New author Allison Pittman has certainly started off with a bang. Not only has she tackled, in her debut novel, one of the more touchy subjects in Christian literature (prostitution), but she's managed to acquire a series deal. Ten Thousand Charms is the first of three novels, entitled the Crossroads of Grace trilogy. Speak Through the Wind and With Endless Sight are also available.
The premise is great. Gloria, a 19th-century prostitute in the Western United States becomes pregnant, is unable to get rid of the child, and meets widower John William who needs her wet-nursing abilities so that his infant daughter does not starve. With the two children, Gloria and John William head west to Oregon, and eventually reconcile their pasts and fall in love.
The details are rich and varied, the dialogue believable, and the description not overdone, but enough to give the reader an understanding of the scene at hand. I can feel the mist-shrouded oregon mountains, the heat of the sunshine in a meadow, the pain of Gloria's tangled hair. Pittman tends to use the same descriptive words over and over, but they are effective.
However, there are a few issues with this book. First, and most painful, is the pacing. Actions happen by rote, one turn after another, but it's so doggedly wooden that it leaves no room for suprises. There's something to be said for steadiness, but there are some points in a story that should move quickly while others are better off being better examined. The ending is rushed, as though Pittman ran out of time or word count. A few more chapters would have been welcomed. I didn't feel that the love story rang true... it seemed more about John William's lust for Gloria than his love. I know there are some that argue the two are one and the same, but in a Christian novel, this should not be. The worst flaw in this text is the 'twist' tragedy at the end that is hardly examined, hardly explored, and given only token attention by the characters. I won't reveal said twist for sake of spoiler, but suffice to say that it just wasn't done well. I was incredibly disappointed.
Like Lori Wick, Pittman starts off with a great premise, then simply fails to deliver. But this is her first novel, so allowances must be made. Hopefully she's learned enough from this to make better the others in the series.
Recommended, but with reservations.
PS - sorry about the delay in posting. Life got in the way, but I'm back at it and ready for more.
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