When the son of a rich railroad tycoon became a traveling amateur artist, he stopped through the Pennsylvania countryside to paint a landscape and wondered to himself of the land’s beauty, “Did such plenteousness also contain monotony? It needed an accent”.
And there it was. His future wife, a farmer’s daughter: plain, straightforward, … and completely different than him. She was a realist, he lived in his dreams. She reveled in the richness and gifts of the land, he felt it sucking out his artistic edge.
I felt this story really caught the essence of how a marriage can alternate between joy and struggle. Plainly written (like the spoken language of the wife), it allows you to see and appreciate both sides of their journey. However, because of its directness, you’re left feeling a bit raw, as if you yourself should be held accountable for the characters’ thoughts.
A very quick and enjoyable read. Don’t let the simple subject matter and writing fool you, there are many layers to this page-turner.
Carolyn, Siloam Springs
