Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick Review

 Hello Friends :)

I pray today finds you all well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

Some of you may have noticed that my last few reviews lean more towards the negative. I don't like being a negative person as the norm, but I've been really struggling lately with the kind of content that's being published, even under respected well known Christian publishers.

I've been shying away lately from most secular fiction titles as I personally find the content to be heartbreaking and disturbing; especially considering how much of it is being "distorted" and finding its way into children's and young adult titles.

I feel as a Christian reviewer I've been slacking. I've gone through over five years of reviewing on this blog, and I haven't always had my standards as high as they should have been. As Christians we are called to stand for more than going along with society's messed up ideals, and as such, I've decided to be a lot more vocal in my reviews about the things I don't agree with. I'm frustrated that Christian publishers have been including more non-Biblical content as of late, and I apologize as to just how many of my reviews have been more negative lately, but I feel it's necessary.

Today's review is also going to be more of a negative one, but unfortunately I had many issues with this book overall and it wouldn't be fair to anyone if I'm not honest about my opinions about it.

I do, however, want to express my gratitude to the team at Revell for allowing me to post my review so far after the release date. Unfortunately, I ended up receiving this book in the mail on the same day I ended up being hospitalized for what ended up being an appendectomy, and I'm beyond grateful they were so understanding about the delay.

Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick:

Source: Publisher as Part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: September 1st, 2020

Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical/Based on a True Story

Synopsis:

In 1853, Abigail Scott was a 19-year-old school teacher in Oregon Territory when she married Ben Duniway. Marriage meant giving up on teaching, but Abigail always believed she was meant to be more than a good wife and mother. When financial mistakes and an injury force Ben to stop working, Abigail becomes the primary breadwinner for her growing family. What she sees as a working woman appalls her, and she devotes her life to fighting for the rights of women, including their right to vote.

Following Abigail as she bears six children, runs a millinery and a private school, helps on the farm, writes novels, gives speeches, and eventually runs a newspaper supporting women's suffrage, Something Worth Doing explores issues that will resonate strongly with modern women: the pull between career and family, finding one's place in the public sphere, and dealing with frustrations and prejudices women encounter when they compete in male-dominated spaces. Based on a true story of a pioneer for women's rights from award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick will inspire you to believe that some things are worth doing--even when the cost is great.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I will be the first person to state that I'm not a fan of the modern feminist movement. However, I've always held a great deal of respect for the amazing women in history who fought so hard for the many things we so easily take for granted in this day and age. I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to vote, have the choice to have an occupation, and have the blessing to be seen as an equal in the eyes of the government. When I heard that this one was based on the true life story of one of America's most prominent suffragists, I definitely wanted to go ahead and give it a try.

Unfortunately, while I did enjoy learning so much about America's history that I had no idea about (like how the women's vote was so tied up in prohibition legalities), I have to be honest and state that this book overall wasn't at all what I was expecting. I wanted to be able to cheer for Abigail and the great strides she made despite such a modest start to her life, but I couldn't bring myself to because I thought she behaved awful throughout the entire story, and neglected God, her husband Ben and all of her children in her quest to see women gain the right to vote. Many times she chooses to leave her family for long periods of time because she feels her cause is more worthwhile, and often her only thought for her entire family is in how she can use them to advance her cause. I've rarely read about such a selfish character in my entire years of reviewing, and I couldn't believe that she left her family for ten months without a backwards glance, and left her daughter on her death bed to find more purpose in her cause.

I may admire the end results of Abigail's long fight for women's rights, but I can't say I admire her as a person at all. This entire novel has Abigail's quest come across as an idol she's built up the be the most important part of her life, and I had a hard time swallowing that, especially in a Christian fiction title.

I do appreciate how much research Jane Kirkpatrick put into this novel, and it will definitely leave you feeling like you've learned a lot within its pages. However, this one was not for me personally, and won't be one that I will be recommending.

Final Rating: 2/5.

Thanks so much to Revell publishing for allowing me to read and review this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) as part of the Revell Reads Blog Tour Program. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Have a great rest of your day guys :)