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Science Fiction & Fantasy |
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Catching Katie (Class F)
written by Robin Lee Hatcher
Studio : Center Point Large Print
by Center Point Large Print
Publisher : Center Point Large Print
Released : 2004-10-31
Availability : Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks and eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9781585474738
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 6 reviews)
Our Price : $28.95
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Product Description |
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In 1916 Idaho, Katie Jones has dedicated her life to the campaign for women's suffrage. Until now she has successfully avoided the ties of marriage, fearing it would obscure her message. Will her growing love for childhood chum Ben Rafferty compromise her calling? |
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A Great Read |
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I absoloutely loved this book!!! It's by far my favorite christian romance book. Katie was an inspiring character and you couldn't help but love Benjie. Though it was a little predictable, it's still a great read. I highly recommend it!! |
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The Christianized version of Kiss Me, Katie (and I like that title better), 2.5 stars |
This book took awhile to get going, and when it did, it didn't last long, because once Ben and Katie married (in haste, I may add, but one has to take the time period in which this was set into consideration), it went downhill from there. So, even though I understand why Katie married Ben (for different reasons, at least at first, from why he married her), I think they should have had an understanding that they would wait until they were both in it for the right reasons before they slept together, the result of which almost ended their marriage (not in divorce, because that just wasn't done back then, but in separation). I liked Ben up until he found out she was with child, then all of a sudden, he wanted her to lose and move back home to Homestead, give up her career, everything. I really think he trapped her into marrying him, not intentionally, but then, she didn't have to say yes, either, though her reputation would have been ruined.
Anyway, I found Ben to be a selfish man (though he genuinely did love Katie, it was with a selfish love he loved her, because he kept trying to make what he wanted what she wanted). I think Katie should have put off a husband and children, or at least children, to pursue her career, like many women do today--get it out of her system first--and then work on building their families.
Of course, Ben wanted to get married and have children right then, but I believe both parties should wait until both parties are ready. That's the problem with many people today. They think nothing of bringing a child into the world, but the decision not to have a child is considered colossal.
I think Ben and Katie would have been better off remaining friends. She should have stayed single and lived in Washington, which had become her home, and if Ben couldn't fall in love with Charlotte, he could have kept looking. I mean, what's the rush? This book made it sound like just because you were in love, that was reason enough to get married. Then, if Katie ever grew tired of Washington and wanted to settle down and hadn't already married a Senator or something, and Ben was still single (or widowed) and living in Homestead, then they could have married.
I did enjoy Ms. Hatcher's use of scripture to show that God would be in favor of woman's suffrage, even if she did cherry pick, for, for every verse that's puts women equal with men, there's at least one more that doesn't, but Christian publishers don't want to publish a fiction novel that even mentions the less savory parts of the Bible instead of the happy, feel-good parts, and that's understandable. I think doing so would take away from the spirit of the book. Sometimes it's good to be a Pollyanna.
This book showed the positive side of feminism, but also how getting married can keep a woman from not pursuing, but accomplishing other interests (though not in Katie's case--her dream was just put on hold for a decade).
Overall, this book was decently written, but Katie's newspaper column and candidacy speech came across as generic. She said the right things, and with passion, but there was just something lacking in them that kept them from being truly inspirational and enlightening.
The best thing about this book was that it was about true feminism--not the kind of feminism National Organization of Women (NOW) puts out. All they care about is abortion. Now, women can dress like hookers and have to hold out their own chair.
Anyway, the worst thing I can say about this book is the nickname Benjie. It reminded me of the dog.
If that's the worst I can say, it wasn't that bad. Katie is likeable, but forgettable. |
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Make it stop! |
This was a HARD book to finish.
I never expected "Catching Katie" to be a literary masterpiece, yet somehow I still ended up utterly disappointed. This was my first Robin Lee Hatcher book, and I have to say, I am not motivated to read any of her others.
The largest and most obvious offense that this novel commits is the horrible cliché dialogue and narration - I literally groaned ALOUD several times per chapter at how cheesy and just plain ridiculous the writing was. I was SHOCKED to discover that with such aweful writing, Hatcher had once been the president of the Romance Writers of America!
The characters are so one-dimensional that they are downright unlikable - EVERY wholesome historical novel has the exact same characters! Their personalities and interactions were so predictable that I practically could have read this book with my eyes closed.
One redeeming quality about this book is the historical detail - the author did her homework on the Women's suffrage and American culture in the early 20th century. However, many times her narration begins to smack of a textbook passage - the detail is a bit too obvious for my liking.
One other positive thing I have to say about the novel is that the plot is slightly more original and has more twists than you might first suspect. It keeps you reading - but just barely.
Overall, I would not recommend this book. Do yourself a favor and go find something more intelligent, enjoyable, and flawlessly beautiful - I recommend books by Deeanne Gist and Liz Curtis Higgs.
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Light and Easy |
I'd never read anything by Hatcher before, but "Catching Katie" makes me want to read all her novels. Hatcher's style is easygoing, and moves along while it still gives details. Unlike some genre novelists, she could be called a "good" writer, as well as someone who knows how to tell a good tale.
There's nothing very deep about this novel; it's a tale of a woman fighting her heart, and trying to balance career with love. But it's the perfect novel to read when you just want to get away from the world for a while. |
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A Delightful and Fresh Take on the Historical Romance |
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For many years, one-time president of Romance Writers of America Robin Lee Hatcher wrote bestselling romance novels, including KISS ME, KATIE, about a young Idahoan fighting for a woman's right to vote. While Hatcher had accepted Christ in 1976, in the early 1990s she began to walk closer with Jesus, and she began reading inspirational fiction. She realized that she wanted to write novels that fit her new ideals and that some of her previous books could be tailored to fit her new writing model. Thus, her latest book, CATCHING KATIE, is her fifth "redeemed" one (Hatcher's term), an update of KISS ME, KATIE that incorporates a strong faith story into its romance. Katie Jones is a graduate of Vassar College and has spent several years in Washington, D.C. lobbying on behalf of women's suffrage. She decides to move back home to Idaho, a state that had granted women suffrage in the late 19th century, in order to build momentum there --- and perhaps a platform for her own ambitions, although she's not completely aware of them as she rattles into the town of Homestead in her newfangled Model T Ford, nicknamed "Susan B" after Katie's hero. What she is aware of is her burning desire to accomplish her goal of universal suffrage, and she doesn't consider what anyone else will think as she begins to do so. Her dear childhood friend, Ben Rafferty, is now the editor of the Homestead Herald, and Katie immediately "applies" to write a column about the subject closest to her heart. However, before she knows what's happening, that subject of her heart has changed --- it's become Ben. His former engagement broken off, it seems there's nothing to stand in the way of the childhood sweethearts getting married. In fact, they do (I won't spoil why, or how), but that doesn't solve the real dilemma for Katie, which is how to reconcile her feminist principles with marriage. Hatcher tackles this subject head-on, by providing insight into the history of women's rights and by grounding Katie in a solid, no-nonsense pioneer Christian spirituality. Pioneer tradition had to acknowledge women as powerful and equal, because the work of building towns like Homestead couldn't have been done without them. It's small wonder that Idaho had early women's suffrage, and it's small wonder that Katie has no qualms about being seen as equal to men before marriage. Of course, given the opinions of so many around her and given the culture of her era, Katie finds that once she and Ben are married in the eyes of God and man, she has a much more difficult time understanding herself. Fortunately, Hatcher helps the reader understand all sides of the issue, and grounds the conclusion in Scriptural as well as historical terms (for example, she demonstrates that many serious Christian women were also serious suffragettes; the movement was not filled with atheists and agnostics). While Hatcher herself clearly believes that Christian marriage is about mutual submission and not about male dominance, she also clearly believes in the primacy of her relationship with Jesus Christ. Even readers who disagree with her views on men and women will find this tale of a bubbly young lady growing into womanhood a delightful and fresh take on the historical romance. --- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick |
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