Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by carriedoodledoo
Bargain Bride by Evelyn Sibley Lampman
2.0
This is a reread from my childhood, and all I really remembered from this book was that she lived with a horrible relative who didn't want to give up the paisley shawl. I was curious and re-read...
And woof. Oh boy. Tales of the frontier. It's probably more accurate than I'd like to think. Ginny is sold/married off as a child-bride, so her selfish...Uncle? Cousin? can get the money needed to set up his claim, and the husband can claim twice as much land since he's married. She then stays with the horrible relatives until she reaches the "appropriate" age of fifteen...which isn't so terrible in the time period, except her husband is at least twice, maybe three times her age. He's not so bad--he's kind, and keeps his promises (even ones he made five years ago, to a child), and looks like he'll stand up for her against her horrible relatives. Fortunately, he has a very convenient stroke the same night she goes home with him so we're spared the trauma of a wedding night. Ginny is now a widow!
The rest of the book is Ginny learning to fend for herself, with the help of the neighbor's cast-off native wife (one thing I'll say, the author doesn't flinch from showing racism and the contemporary attitudes, and how wrong they were) and a local townswoman. It's really sad to read- reading through Ginny's perspective, its so easy to see that she's still a child, despite her hard life. Even the happy ending, which was probably as happy as she was gonna get, is a little bitter-sweet. I don't think I'd mind my children reading this, but it was a weird experience to revisit!
And woof. Oh boy. Tales of the frontier. It's probably more accurate than I'd like to think. Ginny is sold/married off as a child-bride, so her selfish...Uncle? Cousin? can get the money needed to set up his claim, and the husband can claim twice as much land since he's married. She then stays with the horrible relatives until she reaches the "appropriate" age of fifteen...which isn't so terrible in the time period, except her husband is at least twice, maybe three times her age. He's not so bad--he's kind, and keeps his promises (even ones he made five years ago, to a child), and looks like he'll stand up for her against her horrible relatives. Fortunately, he has a very convenient stroke the same night she goes home with him so we're spared the trauma of a wedding night. Ginny is now a widow!
The rest of the book is Ginny learning to fend for herself, with the help of the neighbor's cast-off native wife (one thing I'll say, the author doesn't flinch from showing racism and the contemporary attitudes, and how wrong they were) and a local townswoman. It's really sad to read- reading through Ginny's perspective, its so easy to see that she's still a child, despite her hard life. Even the happy ending, which was probably as happy as she was gonna get, is a little bitter-sweet. I don't think I'd mind my children reading this, but it was a weird experience to revisit!