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A review by exhaleartist
Faithful by Janet Fox
3.0
I was not completely sure what this book was about when I picked it up at Borders one day, but I was completely in love with its gorgeous cover. I love the imagery and the fonts that were chosen. Plus it is historical, young adult fiction, which I adore, but often have troubling finding books that I like. I am glad I picked this up, because I found it to be a very enjoyable read.
Maggie was a lovely narrator. Her voice felt very true, and she was easy to sympathize with. Reading this book I found myself very grateful for the freedom of choice that women have today, compared to Maggie’s time. So much of Maggie’s life is dictated by the men around her, which drove me crazy, but that was the way it was. The character I connected with the most, strangely, was Maggie’s mother. She was a heartbreaking character, full of such raw pain. I really felt for her plight. I also really enjoyed Mrs. Gale. She was such an independent woman, especially for the period, and I really respected that. Some of the characters never felt fully developed to me, most notably Kula. I also felt that Maggie’s father was never really solid as a character. His attitude and motivations seemed to constantly be in flux, and they seemed to change somewhat abruptly.
The one thing that I found to be the most disappointing was the relationship between Maggie and Tom. It never really had that spark of passion that drives a good romance, but it was a very sweet relationship. I did, however, enjoy the mystery of Maggie’s mother and what had happened in the past. It consistently kept me wondering and speculating about what had caused all of the later heartache. The memories that told of the relationship between Maggie and her mother were also highlights for me.
Overall, I completely enjoyed reading Faithful. It was a thoughtful, sweet story that was well worth the read. I appreciated that it dealt with topics that are not often addressed in historical fiction, and I would love to see more of such topics. This is a book I would recommend, although not for a hard-core romance fan. For those looking for a creative, easy historical read, that is very clean, this would be an ideal book.
Maggie was a lovely narrator. Her voice felt very true, and she was easy to sympathize with. Reading this book I found myself very grateful for the freedom of choice that women have today, compared to Maggie’s time. So much of Maggie’s life is dictated by the men around her, which drove me crazy, but that was the way it was. The character I connected with the most, strangely, was Maggie’s mother. She was a heartbreaking character, full of such raw pain. I really felt for her plight. I also really enjoyed Mrs. Gale. She was such an independent woman, especially for the period, and I really respected that. Some of the characters never felt fully developed to me, most notably Kula. I also felt that Maggie’s father was never really solid as a character. His attitude and motivations seemed to constantly be in flux, and they seemed to change somewhat abruptly.
The one thing that I found to be the most disappointing was the relationship between Maggie and Tom. It never really had that spark of passion that drives a good romance, but it was a very sweet relationship. I did, however, enjoy the mystery of Maggie’s mother and what had happened in the past. It consistently kept me wondering and speculating about what had caused all of the later heartache. The memories that told of the relationship between Maggie and her mother were also highlights for me.
Overall, I completely enjoyed reading Faithful. It was a thoughtful, sweet story that was well worth the read. I appreciated that it dealt with topics that are not often addressed in historical fiction, and I would love to see more of such topics. This is a book I would recommend, although not for a hard-core romance fan. For those looking for a creative, easy historical read, that is very clean, this would be an ideal book.