Title: The Disenchanted Club
Author: Penelope L. Roiall
Major Themes: Horses, New Zealand
Synopsis: Flora didn’t feel like she fit into the modern world, so she went to a meeting with other people who also felt disenchanted—and her life was never the same again.
I went to a homeschool mother’s retreat last weekend. One of the women I spent time talking to had just written a book, and had some copies along to sell. I was rather intrigued with what she had to say about her book, so I bought a copy, and read it over the past several days. What a fun book! I thoroughly enjoyed The Disenchanted Club. I kept bursting out laughing at one thing after another.
Flora Mae Wilde, at 24, didn’t feel like she fit in anywhere. She hated so many things about modern life. She longed for the days when people traveled with horses and didn’t have cell phones and simply lived a slower-paced life. Then, she saw an advertisement in the local paper for the beginnings of a club for people who were disenchanted with modern life. That sounded perfect! Little did she know that her life would change forever when she began going to the club meetings.
More changes were on the horizon. Flora’s brother Jerome bought a vet clinic and his new work partner became part of the weekly family Sunday dinner. Hamish brought further disruption into Flora’s life! How would she navigate the new experiences and feelings in her life? It was a good thing she had her beloved horse to spend time with!
As I said at the beginning, I found myself laughing frequently. Much of this book feels like a romantic comedy, as Flora constantly makes mistakes and says things she immediately regrets. One of the funniest scenes involved dancing into the kitchen to show her mother the bikini she just bought—and then seeing two men at the table. There are serious, even sad, scenes, as well, however. Flora learned a lot about herself and how to relate to others through the course of The Disenchanted Club.
I loved the setting of this book. The author lives in New Zealand, and the book is set in her home area. At one point, the main character journeys through both islands. While I have never been to the North Island, I found the descriptions of the areas she traveled through on the South Island to be very familiar—so fun to read about the places I know! I’ve read a couple of fiction books set in New Zealand, and they felt slightly forced—not natural. The Disenchanted Club feels natural, most likely because the author simply wrote from her life experiences. Oh, and one of the many ways I could relate to Flora? This quote: I went to bed early, resting my body while my mind was in full flight.
Anyone who likes clean romance will love this book, as well as anyone who loves stories with horses in them. Flora’s horse features prominently in the book. Oh, and on the topic of accuracy: In one chapter, Flora’s friend’s cow is calving and the vet has to help. That scene was very realistic. I have read some books in which the author obviously hadn’t had much experience with farm animals, but I could tell that Penelope knows them. Another thing that impressed me was how polished this book felt. Quite often, self-published books feel rough, and the cover screams “self-published.” However, this cover is gorgeous, and the quality of the writing is very good. I am already looking forward to reading more books by this author.
I enjoyed hearing Penelope talk about her vision for this book. She wants girls to catch a vision of what God can do for them in bringing true love into their lives. This book is unabashedly a Christian book. Flora’s faith is very important to her, and she has a number of people in her life who help her to walk with God. As we all do, she struggles to live in God’s will. Don’t miss reading this book—give it to the teenage girls in your life!
WARNING: An animal dies, and a few others are found neglected to the point of starvation.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 12 – 15
Reading Independently—Ages 12 – 15, 15 and Above, Adults
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