September 27

Gap Creek: The Story of a Marriage (1999)
By Robert Morgan

Young Julie Harmon is the strongest one in her family.  She does the men's work, whether it's chopping wood or slaughtering a hog.  She's seen her share of sorrows growing up in hardcrapple North Carolina: her little brother dies of fever and her father dies from a tuberculosis-like illness. Hank Richards shows up in town one day and, apparently impressed by 17-year-old Julie's work ethic, proposes.  The two are married and travel across the state line to Gap Creek, SC, moving into a room in a widower's house, exchanging lodging for housekeeping.  Hank loses his job in a brick factory and the young couple live off food gathered from the land, whether wild turkeys or "taters".  The landlord is burned in a kitchen fire and ultimately dies, though probably not directly due to his injuries.   The couple face more problems: scammers, a drunk neighbor, a premature birth, damaging storms, and even a critical mother-in-law - but they also find friendship in their church and Julie never loses hope, supporting and encouraging her husband, showing a maturity way beyond her years, and trusting in the Lord.

Julie's voice is strong, authentic and memorable.

September 16

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848)
By Anne Bronte

This wordy, but ultimately satisfying, story is written in the form of a letter from narrator Gilbert Markham to a close friend, and within the letter is the contents of a diary by Helen Huntington (Graham).

Gilbert is a country squire in 1820s England.  He manages his family's small estate and socializes with a close circle of friends.  Into his quiet neighborhood appears the elegant young widow Helen Graham and her young son Arthur.  Initially attracted by her beauty, Gilbert becomes intrigued by the woman's mysterious past, and befriends both mother and son.  A friendship develops, but Helen warns it must go no further.  The village, initially welcoming to Helen, hears rumors that she may not actually be a widow, and they spurn her.  Gilbert defends Helen, but is eventually rebuffed by her.  Jealous of Helen's too-friendly landlord, Gilbert knocks Mr Lawrence from his horse, resulting in a serious injury.  Later calling on Mr Lawrence to offer an apology, the two men (surprisingly) develop a close friendship.    Meanwhile Helen feels she must leave the area, but offers to share her diary with Gilbert beforehand.  He eagerly reads her personal story, which reveals her struggles in a marriage to an unfaithful and dissolute "gentleman".   She has remained faithful - if overly pious and judgmental - despite her husband's philandering with a close friend and his mounting debts and mental cruelty.

But Helen's fortunes will change - both in terms of her husband's health and her own wealth.

I like the writing style, and the way the narrator wraps up the story, first by giving updates on all of the other characters (who basically get what they deserve!), and then revealing to the reader the end of his own story.