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A review by mjmbecky
Willoughby's Return: A Tale of Almost Irresistible Temptation by Jane Odiwe
3.0
While my three stars might be deceptive, I think my response had more to do with some key factors, and not the quality of the writing itself.
Overall, I felt that Odiwe's story of Willoughby returning into Marianne Brandon's life to be pretty difficult. As a huge fan of all things Austen, I (like many fans) loved Colonel Brandon for seeing Marianne as she was and loving her unconditionally. In the end, I wanted to see Marianne step up to the plate and demonstrate her appreciation for Brandon's selflessness. However, in this tale, Brandon is a semi-absent husband, and Marianne is terribly insecure about her relationship with Brandon. While she does love him, she feels that he must surely still love his first love, which then leads her to her own exploration of what she felt for Willoughby.
Although I don't like to admit that we do remember those loves that came into our lives and left us scarred, this story reminds us that they do impact our current relationships (as sad as that seems). I would have enjoyed having the story stick to Marianne's story, but we also had a second narrator in her younger sister Margaret. I will admit to often getting confused over who was speaking and would have to switch gears to realize that we were now watching Margaret strike out in the search for love.
The writing, in its fluency, was nicely done and captured the style of that time. I enjoyed reading the novel, although I agonized over the thorn that Willoughby represented in a sweet marriage, and over the switch in narrators and stories. Overall, a fun exploration into the "what if's" of a first love returning, that I think we've all considered.
Overall, I felt that Odiwe's story of Willoughby returning into Marianne Brandon's life to be pretty difficult. As a huge fan of all things Austen, I (like many fans) loved Colonel Brandon for seeing Marianne as she was and loving her unconditionally. In the end, I wanted to see Marianne step up to the plate and demonstrate her appreciation for Brandon's selflessness. However, in this tale, Brandon is a semi-absent husband, and Marianne is terribly insecure about her relationship with Brandon. While she does love him, she feels that he must surely still love his first love, which then leads her to her own exploration of what she felt for Willoughby.
Although I don't like to admit that we do remember those loves that came into our lives and left us scarred, this story reminds us that they do impact our current relationships (as sad as that seems). I would have enjoyed having the story stick to Marianne's story, but we also had a second narrator in her younger sister Margaret. I will admit to often getting confused over who was speaking and would have to switch gears to realize that we were now watching Margaret strike out in the search for love.
The writing, in its fluency, was nicely done and captured the style of that time. I enjoyed reading the novel, although I agonized over the thorn that Willoughby represented in a sweet marriage, and over the switch in narrators and stories. Overall, a fun exploration into the "what if's" of a first love returning, that I think we've all considered.