Dorothy Garlock - Sunday Kind of Love

Buckton, Indiana, 1956. As post-war America brims with new opportunities, a young woman discovers the courage to follow her dreams-and her heart . . . 
Gwendolyn Foster's life seems like a dream come true. A bright future in front of her, the successful, traditional man her parents wanted at her side. What more could a girl ask for? But Gwen has a different dream altogether-to be a writer-and she won't rest until it comes true. Strong arms to support her, not own her . . . that's what she needs. And she finds them in the most unexpected of places. Hank Ellis has long been haunted by his little brother's death. He knows the entire town blames him for the accident, but it's only fitting. He blames himself too. So he's shocked when Gwen ignores the vicious gossip and befriends him. And before long, everything changes for them. Folks warn Gwen about Hank, but she knows in her heart that they're wrong. Drawn to this man of bravery and kindness who encourages her to pursue her passions, Gwen can finally envision the life she's always wanted. And with Gwen, Hank finds the strength to let go of his guilt, as he dares to hope for a future with her. But braving the town that turns against them isn't the only challenge they face. For Hank still harbors a dark secret, a shocking truth that may force him to lose Gwen forever . . .

Comment: This book caught my eye for its cute and colorful cover and I imagined a matching story. Reading the blurb made me think of other books I had read where the protagonists would connect over simple but heartfelt situations and I've decided to give it a try. 

Gwen Foster is a young woman who has grew up watching how her parents love and respect each other and she wishes for someone who can be an equal partner to her. She has a boyfriend who is assuming they will become engaged but he wants a traditional wife, not the dreamer she feels she still is. Things change when they travel from Chicago to her hometown in Indiana and on the aftermath of an argument, Gwen goes for a walk and falls into the river, being rescued by Hank Ellis, the town's pariah.

Except his friend Skip, Hank isn't well seen by anyone since the death of his brother Pete, at a car crash. Although he isn't guilty, Hank took the blame of the accident and now everyone thinks he killed his brother for being drunk and driving. Rescuing Gwen brings them closer and he starts seeing what life could be like if he were to have someone he trusted by his side, but will her boyfriend and everyone in town accept their decision to be together?

On paper, this story does feel very promising. I have read similar types of plots and the themes of having someone misunderstood or who suffers some kind of prejudice being revealed as a good person tend to be ideas I like to see developed in romances. I had not tried anything by the author before, so I immediately pictured a certain type of story and, at first, it felt it would be as I imagined. The prologue and first chapters were quite appealing but then, slowly, the story started to lose steam for me.

First, all characters are quite one dimensional. I don't feel their evolution was that well achieved, especially in relation to the protagonists. I could overlook less detail on the secondary characters, and some are actually a little stereotypical, but I did hope the protagonists would have more depth to them or that their romance would show us a side of them where the connection (and chemistry) would simply be there. I've gotten the feeling, though, that the author's style is more about telling than showing...

Gwen is supposed to be this fresh, confident young woman, who has studied in the big city, has met and interacted with many people, and has a boyfriend from a good family who will expect her to be a traditional wife. Of course, Gwen wants more than this from a relationship, and she has dreams of being a writer or reporter and the boyfriend isn't keen. I could understand her frustration and the idea that there is something else for her but it also felt as if her personality was a little too... juvenile at times. I mean, she is only 19 if I remember correctly but this is the 1950s, there are some details I'd expect to see differently... the mix of the several elements simply felt under done. 

Hank is 23 and a hardworking young man, who likes to work with wood, but his life isn't good since the accident that killed his beloved younger brother. Hank is hiding something about this but, honestly, it's not that much of a secret and makes the whole situation feel ridiculous. I don't think the way the author planned on developing this plot was very competent, which also kind of shows in how Hank is portrayed, someone clever and decent but with some behavior that feels wrong just to prove a point.

The way I think of this is as if the author had the idea, had the scenes she wanted to include and then mixed everything in a way that just doesn't allow room for evolution and for the characters to reveal themselves slowly. There was no subtlety in what they think and in what they do so that the other, and the reader, could make up their minds about them without things being mentioned. It was too easy to read this novel and not really rewarding to see the characters achieve their goals. I liked it that things end up nicely for them, but there was no eagerness to see them learn something about the other or change their mind without secondary inputs. That's the fun in seeing a romance develop.

Everything was flat about this novel, to be honest. As things progress and some truths start to come out, the author added another element towards the end, to create some external conflict but to me this felt unnecessary. 

I checked the publication date and actually thought this was a reprint or something, of an older book, but no, this was published in 2016, two years before the author passed away. I'm sad to say that the writing style did feel old fashioned...

All things considered, between the writing style, and some plot decisions (why would the heroine write about a fire and not call the firemen first?), this story just didn't entice me all the way through as it seemed it would at first. Based on this novel, I would not look for other books by the author on purpose.

Grade: 6/10