An Unseemly Wife by E.B. Moore

Title: An Unseemly Wife
Author: E.B. Moore
Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: Ruth Holtz's familiar Amish life is left behind as her husband breaks the rules of their Order to travel West to Idaho to claim land for their family with their four children, and one on the way. Everything she has ever known changes as her family can no longer truly be 'separate' from the English as they join a wagon train. 

My Thoughts

The first 90% of this book was great. The Holtz family and the wagon train West is filled with wonderfully well-developed characters and the novel has a great storyline. This story had me rooting for Ruth and Aaron as they traveled West against the wishes of their Plain community. 

Seeing her husband and children through Ruth's eyes gives an interesting perspective on Amish family life. The reader also has a view of her inner conflict: Staying a part of the Fold vs Adhering to her husband's wishes. The development of Ruth's character as she is taken from her familiar home and introduced to the English way of life is really beautiful. I like the way Moore uses transitions from what is occurring on the trail to a flashback of the Holtz family on their farm.

At about page 300 I felt like there was no way that the story could be wrapped up in the remaining 36 pages. I hate to say it, but I was right. The ending of the novel felt like the author ran out of paper and had to finish the story. Main characters from the wagon train were no longer a part of the story. Then boom, boom, boom, three major events take place in the span of 36 pages that should have been another 100-150 pages to fit with how the rest of the book had been written.
After such a great beginning and middle I was just so disappointed with the end of An Unseemly Wife that it ruined it the novel for me.

 If you have read this novel and can justify the ending to me, I would love to hear your opinion in the comments below. I would love someone else's point of view on this one!

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To see more from E.B. Moore, visit her website linked above.