Congratulations to
They’ve each won a copy of To Desire a Devil from Hachette Books via my giveaway. This was probably my favorite romance novel of the year (I’ll be looking back over my 2009 reads soon, and will confirm), so I suspect the winners will enjoy it as well.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress was a fun read.
From the publisher’s web site:
Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her brilliant husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her with serious injuries. What was a gal to do? Rhoda packed her bags and went home. This wasn’t just any home, though. This was a Mennonite home. While Rhoda had long ventured out on her own spiritual path, the conservative community welcomed her back with open arms and offbeat advice. (Rhoda’s good-natured mother suggested she date her first cousin — he owned a tractor, see.) It is in this safe place that Rhoda can come to terms with her failed marriage; her desire, as a young woman, to leave her sheltered world behind; and the choices that both freed and entrapped her.
I found it an interesting story. Rhoda Janzen had an eventful life, and I enjoyed hearing about it.
I loved her relationship with her sister and with her mother. Her mother was an interesting balance of open mindedness and of what we expect a Mennonite to be. It was clear that Rhoda and her mother loved each other even while living very different lives. Rhoda and her sister both left the Mennonite way of life, but they ended up living differently from one another as well. These women accepted their differences, and
I wasn’t so thrilled with her husband, but I wasn’t supposed to be. I wish the relationship had been a little less extreme, but I suspect the author wished the same thing.
The book jumped between the various stages of Rhoda’s life. This helped build the picture of the woman that Rhoda became.
Mostly, I enjoyed Mennonite because it was well written and funny. The anecdotes were great, and the attitude towards her life was refreshing. If I had one complaint about this book, it is that I was hoping for more depth. I think the depth might have been there, but I lost track of it with all the fun I was having.
I’m thinking of suggesting this for a book club read. I think we’d enjoy talking about the specifics of the story, about the relationship between our childhood religion and current beliefs, and deciding if the book had depth or was simply an entertaining read.
I received this book from the publisher for review. I appreciate this opportunity.
I'm always reading, and usually on the move. I'm a mom-at-home exploring where I want to go in the world, trying to see what my next move will be. For more information, see About Me
My review policy and ethics statement is also on my About Me page.
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