I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway and this is the first one I read that was a giveaway.
This kind of book is the type I definitely would read partly because it’s regarding a woman who is a lesbian. I’m a huge fan of the LGBT community and I did my thesis paper on Queer Theory so you can see how I’m easily inspired by anything related to the LGBT.
However, it wasn’t exactly what I expected. I thought the “persecution” of the main character would be regarding her homosexuality status, but that wasn’t the case at all, instead it was for other reasons. It was about how the town is so small and the gossip is encouraged there all the time. There’s this character who has strong prejudices against Mildred Dunlap and no one would find out until later in the novel. I won’t name the character because I want people to read this good book.
Overall, I think it’s a great book and I never thought about the implications of the homosexuality in that kind of community, especially when it can be negatively influenced by someone, like “queen bee” as common in high school. It makes me think a little like the movie “Mean Girls” which the story resembles, except it was back in the late nineteenth century in a small town. Funny, I don’t get the sense that it was back in that century but I do get the sense of the general store and buggies with horses.
However, I liked the plot and I liked how the author brought different perspectives of a few characters other than Mildred Dunlap so we get the sense of what they are thinking and their actions. The book has a lot of historical facts that show how people can judge on these news and other people. In fact, I do feel sorry for the two men who boys reported were in embrace romantically, which was not true with the boys’ true perspective and how one of the men killed himself. Tragedy – I like how the author fit that in to show how the town view this kind of issue.
The book has a few lessons to teach the characters, especially friendship. Again, it’s a pretty good book and you all should read it! I was just fortunate to win this through Goodreads.
