Taming the Twisted by Jodie Toohey - Reivew

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Published: August 15, 2015

Number of pages: 242

Genre: Historical Fiction

  

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Synopsis:

Taming the Twisted is written in a similar style to Laura Ingalls Wilders’ Little House books though updated for modern times. It might read as if she'd left in all of the juicy tidbits about things people didn't talk about during the time when she was writing. Taming the Twisted is a story of destruction, romance, mystery, and deceit set against a back drop of an actual historical event. In early June, 1860, Abigail enjoyed a peaceful home life with her parents, younger sister, and twin toddler brothers. Their home in Camanche, Iowa, where they’d emigrated from Pennsylvania, was almost complete and her beau, Joseph Sund, had recently proposed marriage. That changes the evening of June 3rd when a tornado rips through town, killing her parents. At the mass funeral for the over two dozen people who perished in the storm, she learns Marty Cranson, with whom Abigail witnessed Joseph having a heated argument, died, but at the hands of a person rather than the tornado. In addition to being faced with raising her young siblings, Joseph has disappeared without a trace and a stranger, Marshall Stevenson, appears, offering to help Abigail repair the families’ home and cultivate the newly planted farm crops. Abigail, while developing romantic feelings for Marshall, tolerating the scorn of town woman Pamela Mackenrow, and working as a seamstress and storekeeper to support her siblings, becomes obsessed with finding out who killed Marty, hoping that and not that he no longer loved her, was the reason Joseph left without saying goodbye. 

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What did I think of this book:

This was an interesting book. There were a few things I liked about it. It was set in one of my favorite time periods as well as in a state I am very familiar with. Then when you add in a little mystery it just makes the story even better. I thought the characters were very real and could have been my ancestors living through this tradegy. You could tell the author did her research when writing this book as her descriptions were spot on. The way she tells the story of a small town with all the gossip is excately like the small town I remember growing up in. Not only does the author give us glimpses into the characters everyday life she also throws in a few surprises just to keep us interested in the story. All in all a nice book to read. 

About the Author

Jodie Toohey is the author of four additional books, two poetry collections - Crush and Other Love Poems for Girls (2008) and Other Side of Crazy (918studio, 2013) - as well as two novels, Missing Emily: Croatian Life Letters (2012) and Melody Madson – May It Please the Court? (2014). When Jodie is not writing poetry or fiction, she is helping authors, soon-to-be-authors, and want-to-be authors from pre-idea to reader through her company, Wordsy Woman Author Services.
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Monday, February 8 Review at Beth's Book Nook Blog Spotlight & Giveaway at Rambling Reviews
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Friday, February 19 Interview at Author Dianne Ascroft's Blog