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A review by pixieauthoress
Adoring Addie by Leslie Gould
5.0
The only girl in a family of boys, Addie Cramer has long been saddled with the brunt of the housework and childcare, due to her mother’s bad knee. But worse than continuous laundry and cooking are the expectations Addie’s parents have placed on her. Although her older brothers are having a wild running around time, driving cars and attending parties, Addie is expected to settle down and marry a good Amish man—and they have their heart set on Philip Eicher, the Bishop’s son. Addie will admit that Philip is a nice man, but despite all the time they spend together, she knows she could never love him. But Addie longs to escape her parents’ farm and have some independence. Is marrying Philip the only way to achieve this?
Before Addie is forced to settle for a marriage of convenience, she runs into a newcomer to Lancaster County—Jonathan Mosier. The Cramers and Mosiers have long had a family feud that has kept them from interacting with each other. Despite asking both her parents and her aunt, no one will explain what the original cause of the feud is. Addie isn’t going to let an unexplainable, twenty-five-year-old dispute stop her from enjoying life—especially when a chance encounter with Jonathan causes her to wonder if he might be her ticket off the farm, not Philip. But can they convince their families to set aside their differences and allow them to be happy together? Or will this feud be far harder to break than either of them expected?
As with the first book in the series, Courting Cate, the Shakespearean play upon which this plot is based isn’t one that I’m overly familiar with. Most people in the Western world will have heard of Romeo and Juliet, but I’m afraid my knowledge is limited to the 1996 film with Leonardo DiCaprio. I was intrigued to see how Leslie would manage to adapt the play into a romance novel with a happy ending, given that Romeo and Juliet end up dead by the end of the play. I’m not sure why people tote this play as being one of the best love stories of all time, to be entirely honest. But thankfully, the ending to this novel was not so tragic.
You don’t have to have read the original play in order to enjoy Adoring Addie, but I did enjoy some of the references—the balcony outside Addie’s bedroom and her father’s nickname of “Cap”. The ending (which I don’t want to spoil for any potential readers) impressed me, retaining some of the aspects of the conclusion to Romeo and Juliet without, obviously, both the hero and heroine ending up dead. The only aspect which I thought could have been improved upon was the way in which Addie and Jonathan fall in love. I know that the idea of love at first sight is in keeping with the original play, but I struggled to believe that Addie and Jonathan could feel so strong about each other after knowing each other for a few hours. I could overlook the improbability of a long-lasting family grudge or a balcony on an Amish house, but I’m afraid that I wasn’t convinced by the strength of Addie’s love for Jonathan after such a short period of time. I know that I’m not the only romance reader who isn’t a fan of love at first sight in any context. This didn’t completely spoil my enjoyment of this novel, but I did feel that this was one aspect of the story that could have been altered from the original text to better fit a modern context.
I initially struggled with how cruel Addie’s family members were towards her and the Mosiers, and I was worried that they might come across as caricatures with no real motivations. But as the story developed, I came to appreciate the truth in Leslie’s depiction of how a grudge can cause bitterness and resentment that breaks a family apart. I’ve never experienced a family feud, but I have witnessed the hurt that can result in a family when one member insists on fostering a grudge. Other members of the family are forced to either go along with it, so as not to be alienated, or try to ignore the situation as best they can, as Addie does. It’s not easy being in Addie’s position, when you disagree with a parent’s treatment of someone, and I hurt alongside her as she bore the brunt of her parents’ and siblings’ bitterness and resentment for daring to go against their wishes.
I was pleasantly surprised when the larger story about the Cramer family was expanded to examine some of the reasons behind certain characters’ behaviours and actions. Hannah’s melancholy, Timothy’s drinking and Addie’s mother’s selfishness were all explored as the story developed into a discussion about mental illness. Hannah’s—Addie’s cousin—story was the one that probably touched me the most, because I know first-hand how difficult it is for family members to acknowledge teenage depression. I commend Leslie for tackling a topic that is often overlooked or dismissed as simply teenage moodiness or rebellion. I hadn’t heard about having a genetic disposition towards depression before, so this was an interesting concept to learn about. I was also pleased with the way Timothy’s—Addie’s older brother—story evolved, regarding his drinking and rebellion. It’s very easy to look down on someone for getting drunk without wondering why they feel the need to drink that much.
I did wish that Addie’s mother’s story had been explored more. She was the cruelest character in the entire book, and although we later learn about the guilt that has caused her to act this way, it felt like this part of the story was wrapped up too easily. Her change of heart felt too swift and painless to be real. Courting Cate had a similar ending, with two characters who had teased Cate throughout her life apologising and changing their ways at the drop of a hat, and Cate forgiving them just as easily. I know that the Amish are famous for the way they embrace forgiveness, but given the context of this story, it felt like Addie’s mother’s change of heart happened a bit too quickly.
Despite the implausibility of a large part of this story, it did include a lot of realism. Some Amish novels present the lifestyle in a romanticised fashion, but Adoring Addie didn’t fall into that trap. It portrayed the Amish as flawed human beings who feel jealousy and argue with their relatives, who struggle with illness and get bored of housework. Having Addie’s older brothers drive cars, live in a run-down trailer and attend wild parties definitely helped with the realism, as well as the struggles of the parents to deal with their teenagers’ behaviour. Small details like Addie cooking spaghetti and taco salad, and her younger brothers playing with toy bows and arrows made her family feel just like any other—except for giant family feud, of course!
Although I struggled with a few aspects of this story, Adoring Addie was a thoroughly enjoyable novel and a great addition to Leslie’s Courtships of Lancaster County series. Even if you’re not a fan of Shakespeare or love at first sight romances, I encourage fans of Amish fiction to check out this series. Leslie Gould definitely brings something refreshing and new to the genre, and I hope she’s here to stay.
Review title provided by Bethany House.
Before Addie is forced to settle for a marriage of convenience, she runs into a newcomer to Lancaster County—Jonathan Mosier. The Cramers and Mosiers have long had a family feud that has kept them from interacting with each other. Despite asking both her parents and her aunt, no one will explain what the original cause of the feud is. Addie isn’t going to let an unexplainable, twenty-five-year-old dispute stop her from enjoying life—especially when a chance encounter with Jonathan causes her to wonder if he might be her ticket off the farm, not Philip. But can they convince their families to set aside their differences and allow them to be happy together? Or will this feud be far harder to break than either of them expected?
As with the first book in the series, Courting Cate, the Shakespearean play upon which this plot is based isn’t one that I’m overly familiar with. Most people in the Western world will have heard of Romeo and Juliet, but I’m afraid my knowledge is limited to the 1996 film with Leonardo DiCaprio. I was intrigued to see how Leslie would manage to adapt the play into a romance novel with a happy ending, given that Romeo and Juliet end up dead by the end of the play. I’m not sure why people tote this play as being one of the best love stories of all time, to be entirely honest. But thankfully, the ending to this novel was not so tragic.
You don’t have to have read the original play in order to enjoy Adoring Addie, but I did enjoy some of the references—the balcony outside Addie’s bedroom and her father’s nickname of “Cap”. The ending (which I don’t want to spoil for any potential readers) impressed me, retaining some of the aspects of the conclusion to Romeo and Juliet without, obviously, both the hero and heroine ending up dead. The only aspect which I thought could have been improved upon was the way in which Addie and Jonathan fall in love. I know that the idea of love at first sight is in keeping with the original play, but I struggled to believe that Addie and Jonathan could feel so strong about each other after knowing each other for a few hours. I could overlook the improbability of a long-lasting family grudge or a balcony on an Amish house, but I’m afraid that I wasn’t convinced by the strength of Addie’s love for Jonathan after such a short period of time. I know that I’m not the only romance reader who isn’t a fan of love at first sight in any context. This didn’t completely spoil my enjoyment of this novel, but I did feel that this was one aspect of the story that could have been altered from the original text to better fit a modern context.
I initially struggled with how cruel Addie’s family members were towards her and the Mosiers, and I was worried that they might come across as caricatures with no real motivations. But as the story developed, I came to appreciate the truth in Leslie’s depiction of how a grudge can cause bitterness and resentment that breaks a family apart. I’ve never experienced a family feud, but I have witnessed the hurt that can result in a family when one member insists on fostering a grudge. Other members of the family are forced to either go along with it, so as not to be alienated, or try to ignore the situation as best they can, as Addie does. It’s not easy being in Addie’s position, when you disagree with a parent’s treatment of someone, and I hurt alongside her as she bore the brunt of her parents’ and siblings’ bitterness and resentment for daring to go against their wishes.
I was pleasantly surprised when the larger story about the Cramer family was expanded to examine some of the reasons behind certain characters’ behaviours and actions. Hannah’s melancholy, Timothy’s drinking and Addie’s mother’s selfishness were all explored as the story developed into a discussion about mental illness. Hannah’s—Addie’s cousin—story was the one that probably touched me the most, because I know first-hand how difficult it is for family members to acknowledge teenage depression. I commend Leslie for tackling a topic that is often overlooked or dismissed as simply teenage moodiness or rebellion. I hadn’t heard about having a genetic disposition towards depression before, so this was an interesting concept to learn about. I was also pleased with the way Timothy’s—Addie’s older brother—story evolved, regarding his drinking and rebellion. It’s very easy to look down on someone for getting drunk without wondering why they feel the need to drink that much.
I did wish that Addie’s mother’s story had been explored more. She was the cruelest character in the entire book, and although we later learn about the guilt that has caused her to act this way, it felt like this part of the story was wrapped up too easily. Her change of heart felt too swift and painless to be real. Courting Cate had a similar ending, with two characters who had teased Cate throughout her life apologising and changing their ways at the drop of a hat, and Cate forgiving them just as easily. I know that the Amish are famous for the way they embrace forgiveness, but given the context of this story, it felt like Addie’s mother’s change of heart happened a bit too quickly.
Despite the implausibility of a large part of this story, it did include a lot of realism. Some Amish novels present the lifestyle in a romanticised fashion, but Adoring Addie didn’t fall into that trap. It portrayed the Amish as flawed human beings who feel jealousy and argue with their relatives, who struggle with illness and get bored of housework. Having Addie’s older brothers drive cars, live in a run-down trailer and attend wild parties definitely helped with the realism, as well as the struggles of the parents to deal with their teenagers’ behaviour. Small details like Addie cooking spaghetti and taco salad, and her younger brothers playing with toy bows and arrows made her family feel just like any other—except for giant family feud, of course!
Although I struggled with a few aspects of this story, Adoring Addie was a thoroughly enjoyable novel and a great addition to Leslie’s Courtships of Lancaster County series. Even if you’re not a fan of Shakespeare or love at first sight romances, I encourage fans of Amish fiction to check out this series. Leslie Gould definitely brings something refreshing and new to the genre, and I hope she’s here to stay.
Review title provided by Bethany House.