Allison Pittman's The Bridegrooms ~ Reviewed

The Bridegrooms [Paperback]
Allison K. Pittman
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Multnomah Books; 1 edition (April 13, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601421370

Description


It Only Takes an Instant for Love to Strike


Tragedy hits the Allenhouse family on a hot summer night in Ohio when a mother of four vanished. Eight-year-old Vada virtually grew up overnight and raised her three younger sisters while her father lost himself in his medical practice in the basement of their home.

Now, Vada is a grown woman, still making her home with her father and sisters. Her days are spent serving as an errand girl for Cleveland’s fledgling amateur orchestra; her evenings with Garrison Walker, her devoted, if passionless, beau.

Dizzying change occurs the day the Brooklyn Bridegrooms come to town to play the Cleveland Spiders and a line drive wallops the head of a spectator. The fan is whisked to the Allenhouse parlor, and questions swirl about the anonymous, unconscious man.

Suddenly, the subdued house is filled with visitors, from a flirtatious, would-be sports writer to the Bridegrooms’ handsome star hitter to the guilt-ridden ballplayer who should have caught the stray shot. The medical case brings Dr. Allenhouse a frustration and helplessness he hasn’t felt since his wife’s disappearance. Vada’s sisters are giddy at the bevy of possible suitors. And Vada’s life is awakened amid the super-charged atmosphere of romantic opportunity.


Review:

Looking for sister drama? Lots of romantic encounters? Struggling heroines? Then check this one out. It contains all of the above.

The Allenhouse sisters function to the best of their ability. Vada, the oldest, who vividly remembers the night their mother abandoned them. Not only did she lose a mother that night, but her father went somewhere else emotionally, leaving eight-year-old Vada to discover she had become the mother hen of a brood of sisters, Hazel is the independent suffragette who just wants to be loved. Althea was struck silent at the betrayal of her mother and only speaks in poetry or with her eyes. Lissette is a beautiful bit of fluff who pouts and flounces her way through the novel and into most eligible young mens' hearts.

The plot points are abundant. Baseball players, an unconscious man, a suitor a bit too starchy and a couple others way too seductive. Themes of infidelity, faith quakes, insecurities and sibling rivalries flare up on a regular basis. Romance blooms in every chapter. This is not my favorite Allison Pittman novel but it was an enjoyable read.

Fans of romance, sister stories and drama will want to look further into the Bridegrooms.

Reviewed by: Kelly Klepfer

Bonus Review:

The Bridegrooms revolves around 4 young women and their father, who is a doctor, in Ohio, back around the turn of the century. When the girls were very young, their mother abandoned the family for another man, which left the oldest, Vada Allenhouse, to raise all of the girls. As a grown woman, Vada is still finding herself mothering her sisters, despite the fact that she would like some sort of change in her life. All of her sisters have interesting personalities. Althea has been silent since their mother left, Hazel, is slightly overweight and self conscious, thinking the only way she can find a husband is through the mail and ads in the paper, and Lisette, the baby of the family, keeps a string of beaus around her constantly. In the course of the story, a baseball game is going on, and a spectator is struck unconscious by a fly ball and brought to the Allenhouse home, causing all sorts of unexpected guests and happenings to occur.

This book was an okay read for me. I had a bit of difficulty getting into it, but once I finished, I did enjoy it. I was disappointed that there was some talk of the Lord in it, but it didn’t really go anywhere or explain much Biblically. I did enjoy the bit of baseball in the story, though. It was very cute, and fun to see the different personalities of the different sisters, and how they changed over the course of the story due to circumstances that occurred within a short amount of time.

Reviewed by: Sarah Porter