** spoiler alert ** Disclaimer to those reading on mobile version: This review contains spoilers and has been hidden on desktop version. Not sure if the new update shows the ‘this review has been hidden...’ message when there are spoilers.
Dorcas has gotten a job at her cousin Sara’s place. Sara is a matchmaker that regularly has “clients” working for her or with her in her garden and her home. When she meets Gideon, a strong-looking, strapping fellow, she swoons, but doesn’t get the impression that he feels the same about her. There is also Ellie; a little person who has come on to Sara’s staff for the same reason as Gideon and Dorcas. Dorcas begins going by Addy after Gideon asks if she has a middle name, which turns out to be Adelaide; Addy was born as a suggestion of Gideon’s.
Pg 65 had me thinking something that usually comes up when I’m reading a young adult book which is either written in the world that a movie takes place in, or is a book comprised of two episodes put to text. That something is: the cardinal sin of mentioning a song being sung, but neglecting to mention lyrics or — at the very least — a title. Not sure why authors think this is an okay way to write about songs being sung. Pg 79 as well.
Come pg 132, I thought Gideon was a complete prick. At the ‘singing’, he and the other males actually start discussing the fate of Addy and how she will return home after the singles event. One boy speaks about her as if she were a complete inconvenience. Gideon speaks of her like it were merely worth noting that she was a female. Discussing her fate as if she had no right to make her own decision. Shameful, ridiculous, sexist, irrelevant that this is an Amish story.
I really tried to like Addy’s ‘mam’, but on pg 155, she seemed to me to be an opportunistic witch that didn’t care if Addy was happy; just wanted her to marry someone that would do her and Addy’s Father well in their retirement. Also, turning up here nose at Gideon when she has no proof that anything is even going between him and Addy, and all the while harassing Addy as if Gideon were some peasant meant to be spat on, made ‘mam’ go from witch to, well, something that rhymes with ‘witch.’ That is an unrealistic expectation and shouldn’t be allowed anywhere as a practice. Gender irrelevant; someone needs to put this particular human in her place.
I lost respect for Addy’s ‘dat’ on the very next page; expecting Addy to apologize to her mother when it was her mother who’d been the one whom was completely unreasonable and was basically harassing Addy. Addy hadn’t even said a word about it, and (not sorry that I’m not sorry) her ‘mam’ deserves to be ignored if her expectations are to continue being selfish.
Come page 179, I wasn’t making any progress with wanting to like Addy’s parents. Her mother, being opportunistic again, sees the coming fair as an opportunity to snag a husband for her daughter. On page 181, I realized I never would like her mother. Her nose is far too high in the air; and I get that Martha (Mam’s name) tends to make the decisions, but the fact that Reuben (dats name) seemingly agrees with his wife’s desire to have her daughter ‘marry up’ despite her lack of interest to do so just makes me dislike him more as well.
This book definitely comes with surprises. I like how the author wasn’t afraid at all to not only have a character whom is a little person, as well as two with Down Syndrome. Ambitious and yet completely natural.
I’m not sure why Miller kept using a certain way of saying something repeatedly; if so and so did this or saw that, or knew this or thought that (etc), they didn’t make it known. Not exactly a bad thing, but I was always taught you shouldn’t be repetitive in writing...
Pg 184: Gideon asks Addy to join him for a sundae; she says yes, but doesn’t get one because he gives it to some married girl. How is anyone supposed to know you’re into them if you exclude them from stuff?
When I got to the end of the book, I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of approval and slight disappointment for how this was written. In one way, I cannot see how Addy fell for Gideon. I mean, she figures out that he discussed her fate at the singing with several others; and he excludes her from the two sundaes and gives the other one to some married girl.
Admittedly, the sundae (perhaps) isn’t that big of a deal, but (perhaps) it also is in the way that you just do not exclude someone that you’re hanging around. The singing issue? Bigger. I did like this book a lot, and found a lot of characters very likable (not to mention my love/hate relationship with Addy’s parents); but I would’ve confronted Gideon about these things before ever accepting his marriage proposal. Again, not necessarily the sundae (she did, somewhat, confront him about that), but definitely the conversation at the singing regarding her ‘fate.’ I still would see them ending up together even if Miller had written in that she confronted him about it, though.
I will give this two stars. It loses two for Addy not confronting him about more than the sundae and for the missing song lyrics at the singing (ironic). I want to give it a star back for the likable and dislikable characters, but I feel like Addy/Dorcas should have really had more respect for herself.