Sunday, January 9, 2011

My Review of Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas

Here's a description of the book from Summerside Press:

"Belinda Bauer, in her ivory tower… In the quaint community of Poetry, Texas, Belinda spies an opportunity. The tiny town is filled with farmers and railroad men in need of wives, so she sets herself up at as a marriage broker. There’s only one problem: Belinda doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing, and all the brides who come to Poetry marry the wrong men! One client, who has lost more than one prospective wife to Belinda’s fumbled attempts, is particularly unhappy. Is there a poetic ending in store for him—and for Belinda herself?"

My Rating:
Fall

My Review:


I'm sorry to say this book didn't quite read like pure poetry to me. Perhaps there are certain times in your life when you are more likely to be harsh on a book, and I fear this might be one of those times for me, so I apologize for any unnecessary judgments. This book is certainly lighthearted, but I confess it felt almost too much so as to be flippant in parts. I didn't actually finish the book--I read through nineteen chapters and then skimmed the rest. My heart just wasn't in it, and I felt the book was taking me too long to read.

However, I should note that the book is well-written and clever. I have heard good things about this author (Janice Hannah, AKA Janice Thompson), and I would enjoy the opportunity to read more by her. This particular book just didn't quite thrill me.

I thought it was interesting as I read along and caught on to the similarities between this story and Jane Austen's Emma: the matchmaker whose matches don't quite always work the way she plans, and who eventually realizes she's in love with her best friend. The matchmaking part was a bit bothersome--it felt (to me, personally) that the matches were more of a game to Belinda, and that the Lord was seen as more of a follow-up thought. I didn't feel ovely compelled to read more, as the final outcome was a bit predictable and the book felt sort of preachy and unrealistic. There were a lot of happily-ever-afters, but the tension seemed stretched out and I didn't feel like there was enough of a "journey" for me as the reader that would cause me to really rejoice with the characters in their happy endings.

As I said before, this book is well-written, and this author has talent. There were some cute parts I liked in the story, such as the poetic names of the local businesses and the quirkiness of some of the secondary characters. I also liked the analogy of life being like poetry--how God often shows us just one stanza of the poem at a time. But overall, I didn't feel like I quite fit in with the folks of Poetry, Texas.

6 comments:

Amanda Stanley said...

Amber, you are so sweet :) I'm sorry this book wasn't all you'd hoped for, especially since it was a Love Finds You book and I know how much you love those. But I think you expressed yourself so well in this review and you did it in such a kind, classy way. The cover is really pretty and I love the name, too. I've read a few books this past year that were rather a disappointment- such beautiful covers and interesting back cover descriptions but the inside fell woefully short of the mark for me- and I'm reminded of the words of Charles Dickens when he said "There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts" ;)

Praying you have a beautiful day!

Blessings,
Amanda

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

I'm sorry that you didn't like this book. I liked this book but I have to say that I enjoyed her contemporary series, Weddings By Bella more. It's so much fun and very sweet. My cousin who doesn't normally read Christian fiction loved it so I'm sure that's saying something LOL! I hope the next book you read is awesome ;-)

XOXO~ Renee

Bluerose said...

I know how hard it is to write reviews when you just don't like a book! I totally agree that sometimes WHEN you read a book makes all the difference. I've often wondered about some of the books i didn't like- maybe if I read them again at a different point in my life if I would like it.
Like Renee, I hope you LOVE the next book you read!! :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Amanda,

Thank you! :) I do enjoy most of the "Love Finds You" books, but as I noticed Casey said on Goodreads, all of the books are by different authors, so the series is a mixed bag for the reader, depending on what the reader is looking for.

I'm glad the review didn't sound offensive or rude at all! And that is a cute quote you shared--the way they do covers nowadays, the stories have to be really good to measure up! ;) There are so many beautiful covers!

Thanks for stopping by, and hope you are having a great day, as well!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Renee,

I heard that her "Weddings by Bella" series is very good! :) Her new book, Stars Collide, looks very interesting, as well. Hope you're enjoying some good reads now, too! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Bluerose,

There's been a lot going on in my family, so I agree that I could be more judgmental just because of my own personal life. Thank you for your understanding, though, and I hope you are finding some good reads, too! :) Right now I'm reading Licensed for Trouble by Susan May Warren, and I'm loving it!

~Amber