Klarysa Tutko, a young single mother, moves to Caribou, Minnesota, where her family is now living, to put her life back in order. All she wants is to leave the past in the past; though a family friend has other ideas and persuades her to make a promise that she is unwilling to keep.
Unwilling Promise
By emilyyager
Unwilling Promise
Unwilling Promise is a sweet story where a dying wife wants to make sure her husband is taken care of. Klarysa comes to town and is there just in time when Sofia is interviewing for a wife for Sergey.
They promise to get married after she passes away but will they be able to make a real marriage? Klarysa also has a ex that is a trouble maker.
I did enjoy the book. I loved Klarysa’s character, she was such a good mother.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. This book review is my own opinion.
My Thoughts on Unwilling Promise:
I wasn’t sure what to think about this new to me author but the premise of the book sounded interesting.
Klarysa moves away with her infant to get out of a bad relationship. She moves to where her family lives and attempts to start over. When she visits an old friend who is dying she agrees to marry that woman’s husband after she dies and take care of her children.
The concept is great. This could have turned into an amazing book! I loved learning about Ukrainian culture. That was a highlight of the book.
This book itself needs a good edit. There are grammatical errors and writing errors that detracted from my reading. Those kinds of errors tend to bug me and then I forget where I am in the story and what is happening.
I also really would have liked to see the characters more developed.
It is impressive that the author was able to bring about little known facts and also some hard topics such as death, grieving, and PTSD. All in all, this is a good read though not one that I would read again.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
Set in Minnesota in 1905, Emily Yager’s “Unwilling Promise” tells the forlorn story of Klarysa, a young mother who flees with her infant son back to her family in order to start over and escape her past. Visiting an old friend, however, causes her to make a reluctant promise that turns her life upside down all over again. She begins to wonder if she will ever find a place to belong and someone to love her, bemoaning the fact that “[n]othing she ever did was good enough for anyone, [sic] she always disappointed those around her.” Her life experiences have taught her to be wary, and through Klarysa’s character Yager provides a glimpse into how PTSD can affect relationships. This is also poignantly demonstrated with little Ivanna.
Although this is a clean read, there is only a subtle faith element, with prayer and church only being mentioned. The story is predictable, with a resolution that is almost too easy, and it has a few details that are never explained. I think that it has potential but needs to be reworked into a more cohesive and coherent narrative. The grammar is very disjointed, with inconsistent verb tenses, run-on sentences, missing words, no question marks in the characters’ dialogue, and unclear or absent transitions between scenes. There is not an articulate flow to the narrative, and the dialogue between the characters is stilted and often marked by modern slang. Altogether, this makes for a very difficult and unfulfilling reading experience. However, I do applaud the author for writing about non-indigenous characters; I enjoyed learning about some Ukrainian customs and phrases. There is a Ukrainian glossary after the epilogue, which I appreciated and wish I had known about while reading the Kindle version, as well as a recipe for Ukrainian wedding bread.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.
The story follows a young Ukrainian woman named Klarysa. She has not been lucky in the love department and finds herself divorced and carrying for her young child alone. Without going into much of the story she makes a promise to a dying friend that will be hard to keep. It was interesting to read about Ukrainian culture and learn words they spoke. That was the highlight of the entire story.
Sergey is a nice character who makes a promise to his dying wife that finds him uncomfortable carrying out her wish. The story was clunky at times and didn’t quite hit the mark. I don’t usually say much about grammar or errors in a book, but this one is in desperate need of an editing overhaul. It lacked the flow you want in a story and was hard to really like the characters.
It had divorce, death, abuse and little to no faith element in the story. I found it to be predictable and not very entertaining. The author has a good concept but didn’t develop her characters well. There were a few funny moments but the drama and sadness outweighed everything that would make the story enjoyable to read. I didn’t care for how the two got together and there was too much death in the story for my taste.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.