I suppose if too much page time had been spent on them alone, the book would have become far more of a love story than anything else. I wanted to know much more about him, but the fact that you know so little is one of the defining factors in their curious relationship. Her relationship with the hunter was compelling and unusual. Not only did I want her to have a happy ending, but I also felt that she’d worked hard enough to deserve one, a rare thing in many books now.

Pell was a good heroine, hardworking and determined. However, it was also entertaining and with a small suspension of disbelief comes an original, though somewhat predictable, story that’s worth reading. The chances of finding one another were rather slim. Various people are lost and found throughout the story, despite the fact that England is a big place. In some ways the plot is just too chancy. There’s a slightly old-fashioned charm about the story that makes it so believable as a historical novel. There’s an interesting cast of characters, though I will say that the coincidences linking the characters together are at times unbelievable. Meg Rosoff is an author who can make her readers completely believe in the surroundings that she creates. The Bride’s Farewell a surprisingly short, though entertaining, read. Will she find what she seeks, or forever wander, searching for all that she has lost? Through it all, she reacts with resilience and determination to the struggles thrown in her path.

On the way, she meets people connected to her past as well as to her new future. She doesn’t know where she’s going, but she wants to escape a life of hard work and drudgery. She takes her horse and young, mute brother. When Pell runs away, she leaves the life she’s known, her family, and her brand new wedding dress.

The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff