Rules of Marriage

Rating:
Summary: a terrific read: much, much more than a romance novel
Review: Every now and then I come across a novel that is so much more than an averagely good romance read. And "The Rules of Marriage" by Wilma Counts (though I'm still not too sure as to why the book was titled thus) is exactly such a novel. This historical novel is actually more about what the wives of the 'ordinary' soldiers faced and endured as they followed their husbands into battle than anything else; and it is a terrific read. A word of warning however: avoid the blurb at the beginning of the book. It gives away far too much about the plot!

The opening chapter takes place in 1808 with the marriage of a very young 17 year old Rachel Cameron to Edwin Brady, a sergeant in His Majesty's Army. And almost from the very beginning, the reader is privy to the fact that Rachel has made a very bad mistake in her decision to marry the good looking and engaging Brady. The next chapter takes place four years later, and the reader's worst fears are realised: Brady is a brute, who seems to enjoy manhandling Rachel. Rachel's only solace in her intolerable situation is nursing the wounded soldiers (much to her husband's disapproval). And it is because of her nursing skills that Rachel and Major Lord Jacob Forrester meet. Forrester has been badly wounded, and the doctors have all but given him up as a hopeless case, when Rachel steps in. Empathetically drawn to the grievously injured man, Rachel decides to take on his nursing personally. She saves his life and she soon finds herself growing dangerously attracted to Forrester. Just as Forrester himself finds that he is falling for Rachel. However Rachel is an honourable and married woman, even if she tied to the brutish Brady. Rachel soon finds herself in an untenable situation when, jealous of all the care and attention that Rachel is giving the wounded Forrester, Brady is inspired to behave evenmore spitefully and outrageously. What follows than is a tale of how Rachel struggles to maintain her integrity and to endure in the face of Brady's terrible and unreasonable behavior. But will she be able to survive his brutality, or will he finally break her?

"Rules of Marriage" proved to be an engaging and absorbing read. I really liked that Wilma Counts took such care to paint the horrors of war, as well as the grim realities of life in an army camp. (And I loved all the historical and political bits about the Peninsula campaign.) This is a very well written and thought out book; and the manner in which the novel unfolded, tying past events with current ones, so that we were given a more in depth 'look' at the characters -- their histories and the reasons why they've acted and behaved in certain ways -- added texture to this novel. The romance between Forrester and Rachel is pretty much a backdrop in this novel, but I was not disappointed by this. Because for me, this novel was more about how a plucky young woman, who has suffered much and endured even more, finally gets everything she deserves. "Rules of Marriage" deserves much more than a 5 star rating; and it is the kind of book that one can read and reread without ever getting bored. Definitely a keeper.

Rating:
Summary: between 3 1/2 and 4 stars.
Review: Every now and then I come across a novel that is so much more than an averagely good romance read. And "The Rules of Marriage" by Wilma Counts (though I'm still not too sure as to why the book was titled thus) is exactly such a novel. This historical novel is actually more about what the wives of the 'ordinary' soldiers faced and endured as they followed their husbands into battle than anything else; and it is a terrific read. A word of warning however: avoid the blurb at the beginning of the book. It gives away far too much about the plot!

The opening chapter takes place in 1808 with the marriage of a very young 17 year old Rachel Cameron to Edwin Brady, a sergeant in His Majesty's Army. And almost from the very beginning, the reader is privy to the fact that Rachel has made a very bad mistake in her decision to marry the good looking and engaging Brady. The next chapter takes place four years later, and the reader's worst fears are realised: Brady is a brute, who seems to enjoy manhandling Rachel. Rachel's only solace in her intolerable situation is nursing the wounded soldiers (much to her husband's disapproval). And it is because of her nursing skills that Rachel and Major Lord Jacob Forrester meet. Forrester has been badly wounded, and the doctors have all but given him up as a hopeless case, when Rachel steps in. Empathetically drawn to the grievously injured man, Rachel decides to take on his nursing personally. She saves his life and she soon finds herself growing dangerously attracted to Forrester. Just as Forrester himself finds that he is falling for Rachel. However Rachel is an honourable and married woman, even if she tied to the brutish Brady. Rachel soon finds herself in an untenable situation when, jealous of all the care and attention that Rachel is giving the wounded Forrester, Brady is inspired to behave evenmore spitefully and outrageously. What follows than is a tale of how Rachel struggles to maintain her integrity and to endure in the face of Brady's terrible and unreasonable behavior. But will she be able to survive his brutality, or will he finally break her?

"Rules of Marriage" proved to be an engaging and absorbing read. I really liked that Wilma Counts took such care to paint the horrors of war, as well as the grim realities of life in an army camp. (And I loved all the historical and political bits about the Peninsula campaign.) This is a very well written and thought out book; and the manner in which the novel unfolded, tying past events with current ones, so that we were given a more in depth 'look' at the characters -- their histories and the reasons why they've acted and behaved in certain ways -- added texture to this novel. The romance between Forrester and Rachel is pretty much a backdrop in this novel, but I was not disappointed by this. Because for me, this novel was more about how a plucky young woman, who has suffered much and endured even more, finally gets everything she deserves. "Rules of Marriage" deserves much more than a 5 star rating; and it is the kind of book that one can read and reread without ever getting bored. Definitely a keeper.

Rating:
Summary: Great historical fiction, not a romance
Review: If you have an interest in the Regency Period and are looking for a novel set in the middle of the war in the Peninsula, this is the one for you. The time period covered is from the fall of Badajoz until the battle of Toulouse.

The author paints a vivid picture of life in the train of Wellington's army - especially for those in the lesser ranks and also of the state of medical practice of the period. Read it for that, and don't expect too much of the romance which is more like the thread tying it together than the main focus of the book. If you are expecting this to be a typical historical romance you will be disappointed. The personal/romance aspect is used to give us a terrific perspective to what would otherwise be dry history.

Highly recommended for the history buff.

Rating:
Summary: between 3 1/2 and 4 stars.
Review: The first reviewer paints an accurate account of the book. It is well written and goes into great detail. Although the romance takes a major backseat to the war. I found myself skipping parts of the book so that I could get to the end. The characters have great depth especially edwin brady and the observations on his personality are quite accurate. Butthe book was just lacking something to make it truly good or great. Maybe it was the romance aspect. I am not sure I will have to think on that.

Rating:
Summary: 2 & 1/2 stars; rather pleasant, but uninspiring
Review: While this novel occasionally peaked reader interest and maintained a fairly steady pace, it is not very romantic and deals much more with the setting of the romance--the war and its environs--than with the actual romance of the main characters. Indeed, much of the book is about Rachel and her ne'er-do-well husband. The idea that the scandals surrounding Rachel can be so easily put aside is preposterous; she may be a victim, but the result remains. Jacob is a nice man, but does jump off the page. In fact, the whole book is rather mundane, due in large part to the extensive narration of wartime events.

And the title has nothing to do with the story.