“I won’t have her forced,” Jack said. “Let her decide for herself.”Amy knew her father meant it. She could say no if she wanted. But this marriage would make everything all right. They could put all the trouble she had caused behind them. Everyone would be happy again.Everyone except her.“Sentence of Marriage” is the first book in the three-volume “Promises to Keep”.In nineteenth century New … Keep”.
In nineteenth century New Zealand, there are few choices for a farm girl like Amy. Her life seems mapped out for her by the time she is twelve. Amy dreams of an exciting life in the world beyond her narrow boundaries. But it is the two people who come to the farm from outside the valley who change her life forever, and Amy learns the high cost of making the wrong choice.
“One of the best historical novels I’ve had the pleasure to read in years.” – WorkingGirl Reviews.
“The story was captivating, the characters real, the dialogue crisp. I admit to having cried and laughed and even having wanted to murder a character and beat another one within an inch of his life — which is simply a testament to how well written these books are.” – AmericanEditor.
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This book is set in the 19th century. We follow Amy, who at 12, wishes for the excitement outside of her life. She soon gets her wish, and with her choices come consequences. She faces them with much more maturity than I think I ever could. Keep the Kleenex handy.
sad
I was hoping for more. I didn’t read the sequels.
Good book
Action was slow and repetitive. The basic story line interesting but hard too finish
s is a fascinating look at women’s lives and the constrictions of society that kept them/us/me/we in glass cages. The book is set on the other side of the world, where it is hot in December and cold in August: and is set in the 1800s.. New Zealand I believe was the first country where women got the vote. Not a big part of the story, but my …
Good writing but totally predictable.
While the look at life during nineteenth century New Zealand was interesting, the characters of the story were more caricatures than real people. The heroine of the story is a tragic young girl, always doing what was expected of her, falling for the lies of a smooth-talking ‘step-uncle’. There is no happy ending. The story is just page after page …
sad and left me wanting more
Different
Loved it. Bought the whole series
While it is well-written, it seemed to move along too slowly for me. And it was so depressing. When I learned that book 2 took off right where book one ended, I didn’t think I needed that much sadness in my life. So I never finished the book. Very rarely do I ever stop reading a book I’ve started.
Hard to read because of hurting people. Not many good characters. Abusive.
“Sentence” in the title tells it all. The main character’s entire life was a sentence. Infuriating how women are treated but by bringing some of these issues to light, we can hopefully make treatment of women more equal to men. Not sure I will read anymore while waiting for a justifiable conclusion.
easy to read for people, speaking different language. Enjoyable.
If you like happy endings do not read this book!
I cried with concern over Amy. Felt anger toward Jimmy. Disgusted at what she ended up with. A beautiful life destroyed.
It seemed to drag on and on going over the same thing again and again. I wanted to skip to the lady book to see if she was ever happy. A downer
predictable but great descrition of the era and locale.
I enjoyed the book but was surprised and disappointed to find it continues as a series.