Hello, my faithful (but probably few!) readers! My poor blog has been very neglected lately. I’ve been working on my fiction, gearing up for National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo (yup, that means I won’t be blogging next month either) and applying for overseas teaching jobs. Sorry! But in honor of NaNoWriMo, I read one last novel before the craziness begins, and now I’ll review that deeply engrossing book for you. And promptly resume neglecting my blog.
Description:
Cate Miller is one tough Amish girl. She has to be. From raising her sweet baby sister Betsy to enduring the taunts of the community because of her fiery temper, Cate has learned how to depend on herself. But after her father’s edict declaring that she must marry before Betsy can, and after having her heart broken for the second time, Cate must decide if she can learn to trust again.
My review:
Fantastic! I couldn’t put it down. It was very well written, and the characters felt so real that I just couldn’t stop reading until I knew they’d be okay. Cate’s personality was witty, gritty, and fun, and even though she was sharp-tongued, she was a very likeable character. I’d have been sharp-tongued too, if I’d experienced what she had. And yet she accepted her personal journey with a growing grace. The handsome, determined, and fun hero Pete added to the page-turning effect the book had on me.
This book was a new genre for me. I’m not into romance or Amish fiction. And up until a couple years ago, had sworn off inspirational fiction ever since reading one too many cheesy prairie romance in high school.
But then I read Leslie Gould’s novel “Scrap Everything.” It wasn’t a romance. Wasn’t an historical novel. And definitely wasn’t cheesy. It was a modern story of deep friendship and faith, the kind of friendship we all need. It was one of the few books I’ve ever read that made me cry. I knew that whatever she wrote would be excellent. So I jumped at the chance to read and review it.
If the author was the first reason I read this book, then the second one was the inspiration. Courting Cate is a modern update of The Taming of the Shrew. I love Shakespeare! And I love modern updates of timeless tales (hence my NaNoWriMo books being updated fairy tales-they never grow old). I was interested to read an Amish take on the story. And loved it. There were a few similarities to the surprisingly intelligent teeny-bopper movie “10 Things I Hate About You”, but it was definitely its own story. This was the first version of The Taming of the Shrew I’d experienced that was from the heroine’s point of view (okay, I can’t remember whose point of view the Moonlighting episode version is from). Leslie Gould’s Cate is a winsome protagonist, drawing the reader into the story from page one.
Now it’s your turn to read it! And comment below to share about your favorite Shakespeare updates and versions.
Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book so I could be an influencer. This is my honest review of it.
The Compass Rose Queen 
I thought of Taming of the Shrew immediately after reading your description. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it. And 10 Things is one of my favorite movies!
Thank you for reading and posting! I appreciate it so much–and for the kind words about Scrap Everything too. I used to feel the same way you did about Christian fiction–Jane Kirkpatrick’s A Sweetness to the Soul changed my mind.
And I KNEW I would never write romances. Haha. Life takes all sorts of unexpected turns. Thank goodness!
This is a little outside of the genre I usually read, but it sounds like fun. I think I might have to take a chance on “Courting Cate” and see if it’s as good as you say.
It sounds really good. I love everything Shakespeare, and modern twists on Shakespeare are always fun. I also like Amish fiction since my mom was Amish as a little girl. You’ve made me want to read this book.