The Bride's Farewell

In an enchanting tale of a hard won and unique "happily ever after", Meg Rosoff creates Pell, a young woman so determined not to follow the path most taken and dreamed of by girls her age, that she does the unthinkable, on what should be the happiest day of her life. But her dream to return to the freedom she knew as a girl riding swiftly on her beloved horse is immediately derailed by the reality of life as a young woman traveling alone in a desperate world. Complete with deception by friend and foe alike, desperation, and determination beyond possibility, Pell's story sweeps you along...rooting for her, aching with her, and, ultimately, admiring her as she lets go of much of what she knows and loves, and forges a future different from what she envisioned, but welcoming in its own right. Pell's story is a beautiful tale to be enjoyed not only for its richness of language but for its embrace of the possible. My daughter and I enjoyed it immensely!

As someone who reads to escape, to learn about my world and myself, and to find solitude without being alone, I've been hooked on Meg Rosoff's books since the apocalyptic "How I Live Now" was published in 2004. Whatever form of narrative voice she employs, Rosoff seems consistently able to convey a sense of intimacy with the reader. A disturbed teen discovering her own strength and capacity to love during crisis draws me close to her because of how she speaks: alternately with humor, vulnerability and passion. The Yeats-referencing centenarian who channels his 16-year old self in narrating Rosoff's 2007 novel, "What I Was," appears, against odds, clued in to the workings of my own psyche as he tells his story and dispenses his wisdom. While Rosoff is above all a gorgeous writer, funny, tender and surprising, her books have this added power because she is so emotionally honest. Rosoff is drawn to the outcast, those who are displaced in society or family, and her stories should resonate with any sensitive reader. Her characters play out their internal struggles against stark exterior landscapes that hint of the sublime - "great rolling swards of chalk grassland...skies dotted with hobby and merlin." ("The Bride's Farewell") "The Bride's Farewell" offers up another non-conforming protagonist and my favorite yet, Pell Ridley, in an epoch-defying romance that happens to be set in 19th century England. Pell jilts her fiancé on the eve of their wedding, leaving home with just her horse and a mute younger brother who refuses to stay behind. Heading for a horse fair in Salisbury, "less a plan than a starting point," she meets a series of strangers who help determine the course of her journey. The story weaves back and forth between Pell's dismal upbringing and her flight from home, ever mindful of the interplay between fate and free will, a repeated theme of the author explored fancifully in her 2006 novel, "Just in Case." Animals are always significant in Rosoff's books, and when Pell first discovers the velocity of her beloved horse while training him it's a horse-as-metaphor clue that she has the requisite courage to strike out for an unknown destiny: "For those poor souls who can only think of the terrible fear and danger of a runaway horse, think of this: a speed like water flowing over stone, a skimming sensation that hovers and dips while the world spins round and the wind drags your skin taut across your bones. You can close your eyes and lose yourself in the rhythm, because nothing you do or shout or wish for will happen until the running makes up its mind to stop." In a single, understated passage, "The Bride's Farewell" contains one of the most romantic moments in a novel that I've read in years. But ultimately it's a book about family - the one Pell leaves, the one she finds, and the one she finds again.

Life was hard in rural England in the 1850s. For Pell Ridley, a poor girl with a knack for working with horses, life was about to get much tougher. She was betrothed to her childhood sweetheart, Birdie Finch, but as time passed, Pell came to realize that she didn't want to become a broodmare, producing child after child while also being worked half to death like her mother. So, early on the morning of her wedding, Pell took her horse Jack and made a dash for freedom. Unfortunately, her younger brother Bean, a sweet mute, decided to tag along. Pell, Bean, and Jack travel to the Salisbury Fair, a horse trading/buying event where Pell hopes to use her horse skills to find work. But things go from bad to worse when Harris, a gentleman who hired Pell to select several horses for him, goes missing before he pays her the promised salary. Along with Harris, Bean and Jack disappear. Thus begins Pell's determined search for her brother, horse, and a life worth living. The Bride's Farewell is a gripping tale of heartache, love of family, and the determination of one young woman. Pell meets many people along the road as she searches for Bean and Jack, in particular a handsome man she calls `Dogman.' But Pell's loyalty to her family continually draws her away from situations that could make things easier for her - she must find Bean. Author Rosoff has a succinct, clear writing style that conveys the anguish of her lead character without using a lot of needless language. This is not a novel for those looking for cheery, `isn't life wonderful' adventures. It is a stark look at life in the 1850s, with its workhouses, poverty, and desperation. But The Bride's Farewell is also a mesmerizing tale of love and devotion. Quill says: If you enjoy stories with strong woman leads, don't miss Meg Rosoff's latest offering.

I loved this book. It is very well written and has characters and a plot line that pull you in- Hook, Line and Sinker. It was beautifully written, almost fairy tale like- but without the magic. One cannot help but feel connected to the heroine Pell (who has a gift for sealing with horses) as she travels though England after leaving her home with here little brother on the morning of her Wedding. Throughout her journey we get to meet many interesting, some friendly, some cruel, some indifferent characters whose lives intertwine drastically with Pell's- some in ways she can't even imagined. This is an enchanting little book that I couldn't put down. If you liked this author's previous works, or are a fan of Shannon Hale (She wrote "Goose Girl") then you will love this book.

When I received The Brides Farewell by Meg Rossoff, I was quite doubtful. I am a huge lover of historical fiction and there is nothing more enticing to me than a big fat historical novel. This book is not big in stature, but it's big in story! I loved it! Pell Ridley is teen girl living in 1850's England. On the day of her marriage to her long time friend, she runs off, leaving him at the alter. She becomes a teenage runaway bride. She does not want to a burdened wife, with too many children and an unfaithful husband. Can Pell make it work on her own? Can she find her independence in a time when women are not allowed to do so? Can she resist the temptation of returning to her childhood home and succumb to the life she has always feared? I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction and romance.