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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Just what I was in the mood for—a hallmark movie in book form. Syrupy sweet, easy reading, predictable romance. ❤️
I'd already read the whole Love Comes Softly series, so I wanted to give another of her series a shot. So far I'm a fan, and I adore Beth and Wynn together!
Jeanette Oke does a fantastic job of writing a Christian Romance story with out being too cheesy or too biblical. I liked how the story was told and how much stronger of a woman Elizabeth became since the beginning.
A sweet, wholesome book that had me laughing and smiling the entire time! Better than the series, for sure. If you enjoy stories of love, growth, and city girls adjusting to the country, this is for you!
Sometimes you just need a Janette Oke novel, you know?
It started with my cousin and I watching the "When Calls the Heart" TV series, and here I am, having already read the first book in the series. Who am I kidding claiming I will not finish the series? It's Christmastime and I am weak.
{spoilers!} It did feel rushed towards the end, it all happened so fast! In the first half you live every slow day with Elizabeth Thatcher and then suddenly she's getting married! However, despite this, Janette Oke's clear and simple style makes you, as cliche as it sounds, cuddle up and savor the pages.
It started with my cousin and I watching the "When Calls the Heart" TV series, and here I am, having already read the first book in the series. Who am I kidding claiming I will not finish the series? It's Christmastime and I am weak.
{spoilers!} It did feel rushed towards the end, it all happened so fast! In the first half you live every slow day with Elizabeth Thatcher and then suddenly she's getting married! However, despite this, Janette Oke's clear and simple style makes you, as cliche as it sounds, cuddle up and savor the pages.
This was a cute read! Back when I was 14 (in 2003) I really enjoyed Janette Oke's books like "Love Comes Softly" and "Once Upon a Summer". This was one I never read back then and figured why not give it a shot? It was only a dollar at my local used bookstore. I'm not religious anymore so that part wasn't the most relatable to read but it's still a cozy book if you've ever been into historical western romances or Little House on the Prairie. I might pick up the rest of the series but this also ends with a happily for now ending that could leave it a stand alone book.
This may be a rare time when the screen adaptation is better than the book (CBC television adaptation, on US Netflix currently). Janette Oke's 'When Calls the Heart' is a solid historical romance, this is what you want to read when you're looking for a teacher falling for the Mountie in the wild Canadian west. There's lots of rude awakenings to the situation in the West for an Eastern lady, plenty of confusion about the life of locals and dismay at the uncivilized nature of life outside of civilization- but the show is just so much better for a modern feminist audience. The book shows it's age, second wave feminism is there- Elizabeth is a working woman, working through her struggles with little help of men. But then there is a collapse, she falls in love after a few encounters with a man she had thought married, and immediately agrees to marry him without any formal courting or long emotional connection. I'm continuing the series, because I'm a sucker for historic romances, and stories of the great untamed North West, and there is a dream-boat Mountie(!), but I wont be waving the feminist pride flag about it. Overall this book is decent, but nothing to write home about.
#noguilt #romancereader #bibliophile@goodreads #readharderchallenge2016#sarahmaereads2016
#noguilt #romancereader #bibliophile@goodreads #readharderchallenge2016#sarahmaereads2016
I know it is keeping with the time period but i loathed the word squaw being used
In a very rare occurrence I preferred the TV show
Why did I not read this before? A lovely story, simple but entrancing. I definitely need to read the rest of the series.
Here because my sister got me hooked on the TV series (I may never forgive her).
I haven't read a romance since I was about 12. This is only the second romance I've ever read (or at least, only the second that I can remember reading).
Somewhat disappointed. This was a very easy read, and I never felt the need to put it down, but I just... didn't find it satisfying, in the end. There is very little real characterization of anyone other than Elizabeth. Most of what we actually "see" are times when Elizabeth is alone, while her time spent with other characters is largely summarized. When we actually do see her with other characters, she either isn't really interacting with them, or the interactions are extremely brief, so it never really feels like she has any kind of relationship/connection with any of the people she calls friends. I can't even remember the names of most of the other characters, and couldn't keep them straight while I was reading. Even the love interest (whom she sees early on, but doesn't meet until nearly halfway through the book) barely gets sufficient characterization, and again, except for a few key moments, their interactions are quickly summarized instead of shown.
I also found it a little... overbearingly Christian at times (note: I'm agnostic and grew up attending a fairly liberal/progressive United Church). Admittedly, I didn't realize this was Christian fiction when I started reading it, so that doesn't help, but I found it often didn't feel like a natural part of the story, and in one scene in particular felt like I was being lectured at. And the defensiveness of the mounted police and describing them as ambassadors and heroes to "white and native alike" didn't quite sit right with me, given current events. Thankfully that was a surprisingly small portion of the book, considering the love interest is a mountie.
Those issues aside, I did find this a fairly pleasant read. There isn't really much in the way of plot, it's not very exciting, but it's... well, I think "nice" would be the right word. Like sipping a cup of tea while you watch the birds out the window. I've been wavering back and forth between 2 stars and 3 stars for the entire time I've been writing this review. So I guess I'll be generous and give it 3, since I do plan to read the next book in the series, despite my issues with this one (or maybe it's just wishful thinking that the next one will be better). And even if I end up abandoning this series, I'll probably give the "Return to the Canadian West" series a shot.
I haven't read a romance since I was about 12. This is only the second romance I've ever read (or at least, only the second that I can remember reading).
Somewhat disappointed. This was a very easy read, and I never felt the need to put it down, but I just... didn't find it satisfying, in the end. There is very little real characterization of anyone other than Elizabeth. Most of what we actually "see" are times when Elizabeth is alone, while her time spent with other characters is largely summarized. When we actually do see her with other characters, she either isn't really interacting with them, or the interactions are extremely brief, so it never really feels like she has any kind of relationship/connection with any of the people she calls friends. I can't even remember the names of most of the other characters, and couldn't keep them straight while I was reading. Even the love interest (whom she sees early on, but doesn't meet until nearly halfway through the book) barely gets sufficient characterization, and again, except for a few key moments, their interactions are quickly summarized instead of shown.
Spoiler
As a result, the inevitable marriage proposal feels like it's coming completely out of nowhere, and I had to remind myself that actually, they did probably know each other well enough at that point, we just never got to see it.I also found it a little... overbearingly Christian at times (note: I'm agnostic and grew up attending a fairly liberal/progressive United Church). Admittedly, I didn't realize this was Christian fiction when I started reading it, so that doesn't help, but I found it often didn't feel like a natural part of the story, and in one scene in particular felt like I was being lectured at. And the defensiveness of the mounted police and describing them as ambassadors and heroes to "white and native alike" didn't quite sit right with me, given current events. Thankfully that was a surprisingly small portion of the book, considering the love interest is a mountie.
Those issues aside, I did find this a fairly pleasant read. There isn't really much in the way of plot, it's not very exciting, but it's... well, I think "nice" would be the right word. Like sipping a cup of tea while you watch the birds out the window. I've been wavering back and forth between 2 stars and 3 stars for the entire time I've been writing this review. So I guess I'll be generous and give it 3, since I do plan to read the next book in the series, despite my issues with this one (or maybe it's just wishful thinking that the next one will be better). And even if I end up abandoning this series, I'll probably give the "Return to the Canadian West" series a shot.