Isabella Bride of Ohio: American Mail Order Bride by Debra Parmley – Review by Christine Baranek

Isabella, Bride of Ohio by Debra Parmley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Isabella: Bride of Ohio, American Mail Order Bride
By Debra Parmley
5*

This is a very well written historical fiction novel. Isabella is a new immigrant to America from Sweden and sadness is all she knows in this new world. She arrived at Ellis Island with her parents, who were struck with an illness and had to quarantine upon their arrival. Unfortunately, they never made it off Ellis Island. She obtained work in a factory, however, it soon burned down and she was without a job. She finds a job as a housemaid when a friend brings her a mail order bride magazine, filled with notes from prospective men who are looking for brides. She begins to correspond with Mr. Jenks, a man from Ohio who promises her the life she has always dreamed of. She is promised a big house, with beautiful gardens and a white picket fence. He is saying all the right things and she is excited to travel to Ohio to meet him. He sends her the money to travel to Ohio to meet.
While on the train, Isabella is nearly abducted by men who wish to traffick her. A man she met on the train comes to her rescue. He says that he is not quite a constable, but he works with them. The chemistry she felt with him was undeniable and she cannot help but keep wishing that he had swept her of her feet and kissed her after rescuing her. She keeps finding herself daydreaming about him. However, she can’t stay focused on him long, as she has promised herself to Mr. Jenks and he is waiting for her when she gets to Ohio.
When she meets Mr. Jenks, she is overwhelmed by the urgency in his presence. He cares all about what she looks like and how she presents herself to his world. She finds herself agreeing to marry him and married all within the first week of meeting him. She feels that Mr. Jenks never heard her concerns or what she wanted. She was disappointed that she was unable to wear her mothers wedding gown as this is all she has ever dreamed off. And she was not allowed to carry her fathers Bible as it was deemed as too old looking.
Soon, Isabella feels that Mr. Jenks is changing before her eyes. He is becoming angry and quick to dismiss her. This isn’t the marriage she had dreamed of when she responded to his advertisement. She also can’t tell if she is beginning to imagine his coldness toward her. No one, not even Isabella could ever imagine what the future holds, however.
The relationship between Mr. Jenks and Isabella is the focus of this book. I have to say this book was very good. It did a great job portraying what I imagine the emotions are in being a mail order bride. It also did a really good job exploring complex relationships. I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book!

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