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A review by novelsbycaitlin
Faithful by Janet Fox
4.0
3.5 or 4
Disclaimer: I love Yellowstone and the turn of the century (1904)--both take place within Faithful, so this may be a bit bias.
The cover of Faithful matches it's contents. It's beautiful and breathtaking, but once you put more thought into it, that the spring sprouting hot, steaming water is probably photoshopped (or the girl is photoshopped) leaving you feeling a little bit ripped off.
Wait--what the heck are you talking about?
Let me explain. Faithful has tons of things working for it (tons of GOOD things), but once sitting around and actually thinking about the book as a whole, you'll find some things that don't work as well.
Our "heroine" Margaret "Maggie" Bennett is portrayed as a snob, with a conscious. And that's about how detailed I can describe the female lead. When it's difficult to explain who a fictional character is, you know the author has done a nice job at shelling the character out. Maggie may be an east coast society girl, but her fears for falling off her high horse are outlined well. Fox makes sure the readers understand that Maggie isn't brainless. Maggie is aware of what she's looking for at her debut--a man to take care of her. A husband. She's aware of the freedom she's giving up and the strict rules that cage her within this society system. She even sees that her one friend is nothing but shallow.
But she has reason to fear being outside the society, thus making her debut important to her. Her mother, who she dearly loves, never followed the mainstream. Maggie witnessed first hand the fall of her mother and, despite how much she loved her, she couldn't end up like her. During flashbacks we witness confrontations of Maggie and her mother. At first I couldn't believe Maggie--a total brat. But with more thought I realized Maggie's life revolves around the society life. Regardless of my priorities, Maggie's love/hate relationship with her eccentric mother is understandable. Maggie is raised to be one thing, while her mother, the person she admires is the other. It's a difficult situation.
Thus leading to the heart and plot of Faithful.
Maggie's mother "disappeared" according to her, leaving behind some very mysterious note. The cover of the novel may say, "She went in search of answers and found a love never expected." But in fact, the book is about the answers she finds. About her mother and herself. Without spoiling anything I'll say this: Faithful feels like a contemporary historical fiction. Maggie goes (well, tricked) to Yellowstone and witnesses things she never thought were possible, discovers secrets she'd never thought she'd find, and takes the independence she always dreamt about.
In historical terms, she makes the transition towards being a "modern woman."
Faithful may hold a love story (between a boy and the national park, Yellowstone, itself) but in reality, it's a book about Maggie and her mother. Maggie and herself. Fox does a brilliant job at developing a character who is portrayed as a snob, yet filled with reasons to admire her braveness and humanity. The girl will do something out her comfort zone, feel proud of doing it, then next thing you know she's speaking high and mighty again. But Maggie isn't ignorant, she's aware of what she's done--the sudden change and she hates herself for it. She can't understand why she can't abandon her old ways. Why she's still clinging to a better life back in Newport. Why she can't force herself to marry a man she doesn't love.
Maggie Bennett is extremely complicated and I like it.
The other aspect I thought was well done was the romance between Tom and Maggie. FIrst off, Maggie falls for Tom instantly. This is the ONLY thing I found myself sighing about. But Fox makes it up by creating a leading man who isn't instantly impressed with the female. In fact, Tom calls Maggie a snob on two separate occasions. TWO (and that doesn't include the other complaints about her)! They're differences are instantly noticeable, but chemistry between the two is there. But the best part of the romance is the fact that it's not the forerunner in the plot. It's a device that helps push Maggie toward independence (and away from engagement between Graybull). It never takes the reins and leads the story.
The other characters, Mrs. Gale, Kula are also great contributers to Maggie's internal struggles. Mrs. Gale is the woman with a passion, independence and also highly respected. She's everything Maggie would love to be but can't find herself being. Kula is girl who can't understand why Maggie is so upset and angsty. She has money. A rich suitor. She could have everything she wants, yet she complains and cries. Kula and Maggie don't understand each other, but want what the other one has.
Did I also mention the mystery revolving around Maggie's mother is really interesting and, even better, a true story?
Okay. Gushing over, now onto the "misses."
The pacing is weird in Faithful. The beginning feels slow as Maggie makes her rounds in Newport, sporting flashbacks of her mother, along with the end that seems to drag a bit. The meat of the novel usual flies well but on occasion Maggie will get angsty and once again the flow grows tedious. I get it Maggie. You're confused and torn, but do you really need to tell me every time something reminds me of your mother or the fact that you're trapped in a horrible engagement without love? Freedom? Controlled by men?
The other aspect that grows stale is the prose. Now, the prose is mostly good. But at times Fox gets a bit carried away and things start to sound melodramatic. Purple prose even. This usually happens when Maggie is angsting over her mother and her failure to understand herself. I for one can tolerate and see the gem of meaning behind the prose, but I'm sure people out there will find this aspect really annoying--a bit of a turn off (and I don't blame them).
I really enjoyed Faithful. Maggie is a great, compelling character who is disgustingly human. The struggles she faces, internally and externally, help shape her as a woman you can find in today's world. Overall I think most people will appreciate Faithful while a few others will shrug it off with a mere "eh." But still, Fox did her research well and I can't deny that Faithful is a great addition to my bookshelf.
Disclaimer: I love Yellowstone and the turn of the century (1904)--both take place within Faithful, so this may be a bit bias.
The cover of Faithful matches it's contents. It's beautiful and breathtaking, but once you put more thought into it, that the spring sprouting hot, steaming water is probably photoshopped (or the girl is photoshopped) leaving you feeling a little bit ripped off.
Wait--what the heck are you talking about?
Let me explain. Faithful has tons of things working for it (tons of GOOD things), but once sitting around and actually thinking about the book as a whole, you'll find some things that don't work as well.
Our "heroine" Margaret "Maggie" Bennett is portrayed as a snob, with a conscious. And that's about how detailed I can describe the female lead. When it's difficult to explain who a fictional character is, you know the author has done a nice job at shelling the character out. Maggie may be an east coast society girl, but her fears for falling off her high horse are outlined well. Fox makes sure the readers understand that Maggie isn't brainless. Maggie is aware of what she's looking for at her debut--a man to take care of her. A husband. She's aware of the freedom she's giving up and the strict rules that cage her within this society system. She even sees that her one friend is nothing but shallow.
But she has reason to fear being outside the society, thus making her debut important to her. Her mother, who she dearly loves, never followed the mainstream. Maggie witnessed first hand the fall of her mother and, despite how much she loved her, she couldn't end up like her. During flashbacks we witness confrontations of Maggie and her mother. At first I couldn't believe Maggie--a total brat. But with more thought I realized Maggie's life revolves around the society life. Regardless of my priorities, Maggie's love/hate relationship with her eccentric mother is understandable. Maggie is raised to be one thing, while her mother, the person she admires is the other. It's a difficult situation.
Thus leading to the heart and plot of Faithful.
Maggie's mother "disappeared" according to her, leaving behind some very mysterious note. The cover of the novel may say, "She went in search of answers and found a love never expected." But in fact, the book is about the answers she finds. About her mother and herself. Without spoiling anything I'll say this: Faithful feels like a contemporary historical fiction. Maggie goes (well, tricked) to Yellowstone and witnesses things she never thought were possible, discovers secrets she'd never thought she'd find, and takes the independence she always dreamt about.
In historical terms, she makes the transition towards being a "modern woman."
Faithful may hold a love story (between a boy and the national park, Yellowstone, itself) but in reality, it's a book about Maggie and her mother. Maggie and herself. Fox does a brilliant job at developing a character who is portrayed as a snob, yet filled with reasons to admire her braveness and humanity. The girl will do something out her comfort zone, feel proud of doing it, then next thing you know she's speaking high and mighty again. But Maggie isn't ignorant, she's aware of what she's done--the sudden change and she hates herself for it. She can't understand why she can't abandon her old ways. Why she's still clinging to a better life back in Newport. Why she can't force herself to marry a man she doesn't love.
Maggie Bennett is extremely complicated and I like it.
The other aspect I thought was well done was the romance between Tom and Maggie. FIrst off, Maggie falls for Tom instantly. This is the ONLY thing I found myself sighing about. But Fox makes it up by creating a leading man who isn't instantly impressed with the female. In fact, Tom calls Maggie a snob on two separate occasions. TWO (and that doesn't include the other complaints about her)! They're differences are instantly noticeable, but chemistry between the two is there. But the best part of the romance is the fact that it's not the forerunner in the plot. It's a device that helps push Maggie toward independence (and away from engagement between Graybull). It never takes the reins and leads the story.
The other characters, Mrs. Gale, Kula are also great contributers to Maggie's internal struggles. Mrs. Gale is the woman with a passion, independence and also highly respected. She's everything Maggie would love to be but can't find herself being. Kula is girl who can't understand why Maggie is so upset and angsty. She has money. A rich suitor. She could have everything she wants, yet she complains and cries. Kula and Maggie don't understand each other, but want what the other one has.
Did I also mention the mystery revolving around Maggie's mother is really interesting and, even better, a true story?
Okay. Gushing over, now onto the "misses."
The pacing is weird in Faithful. The beginning feels slow as Maggie makes her rounds in Newport, sporting flashbacks of her mother, along with the end that seems to drag a bit. The meat of the novel usual flies well but on occasion Maggie will get angsty and once again the flow grows tedious. I get it Maggie. You're confused and torn, but do you really need to tell me every time something reminds me of your mother or the fact that you're trapped in a horrible engagement without love? Freedom? Controlled by men?
The other aspect that grows stale is the prose. Now, the prose is mostly good. But at times Fox gets a bit carried away and things start to sound melodramatic. Purple prose even. This usually happens when Maggie is angsting over her mother and her failure to understand herself. I for one can tolerate and see the gem of meaning behind the prose, but I'm sure people out there will find this aspect really annoying--a bit of a turn off (and I don't blame them).
I really enjoyed Faithful. Maggie is a great, compelling character who is disgustingly human. The struggles she faces, internally and externally, help shape her as a woman you can find in today's world. Overall I think most people will appreciate Faithful while a few others will shrug it off with a mere "eh." But still, Fox did her research well and I can't deny that Faithful is a great addition to my bookshelf.