violetpeanut
Written on Jan 31, 2013
I did not connect with any of the characters. The main characters, Maggie and Pontiac, are in their late 50's or early 60's. That might be part of the problem for me. I'm in my 30's so I'm definitely in a different place in my life than they are. Older readers may connect with them more than I did.
The dialogue seemed forced and many times cheesy as did the actions of the characters at some points. It did not ring true at all. There are lots of exclamation points and lots of ALL CAPS. While sometimes those things can be ok, here they just did not work for me. There's one scene that seemed particularly ridiculous when I read it:
"Then everyone started bobbing their heads up and down faster and faster, as if the increased motion itself would bring closure to their perplexing dilemma."
All I can picture is a bunch of bobbleheads. Maybe that's the image the author wanted - I don't know - but it made the story seem a little ridiculous rather than adding to the suspense or characterization.
The other thing that really bothered me a lot is that there's a lot of repetition. I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but the author practically beats you over the head with the fact that Maggie is madly in love with Pontiac. When the book opens, we are introduced to the pair on the day before their wedding. As we are introduced to the characters we learn how much Maggie loves Pontiac, how she thinks he's handsome, how she accepts him despite his unusual quirks. There are other small mentions here and there throughout. Then, I get to page 101 and there's another page about how she loves him unconditionally and their love is only growing stronger. I felt a little bit like the author was bashing me over the head with the fact that she loves him. It had already been well established and I didn't think these added paragraphs added anything to the story.
There were a couple of good things, though. First, Pontiac is a Native American and there are a lot of traditions and customs that are described. I loved that part of it. The description of the wedding and the significance of some of the traditions were beautiful. I enjoyed learning a little bit about Pontiac's culture and beliefs.
I also enjoyed the general storyline - or at least as much of it as I read. There is some mystery and some suspense and I liked where things seemed to be leading.
All in all, this one was just not for me but I think that some readers would enjoy it. Particularly readers around the same age as the main characters.