Book Review Faithful Janet Fox

"Sixteen-year-old Maggie Bennet's life is in tatters. Her mother has disappeared, and is presumed dead. The next thing she knows, her father has dragged Maggie away from their elegant Newport home, off on some mad excursion to Yellowstone in Montana. Torn from the only life she's ever known, away from her friends, from society, and verging on no prospects, Maggie is furious and devastated by her father's betrayal. But when she arrives, she finds herself drawn to the frustratingly stubborn, handsome Tom Rowland, the son of a park geologist, and to the wild romantic beauty of Yellowstone itself. And as Tom and the promise of freedom capture Maggie's heart, Maggie is forced to choose between who she is and who she wants to be."

In many ways, Faithful can be seen as a modern re-telling of Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Both books are brought to life by heroines fighting - in their own way - against the manacles of the society of their time. Both books relay perfectly the struggle of these heroines and the extent of society's hold on them. It depicts the long road of their awakening. Both can be feminist and marxist texts, although debatable, of course. Faithful, however, is crafted more for the modern reader - for a young adult reader who has a penchant for classics, this book should not be missed.

I will be the first to admit I am one of those who have lived a sheltered life, but I know the thin line that defines that separates shelter and control. Margaret Bennet is on the other side of that line. Born within the high society of Newport in the late 1800s, Maggie's thoughts, actions and emotions are ruled by the confines of social etiquette. Her unconventional mother shames her in more ways than one - but her love and yearning for her is true. In her quest for answers, Maggie takes the reader with her back in time, immersed within the binds of her society. Maggie's narration is genuine, and with it is the ease in which I found myself understanding why and how she thinks, acts and feels like she does. The conflict between who she wants to be and who she has to be is clear in her words, and there is a real feel of entrapment in her decisions. She will earn your sympathy and admiration.

Secondary characters are worth mentioning too. As foils, they channel challenges to Maggie and invokes her to find herself amidst the chaos. Her father, who betrays and dictates her, can be seen as the epitomy of patriarchal society himself. Graybull is everything vile in that society, Mrs Gale what she can be, and Tom - Tom represents what Maggie can have if she chooses to be herself. He also represents what she will not have - riches, social standing - when she does. There are twists surrounding the characters, some will annoy, while some will clearly delight. Together, they pave way for Maggie's battle to find who she really is.

The narrative is outlined with a lot of connecting flashbacks cut to make readers wonder and thus highlighting the mystery of the disappearance of Maggie's mother. It is however, the setting that stands out in this book. It is so well described it takes your breath away. There is a huge emphasis on the beauty and importance of the landscape, as well as respect for nature. The dangerous and exhilarating feel of the wild is well described in the text; I myself wished to see Yellowstone after all I have read. For Maggie, Yellowstone is the picture of freedom - like nature, she desires to be unbidden. What more can be perfect to represent nature than Yellowstone itself?

The romance is not very integral to the plot - it is a tool used to depict Maggie's growth. Although of course, ever the romantic, I relished in the pure, innocent, 19th century (and unconventional) courtship that Tom and Maggie shared, including all the baggage that came with it.

Ultimately, Faithful is the tale of a young girl who journeys - both literal and metaphorical - far and wide to find herself and become what she wants to be, not what she has to be. It is a tale of finding love, loss and freedom.

FOUR STARS.

"* Book received from UK Book Tours."

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