Aggie Pratt has a secret that has shaped her adult life, pushing her to the frontier, and away from those she loves. I thoroughly enjoyed A Life Once Dreamed and was even more impressed at how Fordham not only wove Aggie, James, and the town of Penance into life but also managed to keep me guessing on Aggie's secret until half way through the book.
I appreciated how well Fordham wrote Aggie as part of her small town. As some one who also moved out west to a small town for a time, her interactions brought back so many memories. From the neighbours who seem to nose into the details of life, to the community that grows, to the beauty of the landscape Penance and Aggie's experience of it read true. Additionally, Aggie's growth and struggles as a young woman felt real and believable as Fordham built up the small details within the character and her environment.
Fordham's writing feels so inviting, in part, due to her attention to detail. While I would put her novels as more character centered over world building she doesn't ignore Penance as merely setting but makes it its own character. The people themselves have quirks and personality (McHenry was a particular favourite in Penance for myself).Fans of her work with keen eyes will notice a shout out to her previous novels adding some continuity within her library that brought a smile to my face.
Let's not forget the plot. While the romance one expects from this genre was definitely front and center, Fordham also took the time to explore other more serious issues. Illness, fire, child loss, class divide, and illegitimacy are all touched upon in varying degrees. The handling always feels gentle (honestly the whole book including the epilogue does to a point but after the way 2020's been I kind of need/like that) which did leave me wishing for more depth at times but I overall I felt that Fordham stayed true to he writing style and the story's feel.
4 out of 5 stars.
I received this book as part of the #RevellReads book tour. All opinions are my own.
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