Review of The Promise

[Harty Muli]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Promise" by Angie Morrow.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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In 1690, a fourteen-year-old boy named Marcello James Margenetti survived the Black Plague, a ravaging disease that had decimated his whole family and village. Alone and helpless, the young boy’s only hope was a promise given to him by his dying father. The promise was from God, who said he’d always care for their family if they gave to the church to benefit the orphans, widows, neighbors, friends, and even their enemies. As proof of God’s covenant to Marcello through his father, Marcello and his descendants would always have children who looked exactly like their ancestors.

As the years went by, identical progenies were born and bore the hereditary title of “Marco.” As fate would have it, one such progeny was a girl, Elizabeth Angelina Antonio Marcello James Margenetti (EJ), of mixed African and European ancestry, who was born with identical looks as Marcello, the first Marco.

I enjoyed the novel The Promise by Angie Morrow because it featured a strong female protagonist who fought against the stereotypical portrayal of people of color and women. It was hard to accept that EJ’s father, Marco XVI, didn’t want her to inherit the title just because she was a woman. Moreover, within EJ’s large extended family, it was tragic that only her great-grandfather, Marco XV, took a stand against the discrimination meted out to EJ and her mother, Delores.

On the other hand, I disliked the book’s poor editing. I also thought the author, as a female writer, could have empowered her female readers more by including more active female characters. In a few instances, for example, EJ kept wondering why she was always surrounded by men attending to her, such as bodyguards. As an influential and dynamic female leader, I would have wanted to see EJ change that trend and appoint more women in place of those men. As a result of these two weaknesses, I rated the book 3 out of 5 stars.

If you are looking for inspiration, this is a terrific book to read, especially for female readers. I see the book promoting female leadership roles and inspiring the next generation of young girls and women. At the same time, it’s unsuitable for readers who dislike profanity in their novels.

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The Promise
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