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Sentence of Marriage (Promises to Keep)
 
 

Sentence of Marriage (Promises to Keep) [Kindle Edition]

Shayne Parkinson
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (333 customer reviews)

Print List Price: £9.99
Kindle Price: £0.00 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: £9.99 (100%)

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Product Description

Product Description

“I won’t have her forced,” Jack said. “Let her decide for herself.”

Amy knew her father meant it. She could say no if she wanted. But this marriage would make everything all right. They could put all the trouble she had caused behind them. Everyone would be happy again.

Everyone except her.

“Sentence of Marriage” is the first book in the three-volume “Promises to Keep”.

In nineteenth century New Zealand, there are few choices for a farm girl like Amy. Her life seems mapped out for her by the time she is twelve. Amy dreams of an exciting life in the world beyond her narrow boundaries. But it is the two people who come to the farm from outside the valley who change her life forever, and Amy learns the high cost of making the wrong choice.

"One of the best historical novels I’ve had the pleasure to read in years." - WorkingGirl Reviews.

"The story was captivating, the characters real, the dialogue crisp. I admit to having cried and laughed and even having wanted to murder a character and beat another one within an inch of his life — which is simply a testament to how well written these books are." - AmericanEditor.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 799 KB
  • Print Length: 364 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1478288892
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B004XWPWPE
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (333 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #84 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
226 of 229 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally compelling read 29 April 2011
By Booklover TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Kindle Edition
I picked this book up because it was free at the time and I thought it sounded quite interesting. Within a few pages I was totally hooked.

The story revolves around the life of a New Zealand farm girl at the end of the 19th century. Amy has a good life until a new stepmother arrives and turns her family's life upside down. Amy's story is not an easy one to read and there were times when I wanted to get into the book and give her a good talking to. The detail within the story is fantastic and the author's writing style is descriptive and easy to read.

This book is the first in a trilogy and if you enjoy this one you will definitely be buying the next two as they literally carry on from each other (to the point that I wonder if they were originally one big book).

If you like a good family saga then this would be a good choice for you.
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54 of 55 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly deserving of the title "Page-turner" 2 Aug 2011
By daisyduck1976 TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I LOVED this book! Shayne Parkinson has done a fantastic job of painting a picture of the life of a 19th century New Zealand farm girl. I found myself absolutely enchanted with the comings and goings of Amy's family within minutes of starting to read this book.
It's effectively a historical family saga, so there are highs, lows, surprises, romances, betrayals and more. Added to all of this, there are interesting insights into farm life at that time, something that I knew little about. The character of Amy is very easy to engage with. She seems perfect at first, but is ultimately as flawed as any teenage girl trying to figure out how to bridge the gap between girl and woman. All the characters are very clearly portrayed, even the very minor ones. So much so, that I can picture them all in my mind and towards the end, I started to feel that I actually knew and understood them.
I sympathised with Amy, laughed at Lizzie her cousin, loved to hate Susannah her step-mother, felt exasperated with Jack her father and found myself whizzing through what is quite a long book, at an amazing rate because I was so engrossed in the plot.

I can't recommend this highly enough. There are very few stories of this type around and even fewer that are so well-written. I'm so glad to see that there are 3 more books in the series for me to read. I'm looking forward to all of them!

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Kindle edition: very well-formatted, no errors or problems that I could see :)
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars GRIPPING READ 31 May 2012
By Carol 'avid little bookworm' TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Where oh where do I start with this review, I just can't bring myself to say I loved it, there were just too many upsetting and disturbing events but I was truly moved by reading this book and just couldn't put it down. The writing was excellent - descriptive; I had no difficulty conjuring up the environment and it moved at a good pace. I never felt as though the author was `padding it out' making it a compelling read for me, reading way way way into the early hours of the morning.

It was an absolute roller coaster of emotions all the way through this novel - anger; just at the sheer injustice of so many events and peoples actions - sad; for Amy, so loving and trusting and filled with integrity, which yes was to be admired but at times lead to her being taken serious advantage of and shouldering both blame and consequences of other peoples actions. And made me a little down at times; how much sorrow can one person take?

This is where I depart from the opinions of so many other reviewers in that, having just finished this book, I won't be rushing to download the author's next book JUST YET. Yes, I know I will download it eventually, but at the moment I'm left feeling too raw. Of course this is why this is such a good book, the characters were so well-crafted they were believable. Also, the story does finish abruptly leaving me wondering if the sequel was written at the same time?

Yes I do highly recommend both this book and the author, but do suggest caution if you're already feeling down or a little depressed and especially if you've experienced problems with child birth at any time. It's not a feel good read; well certainly not in this particular book of the saga but excellent regardless.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars It was alright
I must admit book kept me interested but not because of a way it was written but just wanted to see what's gonna happen in the end. Read more
Published 10 hours ago by Dr
5.0 out of 5 stars remarkable picture of New Zealand life in 19th century
When I first started reading this I didn't think I was going to like it in the end I couldn't put it down
Published 17 hours ago by Mrs. E. Parker
4.0 out of 5 stars Liked it, kind of
This is not the usual book I would buy and read, but as this was another reviewers comment too decided to try. It is the first of 4. Read more
Published 19 hours ago by MerylStrepp
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant
Poor Amy! What a harsh life she has, and even worse to come for someone so young.I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Tells of the hard life in 1800's New Zealand. Read more
Published 20 hours ago by Handled
5.0 out of 5 stars Sentence of Marriage (Promises to Keep)
What a lovely story transporting me to another time and place. As a very unromantic woman I was surprised by the accurate portrayal of the emotions of first love and innocence. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Faustus
5.0 out of 5 stars Sentence of marriage
Have read book almost in one go. Can't wait to start next.everything is so well written and so timeless it can happen to anyone
Published 4 days ago by D J RUSSELL
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed it but ended abruptly
I really loved this book. I found the central character engaging and really felt her emotions. This is the first in a series which I knew but even so I thought that it ended rather... Read more
Published 4 days ago by S. F. P. Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable
Found it hard to put down once I started reading this book , now want to read the the next book to see what happens
Published 6 days ago by s gibson
5.0 out of 5 stars best family saga i have read for ages
I got this book for free not expecting much, and I love it love it, love it. so much so, that I had to buy the follow on books as I felt so caught up in the family and had to see... Read more
Published 6 days ago by gilly88
4.0 out of 5 stars Marriage
So glad times have moved forward.still though it always seems men get off lightly. Enjoyed this book poor Amy. Life over before began. Or could she turn her life around. Read more
Published 6 days ago by mrs norma a hastie
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