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A review by nipomuki
The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen
4.0
I know some people are put off by inspirational stories, and I do understand. There is a lot of praying, church going and god thanking in this trilogy, with some preaching thrown in for good measure. While too much of this usually makes me cringe, I found it tolerable in this context. The way the people in Ivy Hill live their religion makes them better people and a better community. The god they believe in is a loving, forgiving and tolerant one.
I have only listened to the second and the third book in this trilogy, and feel no need to go back to the first. It is the story of three women finding love in the village of Ivy Hill. I enjoyed the portrayal of female friendships, the way the women of Ivy Hill come together and find solutions, how they support and help each other.
The author touches on a myriad of subjects and conflicts, there are family secrets, misunderstandings, difficult decisions, there is tragedy, humor and lots of love.
The setting is historical and felt accurate to me. It was lovely to see people with very diverse backgrounds playing important roles in the story. While some are part of the landed gentry, there are no Dukes to be found, and the only Earl is a fake one. We meet several female business owners, and root for them to succeed. And even those who marry keep their profession or become equal partners in their husbands business.
At the end of book two, Mercy loses her school. This was the main reason for me to continue reading, as I needed to see her finally get her happy ending. And it was worth it!
The narration was excellent. It is an enormous task to portray such a huge cast of characters in a convincing way.
I have only listened to the second and the third book in this trilogy, and feel no need to go back to the first. It is the story of three women finding love in the village of Ivy Hill. I enjoyed the portrayal of female friendships, the way the women of Ivy Hill come together and find solutions, how they support and help each other.
The author touches on a myriad of subjects and conflicts, there are family secrets, misunderstandings, difficult decisions, there is tragedy, humor and lots of love.
The setting is historical and felt accurate to me. It was lovely to see people with very diverse backgrounds playing important roles in the story. While some are part of the landed gentry, there are no Dukes to be found, and the only Earl is a fake one. We meet several female business owners, and root for them to succeed. And even those who marry keep their profession or become equal partners in their husbands business.
At the end of book two, Mercy loses her school. This was the main reason for me to continue reading, as I needed to see her finally get her happy ending. And it was worth it!
The narration was excellent. It is an enormous task to portray such a huge cast of characters in a convincing way.