Julie, you would’ve loved feminism

Disclaimer - I listened to this book on CDs and the narrator was awful. Over and over she sounded like she honestly was a 1st grader learning how to read. Short. Choppy. Words. Built. Into. Sentences. She said. Hank said. I said. Over and over. It was a dreadful audio and I will never listen to another read by her. Now on to the book - which I actually have a paperback copy of that I’m promptly putting in recycling bin because I can’t in good conscience donate it for anyone else to drag through. Mansplaining circa 1890. Julie was not fleshed out beyond being poor, poorly educated, and hard working. Hank turns from sweet farm boy to abusive and awful seemingly overnight. Yet the tale goes on for Julie hoping for a better day and completely glossing over every episode of Hanks abusive behavior. Let’s just stop for a moment and ask any woman— during birth did you feel a “pleasure of stretching...pleasure so intense you couldn’t name it”? Yeah. That’s a direct quote from this nonsense. Anyhow. I’m aghast Oprah picked it for her book club and sorry I wasted hours listening to it. Hard pass on this one. Read anything by Charles Frazier instead.

If the purpose of the story was to leave you feeling cold, miserable and wanting a bath then it achieved its aim. Julie and Hank were so mismatched and don’t get me started on those weird sex scenes, god knows where Robert Morgan went to research those. It might have scraped 3 stars if it weren’t for the graphic butchering descriptions

Morgan has created the most simple yet fascinating characters, their words are so straightforward and the life they lead is so physically and mentally demanding. I was definitely left wanting more and to know how Julie and Hank ended up years later.

One of my favorite books of all time is Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker and Gap Creek has a very similar feel. It’s an easy and extremely enjoyable read.