I recently read Lizzie’s Dream by Beverly J Tucker. The novel is an historical fiction that follows the life of young girl working in a mill and falling in love during WWI. It pains me that I am unable to give this book a raving a review because usually I enjoy most books that I read but this just wasn’t quite there for me. My thoughts and full review are below …

Lizzie’s Dream by Beverly J. Tucker is not necessarily a bad book by any means, but it isn’t that great either. I think my biggest problem with the novel has a lot to do with the several elements lacking from the story line that should be there to keep me interested. I have never posted a bad review on my blog ever with the one exception of my review on Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. As a reader, it doesn’t take much to please me. It really doesn’t. I rarely find a book I don’t enjoy. The few books I didn’t enjoy simply weren’t posted. That felt like the right thing to do. If you have nothing nice to say then don’t say nothing… right?  My heart hates saying negative things about anyone’s work especially when I am so unskilled as a writer and learning the craft myself.

This time is different though, I really did have an obligation to express my honest thoughts on this particular book because that is what I promised when a free copy was sent to my kindle. When I realized I was not enjoying the book all that much I didn’t put it down or away. I kept reading until the very end because if I was going to leave a review that was not raving with praise and love, then I wanted to have the whole picture and give the novel its best opportunity to change my mind. I hoped it would!

As a book blogger, I have received most of my recent books for free through Publishers and NetGalley. The exchange is made because I will provide an honest review. Please bear with me as this is what I intend to do. Lizzie’s Dream ranks 3 out 5 stars for me.
The book did not really make me care at all for anything. I think there was only one moment that pulled at my heart strings a little.

The characters were well developed and put together but there was just something missing. The writing throughout the entire novel is mostly all telling and no showing. Nothing was strong enough, and I was left feeling rather disappointed. A great example of this feeling is when Lizzie is caring for her boss’s sick daughter. The readers are told all about the relationship forming and how a bond grows between the pair; however, we are not shown any of it.

This felt like being told about a friend of a friend.

As a reader I couldn’t see it enough to develop any kind of interest or investment into what was going on. Lizzie nurtures, teaches, heals, and lives with this girl and none of it matters because we are shown so little of it. This should have been much more detailed. The concept was interesting and I would have loved to see the interaction between the little girl and Lizzie herself. Some developed conversation and scenes between the two might have made me feel more connected to the story.

I can say very similar things about Lizzie and the love she shares for a soldier off fighting a war. There is not enough emotion, development, and angst going on when the potential for such things during a war novel is vast and unlimited. There is a war going on and the two are often separated. The backbone is great. There just needed to be more. An example of what I am trying to say is the fact he loves Lizzie at first sight and they barely speak. We are told they go walking and spend a great deal talking but aren’t show any of it. Just told, so why should I care and why couldn’t I have the conversation? It isn’t enough to just say something happened. As a reader, I want to see it occurring!

The letters we get to read between them is the only saving grace because I did find them very interesting. It is just a little funny how completely engrossed they become with each after saying so little and meeting just the once but hey I am here for love at first sight if it is done correctly. I want to see it grow and blossom into more.

The book was not completely unpleasant just mildly uninteresting. There is a lot of room to make it better. I hope the author thinks through how she can provide more interaction and detail into the story. Tucker is really a great writer and her idea for this novel is beyond amazing. This felt like a great first draft of something that can become extraordinary because the story-line does have it all. The potential is there!

Leave me your thoughts below in the comments! Tell me about some of the books that you did not particular go crazy over with feelings of love. 

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