2 out of 4 stars
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Bittersweep is a historical fiction written by Wareeze Woodson. It follows Elizabeth Clarke as she returns to her hometown, Bittersweep, where she and her family were forced to leave when she was just five years old. She disguises herself under the name of Elizabeth Campbell and with her new position as a school teacher, she is determined to find the reason for being forced to leave as well as reclaim her mother’s treasured box. But will she be able to guard her heart from the handsome chairman of the school board? And will she be able to prove her innocence after being accused of murder? Finally, who is behind the bank robbery?
Altogether, the author is excellent at creating visual descriptions and describing smells to the point where the reader is pulled back in time to Texas, 1897. Unfortunately though, the book leaves a lot to be desired. For example, although there was a huge build-up to finding the treasured box, the scene where Elizabeth finally finds it was anti-climatic. I had expected the box to hold a significant secret, but that wasn’t the case. The contents did not live up to its build-up.
Furthermore, there were no red herrings. It was too clear who the robber was as there was only one character that was portrayed as a potential antagonist. Also, JP, one of the main characters, was a Gary Stu, i.e., the male equivalent to a Mary Sue. He was good looking, rich, confident, excellent with children, always doing the right thing and had every woman wishing to be married to him. As a result, I found it hard to see him as a real person.
Additionally, there were some details that didn’t make sense. For example, Elizabeth looked exactly like her mother except for her eyes. Surely everyone would have recognised her as it was a small town and was inhabited by almost the same people. It was only fifteen years ago that Elizabeth’s family left, and most of the inhabitants were old enough to remember her mother.
Finally, although there were plot twists that surprised me, the lack lustre way the characters reacted to the new information decreased the shock value of the twists.
Overall, I rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. The author had a good concept and if a few things were changed, i.e., JP having more flaws, there being more red herrings and the characters reacting more appropriately to the twists, this would have made for a very engaging read.
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Bittersweep
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I wished the characters had reacted a bit more to new information. I was surprised by the information but because the characters just accepted it, it made me wonder whether I was over-reacting.
