I’m not too embarrassed to say that whenever a new Leslie Gould novel becomes available, I do a little jig of excitement, because I know I am in for a real treat! And so was the case when Gould’s third installment of The Courtships of Lancaster County, Minding Molly, arrived on my doorstep. With great restraint, I waited to read it until I had time to savor each line…instead of reading it in the front entrance of my home.
All of Gould’s novels in this series have been loosely based around one of Shakespeare’s works. Minding Molly is based off of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In this novel, the reader is taken on a journey with Molly Zook, a fastidious, in-control kind of gal that is working hard to keep her family’s farm afloat. Her mother wants her to marry neighbor Mervin Mosier to help save the farm, but when a mystery man from Montana arrives at her best friend’s ranch to train horses, Molly only has eyes for him. During a chaperoned weekend get-away, Molly tries her best to play matchmaker with herself and everyone else…will her plans succeed?
I was given this book in exchange for my honest review. Minding Molly is wonderful delight. If you’ve read A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you will find yourself trying to pick out places where the two stories meld (which to me, was fun.) Additionally, Gould keeps you guessing ‘til the very end, which is always a thrill. This book may be read as a stand-alone. Although characters are mentioned from the first two novels of this series, it is not done distractedly so. All 347 pages were a quick read and I was sad for it to end. I’m ready for the next alliterating title from Leslie Gould – bring it on!!
Susan Ferrell and her husband make their home in the Atlanta Metro area. Although Susan struggles with chronic migraine headaches, she stays very busy as a stay-at-home mom to one very precocious 5-year old. While catching her breath, she feeds her Amishaholic tendencies by reading vast amounts of Amish literature!