Kicker's Journey
on Dec. 05, 2020
A solid 4 🌟 read with class featuring prominently. I agree with another reviewer that Madelyn could come across as coercive, and Kicker as naive, however I think this is the case in the beginning because of their class and the roles they had been brought up to play. It was good to see Kicker grow into herself in the harsh environment where her resilience and skill at manual work stands her in better stead than Madelyn's education and teaching experience.
A strong cast of varied and nuanced supporting characters add richness to the story including the Irish immigrant musician brothers who become Kicker's close friends, the MacDiarmid family who help the couple settle in a new country and the requisite villans, in this case Madelyn's monstrous, servant abusing father in the UK and a dangerous enemy in Canada.
This is the sort of book that is part adventure, part love story, and it requires a commitment to patient character building and dialogue. There are several dramatic and life altering events that remind how fragile life was at the turn of the century. All combine to reward with an engrossing and satisfying read.