Contemporary Fiction
Magnolia
Back of the Book:
Magnolia Bellamy is sick and tired of her reputation as one of "Bellamy’s Blossoms." If only her parents hadn’t been so poetic in naming their three daughters, Maggie wouldn’t have to work so hard at proving herself. But prove herself she will! No mater what it takes, Maggie is determined to prevent contractor Clay Marlowe from cheating both the bank she represents and her client and friend, the charming, elderly Miss Louella Ashworth.
Clay Marlowe finds the prospect of restoring the once-glorious Ashworth Mansion irresistible. Trouble is, he may have to eat the extra cost to bring the project in on budget. And that’s before a mysterious outburst of vandalism threatens to drive the costs even higher.
Maggie and Clay—as different as two people can be—clash on everything from money to music. But along the way, each grudgingly begins to admire the other’s devotion to their common goal: leaving the past behind and pressing toward God’s plan for the future. But can their growing trust and love withstand a shocking revelation from Clay’s past?
My Review:
I found my self frustrated with the book more than I enjoyed it. The characters were constantly jumping to wrong conclusions or being way too skeptical of things. Some skepticism is necessary, but when you have evidence staring you in the face that proves the skepticism wrong it isn’t prudent to ignore it. Maggie could constantly see that Clay was a hard and honest worker, yet she still didn’t believe he was an honest man. At the end of the book the characters said they realized how blind they were. I wasn’t impressed.
(Beware: spoilers to follow:)
And then the fact that Clay didn’t report any of the vandalism to the police smacks of him wanting to be framed for doing it. He says he wants the culprit to be caught, yet he doesn’t take any steps beyond praying. The police are there for a reason. Not reporting it will just make framing him for it that much easier. And then there were no insurance claims in order to get more money. That didn’t make any sense to me, either. I don’t understand why the author wrote things that way.
Half-way through the book they finally confront each other and accuse each other of being the vandal. And after a few minutes of talking they dismiss each other as being the criminal without hardly any evidence at all! The entire book has been about Maggie not having any faith. She has to touch and see things to believe. Yet all she needs to dismiss Clay as being a criminal is his word. That’s not very consistent with her character. But then a few days later they accuse each other again. I wasn’t enjoying it.
But the author’s points about God and His love were very true. Having Maggie turn towards God when she was at her lowest is sometimes what it takes for people to believe. The scripture quoted and the Biblical points discussed were well done.
The love story was also charming…..once you actually got to it on the last few pages. The reader could see how Clay was trying not to give into his feelings for Maggie throughout the whole book, but they didn’t actually give in to each other for good until the very last pages. grrr...