Bountiful Creek

Steven B.
Weissman
ISBN Number: 
1475115377
Genre: 
Historical

Martha Somerville is just another woman living in the small town of Bountiful Creek, Virginia. She has a dream, a simple dream – earn enough money so that she could buy a farm and marry her sweetheart. But times are hard, there are rumblings about a war, and her dream seems oh so far away. When an opportunity to acquire at least part of that money appears, she decides to accompany her aunt to Ohio. Fortune favors the brave, after all. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, Martha is faced with many obstacles, some of which almost cost her something far more precious than money – her life.
This story sounded intriguing – a woman trying to find happiness for herself, willing to overcome anything to achieve it. However, there were some serious drawbacks. First, there was the character of Martha herself.  While her personality is realistic, it doesn’t endear her to the reader.  She made a lot of serious mistakes - understandable. Problem is, she never seems to learn from them! The slower pace of the story also tends to be a problem.  There are moments of action and suspense, but at times the story drags.  Having said all that, the last chapter proves that indifference is not possible – it’s emotional read and it definitely pulls at one’s heartstrings!
Ana Smith