I have two books by Colleen McCullough on my shelf right now. One is what I’m going to review today which is “The Ladies of Missalonghi” and the other one is “Thorn Birds” which I heard is very dramatic and bold and beautiful but I will keep the latter for next time.
The Ladies of Missalonghi is a well-written romance novel which, I think, is more or less fairy-tale come true story. The protagonist, Missy Wright is an unattractive, 33 year old who is so fond of reading trashy romance novels to the extent that it gave her delusions of hope. She is, however, assumed to become a spinster and live spouseless just like her aunt and mother whom she lives with in “genteel” state of destitution on the outskirts of Byron somewhere in Australia. Missy fakes a life-threatening sickness to get what she desires, just this once and that is to be out of her mother’s guardianship and her aunt's house (Missalonghi) and into the possession of the strange but appealing stranger who's just moved into town. This stranger is John Smith - a mysterious man who is the object of suspicion, the favorite of gossipmongers and the specimen of tiresome wretches. John Smith however is filthy rich and he changed Missy’s temperament on the matters of the heart and life. Smith changed Missy in a way that Missy found courage to change her bleak destiny and fight for her own happiness.
Since not one I know read the book, I was pretty much alone at the attempt to like it or to muster enthusiasm that it so well deserves which was a massive failure. Or maybe, I’m just a little distracted that I don’t appreciate it that much.
This novel bears the commonplace themes in fiction; true love, awakening, fighting for what you want, etc. This book, though well-written, is poorly crafted and was actually a bit amateurish. It is predictable. It is formulaic. It’s like I’ve read it already from some other authors.
The characters are neither dynamic nor complex. The setting so deserve the word ‘outstanding’ though.
From a chicklit reader’s point of view, this is a charming tale of self discovery and love. Leave it that way, Missy breathes in the pages from a damsel in distress to being rescued by a knight in his white horse.
The sex at the end however was so disturbing I needed to stop my fingers from throwing the book out of my bedroom window.
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