ketutar's review against another edition
1.0
Hands down, one of the worst books I've EVER read. This book was like a nightmare. I have never in my life wanted to go and just bash a book character's head in, but Norah...
I suppose the best thing one can say about this is that I have read worse writing. Technically it's not too bad. Not good either, but not too bad. The story, on the other hand... that's where the biggest weaknesses are. The story stinks. People make decisions I don't think any decent person would. The author plays god to fill up the plot holes. The original idea was good, but the books is bad. The worst part of it is Norah herself.
I hate Norah. This is the first fictional character I have wanted to kill. I wanted to strangle her and smash her head repeatedly against something hard until it breaks. And then probably stomp on her brain as if it was... slug or fly larvae or something else disgusting and nasty, because that's what it is to me. She's a nasty piece of crap and she doesn't deserve to stay in Noelle and be happy with Seamus, but Seamus does, so I'll let it pass, but if I was there, I would sure beat some sense to her wooden head, even if it broke in the process. STUPID SELFISH BITCH! But, of course... she's so stupid nothing would get more sense into that head. I feel like I'm having a nightmare.
But I really want to do bad things to her. I want to strangle her and bang her head against the wall or floor or some other hard place until it breaks open.
It helped writing an alternative ending to this book, where Seamus kills himself when he finds Norah's room empty. All the life and will to live and ambitions just drain out of him, because she was the only reason for him to do anything and with her gone there was nothing left for him. And he was blaming himself for not being good enough, not having done enough, having done too little too late... Being catholic divorce was not an option, so he decided to condemn himself to hell to release Norah and give her a chance to find happiness and a man she deserved and to get the life she deserved. So he goes down and asks Nacho to take care of the food at the party, writes a will where he lefts all he has to Norah after his debt to the people of the town has been paid, vanishes into the night, goes to the forest, digs himself a grave, goes to lay down there and shoots himself.
Felice happens to hear the shoot and goes to investigate, and finds Seamus. Then she comes to the party and accuses Norah of his death, saying that Seamus wasn't rich enough for her, and leaves the town, because she refuses to live in a town where a whore is the only one mourning the death of a good man, and where the town supports his murderer.
Norah's friends try to support her, but no man wants to marry her because they believe she was the reason why Seamus is dead, and as Seamus didn't have much property, as he had been sending all he could to Norah, Norah doesn't have much. The saloon and Seamus' room is given to the next man Charlie hires to keep the saloon, and Norah must live in the corners of her friends, who don't like that at all, as they don't have much room themselves. Norah can't afford to leave the town, and doesn't have any place to go either, and she can't do anything...
I mean... seriously. Nothing. She isn't good at anything, she's pretty but every woman in that town is pretty and most prettier than Norah. She isn't smart, witty, strong, capable, or gifted. She isn't even good at normal womanly household chores and such. Her only good quality is that her husband loves her.
Oh, and her grandfather had a magic "whisky" recipe. I call it whicky, because you make it in a couple of days with not special equipment.
The good Christian women start whispering about what to do with the widow, and decide to make her the mistress of the mission house.
Also, Amanda McIntyre managed to make me hate Reverend Hammond. She makes him conniving, selfish, self-centered, better-than-though, overbearing oaf.
I hate this book.
I suppose the best thing one can say about this is that I have read worse writing. Technically it's not too bad. Not good either, but not too bad. The story, on the other hand... that's where the biggest weaknesses are. The story stinks. People make decisions I don't think any decent person would. The author plays god to fill up the plot holes. The original idea was good, but the books is bad. The worst part of it is Norah herself.
I hate Norah. This is the first fictional character I have wanted to kill. I wanted to strangle her and smash her head repeatedly against something hard until it breaks. And then probably stomp on her brain as if it was... slug or fly larvae or something else disgusting and nasty, because that's what it is to me. She's a nasty piece of crap and she doesn't deserve to stay in Noelle and be happy with Seamus, but Seamus does, so I'll let it pass, but if I was there, I would sure beat some sense to her wooden head, even if it broke in the process. STUPID SELFISH BITCH! But, of course... she's so stupid nothing would get more sense into that head. I feel like I'm having a nightmare.
But I really want to do bad things to her. I want to strangle her and bang her head against the wall or floor or some other hard place until it breaks open.
It helped writing an alternative ending to this book, where Seamus kills himself when he finds Norah's room empty. All the life and will to live and ambitions just drain out of him, because she was the only reason for him to do anything and with her gone there was nothing left for him. And he was blaming himself for not being good enough, not having done enough, having done too little too late... Being catholic divorce was not an option, so he decided to condemn himself to hell to release Norah and give her a chance to find happiness and a man she deserved and to get the life she deserved. So he goes down and asks Nacho to take care of the food at the party, writes a will where he lefts all he has to Norah after his debt to the people of the town has been paid, vanishes into the night, goes to the forest, digs himself a grave, goes to lay down there and shoots himself.
Felice happens to hear the shoot and goes to investigate, and finds Seamus. Then she comes to the party and accuses Norah of his death, saying that Seamus wasn't rich enough for her, and leaves the town, because she refuses to live in a town where a whore is the only one mourning the death of a good man, and where the town supports his murderer.
Norah's friends try to support her, but no man wants to marry her because they believe she was the reason why Seamus is dead, and as Seamus didn't have much property, as he had been sending all he could to Norah, Norah doesn't have much. The saloon and Seamus' room is given to the next man Charlie hires to keep the saloon, and Norah must live in the corners of her friends, who don't like that at all, as they don't have much room themselves. Norah can't afford to leave the town, and doesn't have any place to go either, and she can't do anything...
I mean... seriously. Nothing. She isn't good at anything, she's pretty but every woman in that town is pretty and most prettier than Norah. She isn't smart, witty, strong, capable, or gifted. She isn't even good at normal womanly household chores and such. Her only good quality is that her husband loves her.
Oh, and her grandfather had a magic "whisky" recipe. I call it whicky, because you make it in a couple of days with not special equipment.
The good Christian women start whispering about what to do with the widow, and decide to make her the mistress of the mission house.
Also, Amanda McIntyre managed to make me hate Reverend Hammond. She makes him conniving, selfish, self-centered, better-than-though, overbearing oaf.
I hate this book.
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