A new look for this Janette Oke novel. Responding to an advertisement, Kathleen O'Malley crosses the ocean to America to become a new bride.Responding to an Advertisement, She Crossed an Ocean to Meet a Total Stranger and Became a Mail-Order Bride...Kathleen O'Malley stood on the deck of the Barreth Lily and watched the land she'd called home for more than a dozen years slip from her view. She had thought she would be glad to see the last of it, but she was not. Emotions in turmoil, her whole being yearned to slip from the ship and return to what she knew. Even though Kathleen had not been happy with her situation, it was all she had ever known. As the shoreline faded into the morning mist, her only certainty was that she was bound for America to marry a man whose name she did not even know and whose face she had never seen.On the other side of the Atlantic, Donnigan Harrison anxiously awaits Kathleen's arrival on a prairie farm far from her port of arrival in Boston. He has known the wonder of a dream fulfilled--a snug frame cabin, the sturdy log barn and outbuildings, a fine herd of livestock, and crops in the field that made his eyes sparkle. Yet Donnigan felt a loneliness on the western frontier that pierced his very soul. With so limited opportunities for finding a wife, the notion of ordering a wife that once seemed unthinkable had come to make some sense. Now that the time has come, Donnigan feels like a small boy waiting for Christmas.But Donnigan's anticipation is overshadowed with terrifying uncertainties--What have I done?
Janette Oke is a Canadian author known for her inspirational fiction, often set in a pioneer era and focused on female protagonists. Her debut novel, Love Comes Softly (1979), became the foundation for a successful series, followed by over 75 other novels. The first book in her Canadian West series, When Calls the Heart (1983), inspired the popular television series of the same name. Born in Champion, Alberta, to farmers Fred and Amy (née Ruggles) Steeves during the Great Depression, Oke went on to graduate from Mountain View Bible College in Didsbury, Alberta, where she met her future husband, Edward Oke, who later became the president of the college. The couple has four children, including a daughter who has collaborated with Janette on several books. A committed Evangelical Christian, Oke has authored numerous works exploring themes of faith. She has received various accolades for her contributions to Christian fiction, including the 1992 President's Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award.
This book was strange for me. It started off really good. The story was believable and the author really developed the story for the main characters, Kathleen. She was essentially an orphan being raised by her mean Step-Mother. Her plot was bad enough for her to consider signing up to take the voyage west and marry a man she has never met. On the other hand, the farmer she marries was a little embarrassed to order a bride. He was very lonely and longed for help and companionship. But lets be honest he is a man, so we know there was more to the story, but the author didn't go there. Upon meeting each other, the author continued to develop the story and introduced the characters well. I kept asking myself, how did people do this? I cannot imagine having to marry a stranger. How would that work? The story started to change when they had children. It was still an interesting book and things were happening but then Donnigan, the farmer, started asking around about God and religion. The last 30 pages, I ended up skimming. It became so encompassed with God and why this was that way and what does it all mean? The story that the book started with just ended and it became all about the family looking for Religion. Then the book just ends. Very strange. Overall, this is not one of the better books from author, Janette Oke. I usually like her and although she is a Christian author she doesn't harp on things and she includes it in the story so that the characters have depth and I understand them. This was not the case in this book. I was disappointed.
I always enjoy mail-order bride stories, but this one has a special addition to the storyline that makes it stand out among the others in my opinion. Kathleen and Donnigan were lovely characters and I absolutely adored their story. Instead of finding complete happiness once they fell in love (like so many other stories) this couple wasn't entirely content until they discovered and met The One who was missing from their lives. :)
This isn't so much for a younger audience in my opinion (they are married so a few things are mentioned there but it's handled very well and didn't bother me).
Wonderful story about a mail-order bride who crossed the Atlantic Ocean to marry a man she had never met. She left behind her life and family in England seeking a new life in America. Life in England had not been kind to her. Her mother had died when she was very young. Her Father had been forced from his farm in Ireland and moved himself ,his seven year old daughter and his Mother to England. Being lonely he had married a French woman he had met that worked as a bar maiden, where he had stopped for a drink after work . Kathleen's new Step Mother had never liked her and after her Father died her step mother forced her to go out to work at a young age to provide for the family. After work she was forced to do all the household chore and wait on her Step Mother. When that women was about to remarry she told Kathleen that she had a choice of living on her own or going to live in her country home as a domestic servant. So having no choice to speak of Kathleen signed up as a mail-order bride and sailed off to America. She had no idea what awaited her there but took the chance that she would find a better life for herself in America. I have never been disappointed in any book that I've read that was written by Janette Oke. In this book she writes about the plight of the mail-order bride in the 1800s. This gifted writer makes her stories seem so real that you can imagine the sounds of the waves in the ocean and smell the salty air. I also appreciate that the author includes as a part of the story the desire of the main characters to find peace . In those days if there was a church at all often the doors where locked due to lack of interest from the community. Bibles were no where to be found. Kathleen and her husband knew something was missing in their lives and they pursued God but didn't know how to find Him. The books ending bought tears to my eyes . I recommend this book to readers of Christian Fiction and Family Fiction. Though it is part of a series it can be read as a stand alone. Characters are not carried over from other books in the series. Each book is it's own story. I have had this book in my own personal library and was pleased to see that it was a part of a series that I've been reading this year. A review was not requested but since I've so enjoyed this book it's my pleasure to do so.
I felt the book was uneven. The first three quarters had to do with the couples relationship with each other. Then they suddenly have a bunch of kids in a time covering ten years over just a couple of chapters. Then suddenly the focus is on he dad finding God. It just didn't flow right for me. I felt like the book should have ended before the kid part. The author could have written an entirely different book that would focus on the finding God part.
A Bride for Donnigan was one of my favorite Janette Oke standalone books. When Donnigan was unsure if he should order a bride or not, I was totally rooting for him to. The book made me like his name, even if Donnigan didn't like it. I wanted them to have a kid with that name!
What I really like about this book is the fact that it doesn't end when the people get engaged/married. The majority of the book takes place after the wedding. I like seeing the relationship grow and deepen and hearing about the homemaking and all the children.
This was a very interesting book. Love the characters ,,and the book was amazing. I’m so glad I got to read this,and definitely recommend it to anybody. 😁Just a good book.🥹🥰
This was the second time I read this novel; I went to it for a "light read" amidst a family visit and spring cleaning. Somehow I remembered the details differently, though the story was still charming. A shout out to my reformed friends: the writing is distinctly Arminian, but I *love* the message that the gospel can be self-revealing through the power of Scripture alone (i.e., no mediator but Jesus; no pastor, deacon, Sunday School teacher needed), and that childlike faith is rewarded. And it's profound that God reaches these people on their little farm, on the prairie, where they are isolated from other people. That must tell us something about how much God wants to redeem His children, that He finds them and takes them for Himself!
This is my sixth Janette Oke book to read. This book, hands down,is the best Oke book thus far. Characterization is developed to the point that you can feel the nervousness both of the main characters (Donnigan and Kathleen) experience as they made the decision to sign up and follow through with the idea of the mail order bride. You can feel the anxiety Kathleen experienced with the haystack fire and also with the loss of Taryn. Donnigan's search for God's plan of salvation was thought-provoking as we take the presence of churches / Bibles / pastors as a way of life. Interspersed throughout the book were bits of humor and wit. "A Bride for Donnigan" is an all round great book.
I guess my review is different than most because I got a bit bored with the love story part and loved the end better when they started to search for religious meaning to their lives. For me that was the good part. I got more and more excited as they, without any outside help or direction, gradually discovered their own faith and salvation. The ending made me cry, it was so sweet and joyous and wonderful.
2.5 stars - This was okay. The first section, where the two halves of the couple choose to participate in a mail-order bride program & meet & have to learn to work out their differences was great. I cared about the characters. The problem came when they should have been falling in love but instead had children and then there was basically no more discussion of how they felt for each other, or growth in their tenuous relationship. I guess it was supposed to be understood at that point that they loved each other, but I didn't feel it. Their conflict is the quintessential "misunderstanding" where both parties seem to think not talking to each other is the key to a healthy relationship. And then they had seven children in the space of a couple chapters and their whole lives were just skimmed over so we could see how many children they had. I didn't like that. The finding religion section was exceptionally heavy-handed. I found it unlikely you would have two people starting with zero knowledge of Christianity (What is a Bible? What is prayer?), especially given the time period. I don't think the second half of the book worked, so by the time they "figure out" how to get saved, I don't even care.
I was surprised how much the author glossed over all the seriously emotional bits. Multiple losses of pregnancies, losses of spouses, significant changes of heart--none of it was given the emotional depth required, so nothing seemed to be very important. This could have been twice as long had she just delved into the characters' emotions a bit more. I also found it odd that Donnigan would get so gung-ho over trying to raise his children for heaven when he had absolutely no knowledge of this--why would he even care if he had no knowledge of God to begin with?
My one picky criticism: Donnigan believes Kathleen is younger than 21, but marries her anyway because there is nothing else to do. A few months later, he worries that she could get pregnant but he thinks she's too small and frail to carry a pregnancy. So…he admits he thinks she could be as young as 15 but he actively consummates their marriage anyway, all the while worrying that she shouldn't get pregnant? It didn't paint him in the best light. "She's just a child and she shouldn't get pregnant, but I can't figure out how not to get her pregnant and still have sex with her, so we'll just keep having sex that is never mentioned. That will work."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Another one I read as a young teenager. I loved Janette Oke then - way more wholesome than the V.C. Andrews I still can't believe I read!
As an adult, I found it to be a very easy - if a bit slow - read. A couple things stuck out: this book introduced me to the name Taryn, which I still love.
And it has one of my favorite lines. Kathleen is about to give birth earlier than expected, but there's not enough time to get a doctor because 1800s farm life. So she tells Donnigan he will deliver their child. After all, he helps the livestock deliver.
On the topic of forgiveness: “‘But somehow I think that you can choose to hang on to pain—-to bitterness—-sorta cling to it and coddle it and pamper it a bit so that it grows and grows.’”
On the topic of the salvation of one’s children: “‘There’s no use bringing them into this world...and not preparing them for the next one. Can’t you see? That’s the most important thing we have to do in life. Get those little ones ready for whatever lies beyond. If I don’t do that—-I’ve failed as a father. I’ve failed as a man. Failed miserably.’” “‘It would be a terrible thing to prepare them for only this life.’”
I read this book in one night, and while I enjoyed it, I felt like I was missing a page or two at the end of the book and even flipped the last page back thinking 2 pages had stuck together. The book just stopped very suddenly to me. However, if you like Janette Oke, A Bride for Donnigan will not disappoint.
This book sucked. That is all I have to say, goodbye.
No really, I absolutely hate this book. I mean, what is the point of it? She is stupid, is not strong at all, so weak, and I am so disappointed in myself that I read it twice. Why did I do that? Probably because I was bored and had nothing to do.
Ok, and then the fact that she wanted an Irish man and then got an American one and was disappointed (????????) WHAT THE HELL!
There is nothing bad about American guys, main-character-girl-I-have-forgotten-your-name. Yes, I actually have no idea what her name is.
And then the whole plot is ridiculous. The whole thing is ridiculous. the characters are ridiculous. and the EVERYTHING is just plain crap.
The end. goodbye. I have so much more to say about this book, but all of it is negative so I am just going to stop right there.
I liked the fact that evem in their fear of the unknown, both Kathleen and Donnigan took a leap of faith. From that difficult first year they continued to grow in their personal relationship as their family grew. They felt the conviction that they must learn about GOD in order to properly raise their children in preparation for the life to come after this temporary time on earth. They studied GOD's Word until it brought them to salvation. They still realized from the witness of their neighbor who had been raised in a faith filled home that it is by personal choice that we come to a point of confession and asking for forgiveness through the Holy Sacrifice of Jesus.
Overall, Women of the West is my favorite series (that I’ve read so far) by Oke, where I really reveled in what the author had to bring in all of her sweet, warm, and simplistic glory. However, the books aren’t only warm fuzzies, as Oke does deal with some tough, and even some potentially controversial, issues, giving the reader some points to chew on but doing it in her warm style.
I’ve read most of the books in the series more than once (maybe even three times, with The Measure of a Heart), and while not each of them are individual favorites of mine, the series as a whole took me places I’m so grateful to have gone.
It tells the story of a young Irish girl who has faced more than one tragedy in her life and out of desperation turns to an option she likely never would have considered in better circumstances: shipping herself to America to become the wife of a man she knows nothing about.
On the other side of the Atlantic, a young man living in the frontier has signed up for a "mail order bride" also out of desperation born from loneliness.
Their epic meeting and journey to love, a family of their own, and finding faith in Jesus Christ is nothing short of beautiful.
This is an all time favorite of mine. The young Irish girl's father dies and she is left to be a "slave" to her stepmother and step siblings. The young girl decides to becoming a mail ordered bride and go over sees to American and marry a farmer. When the she arrives, 40-year-old Donnigan considers sending her back because she's way too young. However, she has nowhere to return to and he has no choice but to marry this child. This is a book full of adventure, frustration, joy, romance, and trusting in the Lord.
Irish girl? Check. Strong young farmer? Check. Marriage of convenience? Check. Mail Order Bride? Oh, check!
Plus...
A little tension, a little banter, and a whole lot of love.
It does have that one feature I don't enjoy: A day by day, hour by hour narrative at the beginning, to become at the end, "Their brood had gone from three to five..." WHY ARE WE SKIPPING SO MUCH GOOD STUFF?? But somehow it didn't bother me as much in this book, and the end is just so, so perfect. You'll see when you read it.
Maybe I'm too cynical. Perhaps the lack of mention at all of the Catholic faith, which is intrinsic to Irish culture, or perhaps its how at the end everyone is 'saved' so everything is perfect....dunno, but the book left a bad taste in my mouth.
So marriage of convenience/arranged marriage is one of my top 10 tropes, so this was a fun book to read for me. It does have a stereotypical "come to Jesus" moment keeping it from being 5 stars for me.
Recommended 13+ for miscarriage and scary situations involving children.
I remembered this book from when I was in junior high. This series is very encouraging in your walk with God and it has a great love story! Its one of my favorites of the women of the west series.
3.5 stars It would have been 4 stars but it kind of lost me at the end. I prefer something a bit more conclusive w/a little more detail on the characters at the end. (ie. an epilogue) This was about change, learning to love and forgive told through Donnigan & Kathleen's developing story. I liked the characters. An endearing story. And of course, I'm still a sucker for the 'mail-order bride' trope. Another quick, easy read. Oke is a "christian fiction writer" but unlike the previous book I read, this one had religion sprinkled throughout instead of towards the end. I didn't mind it too much as it was within the context of the characters learning what their own beliefs on religion & GOD are. If that's not your thing, then skip this one.
Good but I was looking for more as far as romance goes. It was like as soon as Donnigan and Kathleen opened up and got closer the rest of the book was just them having children, searching for God/peace, and years are being skipped😂 It didn’t give me enough info; it seemed like the main conversations were all about God… not that that’s not a good thing it just wasn’t as personal as I wanted it to be.
this book was in many ways a revelation, i started reading expecting another everyday romance and in a sense thats all i got for the first few chapters, but as we got later and deeper in the book i started to see the characters grow as the years passed, they became more real and Donnigan's quest to find god and raise his children the right way, his worry that his shortcomings might affect his children's future, not the one here on earth but the future we all share after this life, it touched me deeply, i admit i cried a bit at his worry that he couldn't find the right way to pray, he searched and searched in the bible, and was so worried when his children asked him how to do it, it was so amazing when he discovered the simplicity of praying, its just talking to god, telling him when you do bad, and asking for forgiveness, so many times in life i find people who try to complicate religion, to ritualize it and fit it into a mold, when i have always thought that religion is simply one's relationship with god, how you choose to conduct that relationship is your business alone, i guess what i loved about this book is that it highlighted that, religion does not need to come fom a precher's or a (in my case) shiekh's mouth, it simply a communion with god, who is there for everyone whether you are literate or not, young or old, sinner or saint, even those who dont believe in him, he is always there waiting for them, giving them little signs so they can see him, so if you're reading this because you want to know if you should read it, then i tell you if you like what i'm talking about up there ^ then this is definately your book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.