshman with a mysterious past. Turns out he was a soldier before going to the New World and is being hunted down.
This was told in a bunch of different POVs. Most were Martha’s and I liked those the most. The rest were from different people throughout the journey of hunting Thomas (the man who wants him found, one of the bounty hunters, etc) - those parts I didn’t like as much.
This was a pretty good book. It takes place in the 1670s in New England and follows Martha, a young woman who is sent to be a servant at her cousin’s house because she’s refusing to marry. There she meets Thomas, a Welshman with a mysterious past. Turns out he was a soldier before going to the New World and is being hunted down.
This was told in a bunch of different POVs. Most were Martha’s and I liked those the most. The rest were from different people throughout the journey of hunting Thomas (the man who wants him found, one of the bounty hunters, etc) - those parts I didn’t like as much.
mslaura's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was very well-written and liked it even better than [b:The Heretic's Daughter|3181953|The Heretic's Daughter|Kathleen Kent|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344269239s/3181953.jpg|3214749], to which it is a prequel. It tells the story of Martha Allen and Thomas Carrier from the time of their meeting in Billerica, Massachusetts in 1673, until the time they marry. Thomas's secret past, which is alluded to in [b:The Heretic's Daughter|3181953|The Heretic's Daughter|Kathleen Kent|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344269239s/3181953.jpg|3214749] is fully fleshed out in this book. Chapters alternate between the story of Martha and Thomas and the story of a band of assassins formed in England and journeying ever closer to the couple, providing a fair amount of suspense. It is important to note that this book is truly a work of historical fiction in that many events are based not on historical evidence but on verbal history and family folklore. If you are willing to appreciate this as it is intended, as a novel rather than as a factual accounting of events, then I highly recommend it.
writerjholland's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this book. That’s not to say that I didn’t like it, because I did, but I wanted to adore it because it was set in early America, which is my favorite time period and why I’m specializing in early American literature in my PhD program (tidbits about me, yay!). I was, however, a little disappointed in it.
What I noticed around the middle of the novel was that the story was more about Thomas and his back story than about Martha. The title is a bit misleading in that regard because we’re lead to believe this story will be about the traitor’s WIFE, not about the traitor himself. Ultimately, I wanted more from Martha. Though she is fleshed out amazingly, I wanted more of her and less of Thomas’ back story.
However, that doesn’t stop the book from being incredibly intriguing. Kent has an amazing ability to transport readers directly into colonial America without the burden of colonial language. If you’ve ever read a true piece of colonial writing, you understand. Trust me, it takes quite a bit of patience and skill to navigate through the bulky language of yester-year. I appreciate her modern (but not too modern) adaptation of language in this novel.
The only thing that truly bothered me was the abrupt ending. Stopping with Thomas and Martha’s marriage (not a spoiler. The title gives it away) only seemed like a cop-out. Why call it The Traitor’s Wife if it ends with the marriage? She’s not his wife for 99.99% of the novel. This just bugs me to no end. Yes, the title is catchy, but it just doesn’t accurately reflect the content of the book. This, I think, is the major flaw here and something I couldn’t get passed. I tried. Like I said, I really enjoyed reading this book, but I couldn’t give it more than three stars because my expectations based on the title would never be fulfilled because of the content.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, but with the caveat that you disregard the title. If you throw that away, The Traitor’s Wife will suck you in with its mystery, action, and intrigue.
What I noticed around the middle of the novel was that the story was more about Thomas and his back story than about Martha. The title is a bit misleading in that regard because we’re lead to believe this story will be about the traitor’s WIFE, not about the traitor himself. Ultimately, I wanted more from Martha. Though she is fleshed out amazingly, I wanted more of her and less of Thomas’ back story.
However, that doesn’t stop the book from being incredibly intriguing. Kent has an amazing ability to transport readers directly into colonial America without the burden of colonial language. If you’ve ever read a true piece of colonial writing, you understand. Trust me, it takes quite a bit of patience and skill to navigate through the bulky language of yester-year. I appreciate her modern (but not too modern) adaptation of language in this novel.
The only thing that truly bothered me was the abrupt ending. Stopping with Thomas and Martha’s marriage (not a spoiler. The title gives it away) only seemed like a cop-out. Why call it The Traitor’s Wife if it ends with the marriage? She’s not his wife for 99.99% of the novel. This just bugs me to no end. Yes, the title is catchy, but it just doesn’t accurately reflect the content of the book. This, I think, is the major flaw here and something I couldn’t get passed. I tried. Like I said, I really enjoyed reading this book, but I couldn’t give it more than three stars because my expectations based on the title would never be fulfilled because of the content.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, but with the caveat that you disregard the title. If you throw that away, The Traitor’s Wife will suck you in with its mystery, action, and intrigue.
cdel13's review against another edition
3.0
I *want* to like Kathleen Kent's books so much more than I do - because I love the premise behind them. I don't know what happens, but I'm just never completely engaged in them.
skoore's review against another edition
2.0
I just couldn't get the book until the ending. Just didn't get the flow of the story. The last 3 chapters were interesting.
jhv_1984's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75