Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Wow, this book was so bad I actually feel angry at the friend who recommended it. As other reviewers here have said, the book is poorly written (full of cliches, uses a format that is unconvincing), the characters are one-dimensional (embarrassing stereotypes, unconvincing motivations), and the dialogue and plot read like a third-rate romance novel. I am stunned by 1) the terribly shallow presumptions about women's interior lives, thoughts, and motivations; 2) the corny treatment of love and sex; 3) the voluminous, vicarious depictions of rape and; 4) the insanely retrograde ethnic stereotypes, not only of the "brides" but of the Indians (noble savages to drunken savages). Finally, the motivations of the main character just do not ring true, and she is the only character who is flushed out enough to have any interior life. I can't help but think that the author just lacks imagination (including the ability to imagine another person's motivations, but also an ability to create a world outside of stale, rehashed tropes). I'm actually mad at myself for wasting the time to finish the book.