A Whimsical Romance: Out of the Ordinary by Jen Turano

Thursday, December 14, 2017






Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: Three out of Five hearts ♥♥♥

About: 

Gertrude Cadwalader is just about fed up with the antics of her employer, Mrs. Davenport. One of these days she is going to land Gertrude in a lot of trouble- which is just what happens. Caught red-handed, no one will believe Gertrude's innocence. No one, that is, except for rich (but known to society as "strange") Harrison Sinclair. 
Harrison has been fighting his attraction for Gertrude since the day he met her. They are great friends, but he struggles with realizing and letting her know she's become something more. 
With adventures and escapades around every corner, it just goes to show that Harrison and Gertrude are definitely out of the ordinary.

                                         My Review: 

I've read and reviewed Mrs. Turano's books several times before, with mixed results. One got a good review, the other one- well, not not quite as good. I've just never been to get into the writing style and plots of these novels (perhaps because these are more comedic books, and I've never been one for that type of book. I like more natural humor in the stories I read, instead of humor being one f the main points of the story). However, halfway through this one, I decided to do something different. As I waited for the rest of my family to arrive for Thanksgiving dinner, I read Out of the Ordinary and tried to forget the things I didn't like as much. Instead, I endeavored to imagine this as not only a book but a true story, something that had really happened. And it worked. I got into what I was reading, and could enjoy the story the way the author intended it to be enjoyed. No, the book still isn't a favorite of mine, but when I treated it like a true story and forgot all the things I disliked about it, I could enjoy what I was reading and give you a better, more unbiased review than I previously could have. 

Yes, the story has its flaws. The characters tend to explain things that are happening, instead of letting the story speak for itself. That writing rule I understand writers have- you know, show, don't tell- is kind of ignored here. And if you like that sort of thing, great! I have a feeling that that is one of the things loyal reader love about Mrs. Turano's writing; it just isn't my thing so much. And some of the happenings in the novel are kind of unrealistic- not things you'd see happening in your daily life. However, the characters  and their unnatural circumstances tend to be charming, in all their unusual-ness. Yes, the things that happen in Out of the Ordinary may not be things that would (or could) actually happen, but they lead you on a humorous romp through Gertrude and Harrison's world while incorporating things that we all struggle with- forgiveness, accepting God's love, being different.

Gertrude, Harrison, Mrs. Davenport... all are characters you'll remember if you've read the first book in the Apart from the Crowd series. And don't worry- there are lots of other appearances from other beloved characters. Of all the characters in the first novel, though, Gertude and Harrison were the two I preferred, and wished to see a happy ending for. They were made for each other (even though they may not admit it at first), and love all the things about each other that others see as strange, or even as flaws. One other thing I liked about this book was that Harrison seems to suffer from being color-blind. It's never really addressed (only his unique clothing and color choices are), but I thought it was a neat and different thing to have in a historical novel (or any book, for that matter), where being color-blind may not have even been a thing yet. 

While this book may never be a favorite of mine, it was worth reading something different for a change, and if you like comedic adventures (with a bit of mystery) this may just be the book for you. 


Note: I got this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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