The World of Jennie G.
This review includes affiliate links. If you purchase something using one of these links, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
TL;DR: Not as much of a romance as expected, but a solid, if slow-moving, historical fiction book with numerous storylines of a community’s day-to-day life.
As Jennie and Alick settle into the coastal town of Maddox, Maine, they’re pretending to be a married couple with the last name Gilchrist. What brought them to this point is explained in book one of the Jennie Trilogy by Elisabeth Ogilvie, but The World of Jennie G. is understandable and enjoyable even if you haven’t read the first in the series. Alick is the cousin of Jennie’s late husband, and the two have become close due to the troubled times they’ve encountered and their feigned marriage. They help each other face the difficulties of life in Maddox, though both retain their independence. Jennie works as a governess for a local wealthy family and Alick takes up shipbuilding. As they settle into the community, they make friends and enemies, experience the ups and downs of welcoming new life and facing death, and face the hardships and joys of everyday life in 19th century America.
I’ll admit, I was skeptical going into this book. It’s not the kind of book I generally enjoy, and I was expecting more of a romance vibe. However, it’s light on the romance and heavy on the ins and outs of daily life in Maddox. Jennie is a likable character, but she’s just imperfect enough to keep her interesting.
The story isn’t fast-moving, but Ogilvie does a good job of creating characters you care about and want to learn more about. I found myself turning pages a lot faster than I expected, wanting to know how people’s stories played out.
The language Ogilvie uses throughout the book keeps the reader grounded in the story. Even outside of dialogue many word choices seem old-fashioned, which is jarring at first but soon helps the reader meld into the world of Maddox, Jennie, and Alick.