xreactivity

The story read very easily and I enjoyed it for the most part, particularly the character of Mattie Spenser. Where the book fell short for me is in the abrupt ending. After building the story to the crisis point in Mattie's marriage, the author leaves it to our imaginations to figure out how it all worked out in the end. In doing that, I think she missed an opportunity to show us exactly how strong Mattie really was. In other words, what was the point of telling the story? I don't need Sandra Dallas to show me that women in Mattie's time had difficult lives and dealt with things we modern women would never accept. That's a given. What's more interesting is how Mattie survived - managing not only to overcome disappointment and heartache, but to achieve happiness as well. It would have taken great strength of character in a world where women were at a perpetual disadvantage. That's the story I was hoping for.