Official Review: The Man Under The Elm by Gerry Wycherley

[Diana Lowery]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Man Under The Elm" by Gerry Wycherley.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Even though the title, The Man Under the Elm, is in a masculine font, and the cover features a male, the watercolor background gives this romance novel a feminine feel. Gerry Wycherley has created a novel that appeals to all lovers of historical fiction. In addition, the synopsis on the back reveals that the protagonist shares the same last name as the author, which lends credibility to this story.

Set in England in the 1600s during the time that the Royalists and the Parliamentarians were waging a civil war, William Wycherley is battling a personal war. The tale is structured so that readers can watch these parallel battles unfold. For example, King Charles was forced into exile, and William also had to leave England. His journey to France exposes him to a different lifestyle and leads to his epiphany.

A large cast of well-developed characters interacts with the protagonist. William is not a sympathetic character. He represents all that is wrong with the societal expectations of the era. His egotistical nature causes him to make poor choices. Character foils, both servants to William, exhibit positive attributes. Several women in William's life suffer as a result of his thoughtless behavior. There are some female characters with redeeming qualities. Mary, sister to one of William's conquests, is a likable woman. There is no actual resolution for most of these characters, and readers might be left unsatisfied.

I admit that my knowledge of British history was limited when I began this book, but I liked being motivated to research people, events, and unfamiliar terms. Wycherley's descriptive writing style made it easy to visualize the clothing, customs, and culture of both England and France. The Romeo and Juliet aspect of William's love life fits beautifully into this setting.

The title of the book puzzled me. There is one reference where William meets Mace, a displaced person, who is sitting under a tree. This character does play a significant role later in the story, but it is unclear to me if he is the man being referred to on the cover. This issue and the unresolved ending are what I liked the least. I hope the author is working on a sequel.

Knowing that the author is British, I chose to ignore the subjective punctuation rules, but there were many other errors that resulted in a star deduction. My rating is 3 out of 4. The frequent, amorous adventures of the protagonist are told in a non-erotic manner, but I would only recommend this to a mature audience. Readers who like a combination of romance and history will enjoy this well-researched novel with its themes of oppressed women and class inequality.

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The Man Under The Elm
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[Kristy Khem]

This historical romance novel sounds interesting, but William doesn't seem very likable. Like you, I also appreciate it when books motivate me to do research. Great review!

[Jennifer Aldo]

The book sounds interesting, but I wouldn't want to read it if it has no character resolution. Nice review though

[Hhannahh]

I like romance mixed with a bit of another genre, especially historical fiction, and I certainly want to check out this book.
Thank you for this interesting review.

[Diana Lowery]

This historical romance novel sounds interesting, but William doesn't seem very likable. Like you, I also appreciate it when books motivate me to do research. Great review!

Thank you for commenting.

[Diana Lowery]

The book sounds interesting, but I wouldn't want to read it if it has no character resolution. Nice review though

Thank you. I appreciate your comment.

[Diana Lowery]

I like romance mixed with a bit of another genre, especially historical fiction, and I certainly want to check out this book.
Thank you for this interesting review.

I appreciate your comment.

[Joy Phill]

I agree with you that the unresolved characters may be pointing to a sequel. Thanks for doing justice to this review

[Diana Lowery]

I hope you are right about the sequel. I appreciate your comment.

[Brenda Creech]

Thanks for an excellent review! I love historical fiction, and the earlier the era the better! This sounds like a book I would be interested in reading. I will have to check it out!

[Naaya123]

Romance and history mixed together definitely excites me. I absolutely love these types of books and will be reading this one. Thank you for the wonderful review!

[Raluca_Mihaila]

I think love and history go together very well, so the book seems intriguing. Your engaging review definitely convinced me to read it! Thank you for the recommendation!

[Diana Lowery]

Thanks for an excellent review! I love historical fiction, and the earlier the era the better! This sounds like a book I would be interested in reading. I will have to check it out!

I hope you enjoy it.

[Diana Lowery]

Romance and history mixed together definitely excites me. I absolutely love these types of books and will be reading this one. Thank you for the wonderful review!

I appreciate your comment.

[Diana Lowery]

I think love and history go together very well, so the book seems intriguing. Your engaging review definitely convinced me to read it! Thank you for the recommendation!

Thank you for taking the time to read and comment.