Official Review: The Bride by Billy Pearson

[Shelle]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Bride" by Billy Pearson.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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During the vast settlement of the American West, thousands of pioneers traveled across the country in hopes of finding a new and better life. The Bride, by Billy Pearson, is a fictional account of one of those pioneers. I rated this book 2 out of 4 stars. The story was fascinating, but the errors and inconsistencies were distracting and took away from what could have otherwise been a very pleasant and enjoyable read.

The story’s main character, Sarah, was raised by her kind and loving grandparents after her mother died in childbirth and her father left. After a whirlwind romance, she marries Clem, and the two newlyweds head west to make their new life. In this untamed frontier, the couple raises children, face fierce weather and wild animals, have showdowns with outlaws, make peace with their Native American neighbors, and experience a myriad of ups and downs. Through it all, Sarah and Clem remain true to their Christian faith and steadfastly in love with each other. The sweet relationship between these two characters is one of my favorite parts of the story. I also really liked the descriptions of killing rattlesnakes and working with sheep. It’s obvious the author put a lot of time into researching these aspects of the story.

However, the lack of consistency throughout this book was quite unnerving. For example, in the beginning of the book, Sarah’s age is said to be 25, then it’s said to be 20. Clem’s name is sometimes written out as Clam, and one time Sarah’s name is written as Clara. Midway through the story, Clem is tied up by angry native Americans and then later set free once it’s determined he’s the husband of the kind woman who fed them, but the story of Sarah caring for these men is never told. At one point, Sarah, Clem, and another pioneer couple have a violent stand-off with a group of outlaws. This potentially action-packed situation is described briefly in a single paragraph, almost like an afterthought. As a reader, I wanted to know more and kind of felt cheated out of a really good part of the story.

The central plot of this book is solid and interesting. It’s a great representation of the struggles and successes of a pioneer family. I actually think this book could easily be broken into multiple books and a series created. The family goes through so many changes and those natural breaks and transitions could serve as functional endings and beginnings for multiple books. This would also allow more details and descriptions to be written to better flesh out the characters and situations.

I would recommend The Bride to anyone wanting a quick and easy historical fiction read. This book didn’t have any curse words or graphic violence and would be appropriate for younger readers who like stories about the American West.

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The Bride
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Like Shelle's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Amh73090]

This book sounds extremely interesting. Your review makes me want to read it. Unfortunately I'm easily distracted by the mistakes 8n even the best of books.

[Shelle]

This book sounds extremely interesting. Your review makes me want to read it. Unfortunately I'm easily distracted by the mistakes 8n even the best of books.

Me too! I often get hung up on the errors and can't enjoy the rest of the book. Just another reason why good editing is so important.

[kimmyschemy06]

I love Western historical romantic novels, building log cabins, raising cattle and fighting Native Americans. However, the inconsistencies in this book are too distracting for it to be enjoyable. Good job on the review.