AR: 6.1

The first of the Canadian West series, When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke is the story of Elizabeth, a pretty, educated, young lady who was not prepared for a “teaching position on the Canadian frontier. But she squares her shoulders and takes on her formidable task with love, humor and determination. She is just as determined not to become romantically involved with a frontiersman. Then she meets Wynn…” This book is found in the fiction section with other Janette Oke’s books under the number F/Oke.

This was my first family approved romance novel, and it has a special place in my memory. Of course reading it now was a bit underwhelming, but I enjoyed the nostalgia. ( )

Nothing in her cultured East Coast upbringing prepared Elizabeth for a teaching position on the Canadian frontier. Yet, despite the constant hardships, she loves the children in her care. Determined to do the best job she can and fighting to survive the harsh land, Elizabeth is surprised to find her heart softening towards a certain member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Prompted by a request from the brother she barely knows, Elizabeth travels west to teach only for it to turn into an even more rustic experience than she’d bargained on.

I liked seeing Elizabeth figuring out this new life on her own, setting up her home, and dealing with everyday challenges she wasn’t accustomed to but at the same time it seemed like a strange choice to spend so much time showing the struggle with the mice while too often being told about her students rather than truly being shown those interactions. Dialogue is generally one of my favorite aspects of any book and so for me, there wasn’t enough of it here, there were too many instances of Elizabeth recounting what had happened rather than feeling like you were in the moment with her.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Elizabeth and Wynn, however, I felt like the development of their relationship was squandered by having so much of it caught up in a misunderstanding, especially since it was pretty obvious that Elizabeth misunderstood the situation, I don’t imagine many readers will fall for her having a correct read on things. It seemed awfully convenient that it would take so long for the truth to slip out in conversation given that she was friendly with neighbors who knew Wynn, her brother and sister-in-law also knew Wynn, and as a teacher so attuned to her students you’d think she would have had a deeper conversation with/about a particular student (who received special attention), and that would have led to the student or Wynn just naturally revealing the truth.

Unfortunately even when the romance finally did move beyond the misunderstanding phase, then came a lie from Elizabeth that was not a big deal yet her response to it was so melodramatic, combine that with a rush to wrap up the romance in time for the end, and this relationship that had felt so promising in the beginning just didn’t meet my expectations.

I understand the appeal of this book to the many who love it, the sense of community and the kindness within that community, my issues with this are mostly personal preference stuff, I do think it’s a good story, it’s just the way that story was told, the execution of it, didn’t quite work for me. ( )