Reading Time
3 Days
Rating
I have a rule when I read books: always try to finish a story, even if I don’t like it. If I really can’t make it through, I give the book my best shot and read to at least the halfway mark. I’ve always been strict about this and no matter how much I dislike what I’m reading, my goal is always to give it a fighting chance.
But my resolve finally broke while I was reading The Widow’s Walk by Robert Barclay.
The story starts in 1840 as the reader is introduced to a young woman named Constance Elizabeth Canfield. Constance spends the majority of the prologue pining for her husband who is out at sea and thinking about the home they have together, which they named Seaside. As she walks along the balcony of Seaside—called a widow’s walk—the rotten wood breaks and she falls to what we presume is her death.
Cut to the present day, when Garrett Richmond buys an old house by the sea to fix up and live in. As you may have guessed, that house happens to be Seaside. As Garrett spends more time at the house, he catches glimpses of what he can only describe as a ghost. Soon, he comes face-to-face with this apparition; none other than Constance herself. At this point, the plot begins to unfold as the mystery of Constance mixed with a budding love story spanning across time tries to entice the reader to continue on. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the invite all that enticing.
I really tried to read through and give the book the benefit of the doubt. I kept telling myself it would get better, and that I need to hit the halfway point at least. But 20 pages before hitting that marker, I finally gave up. I love to read and have come across a lot of subpar stories, but this has to be the worst book I have ever had the misfortune of picking up.
Let’s start with this passage because it was here that I thought: ‘this was absolutely written by a man,’ and looked up the author to confirm my suspicion. Why did I instantly think that, you ask? Just take a look at this paragraph:
As the wind rose and the sky darkened, she took a moment to look down at her dress. The pink leg-of-mutton sleeves and broad skirt accentuated her narrow waist, which lay imprisoned by stiff, whalebone corseting (…) She always dressed formally, though her friends would tease her about it. Constance would only smile and tell them it was because she enjoyed dressing this way, but in truth there was a secret reason for it. When Adam’s ship finally appeared, she wanted to waste no time preparing.
Of course, no story is complete without the main character looking down at herself by page five to describe exactly what she’s wearing and talk about her narrow waist. Oh, and while we’re there, may as well throw in how she always dresses nicely in case her husband out at sea comes home. Talk about the male gaze.
This next part was around the time I started doubting my halfway rule and began to think about the consequences of self-publishing (but as it turns out, the novel was actually published by HarperCollins even though it reads like the self-published work of a sexist, self-proclaimed history buff).
Before answering, Garrett looked at her lovingly. Thanks to her own cooking she was a little rounder than she had been some twenty years ago. Her stylish, rather wayward gray hair was of medium length. Chocolate brown eyes, a full mouth, and a straight, aristocratic nose completed the picture. Garrett had seen earlier photos of his mother, and in her day she had been a knockout.
If that last sentence made you do a double-take, I wouldn’t blame you. Yes, he is in fact talking about his mother’s figure, mouth shape and “knockout” status. Yes, I was horrified and mildly disgusted while reading it.
And if those examples haven’t already shown you why you should never read this book, here’s another for you:
“I’m sorry, husband,” she answered. “But my lack of bearing a child still weighs heavily upon me.”
You read that right. That’s an actual published line in the novel.
After abandoning the book, I skimmed through just to see if anything interesting happened. The premise is A Time Traveler’s Wife type story, where the plot jumps between decades to narrate the romance, and I was interested to see how Constance would cross paths with Garrett and what would happen between the two of them.
But when I got to the part where Garrett takes Constance shopping at Victoria’s Secret in order for her to fit into the 21st century, I knew it was time to tap out. No amount of money could make me read that scene. I closed the book and am happy to report that I never opened it again. So, if you’re ever in the mood to read a book on how not to write or you just need a laugh, this book will do the trick. But for your sake, I think it’s best to leave this one on the shelf.
Feature Image courtesy of Pexels
Paper & Lore 