Review of Destiny Cottage
Posted: 22 Jul 2021, 12:12
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Destiny Cottage" by Dieter Gartelmann.]
Destiny Cottage, written by Dieter Gartelmann, is the heartwarming love story of a woman named Baozhai and a man named Wei. It takes place in the nineteenth century in China and Australia. Li Baozhai (whose name means precious hairpin) fled from home because when she was fourteen, her father told her he found her a husband. She was resourceful and charming and managed to start a business cooking and selling food. She became a great cook and businesswoman able to look after herself; her loving mother (Mother Li) visited from time to time. When Wang Wei saw Baozhai selling food, he felt struck by her beauty. Wang Wei had been married before, but his wife left him because they were poor. He decided that he would try his luck at the Australian gold mines, and throughout the book, readers follow the couple as they seek a new life in Australia.
I found positive and negative aspects worth mentioning in this novel. Starting with the positives, what I liked the most about the book was the author’s vibrant description of the settings. Gartelmann does a great job of transporting readers to entirely different places. He also conveys Chinese and Australian cultural backgrounds in vivid detail, and we do feel as if we were in the nineteenth century. For instance, I appreciated that Sun Tzu’s sayings got mentioned. There are also maps of the regions the couple explores, which I enjoyed. Above all, the author gives readers a credible and nuanced view of Chinese and Australian customs at the time, providing a lively and rich description of the places Wei and Baozhai visit.
On the other hand, speaking of negatives, I felt that the author overdid the description of the couple’s sexual involvement; Wei and Baozhai’s sexual relations get described in detail. This aspect of the novel was what I liked the least, for I thought that these passages could have been more charmingly (and less explicitly) portrayed. In short, I found the erotic parts a bit cheesy, and I believe the book would benefit from toning them down a little.
Lastly, I rate Destiny Cottage 3 out of 4 stars. I am taking a star away because I thought the novel would be better if the romantic parts were less explicitly and more charmingly depicted. It seems professionally edited, for I only found a few mistakes in it. I believe the story will appeal to those who enjoy adventure and romance. Due to its sexual content, it is a book for adults.
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Destiny Cottage
View: on Bookshelves
Destiny Cottage, written by Dieter Gartelmann, is the heartwarming love story of a woman named Baozhai and a man named Wei. It takes place in the nineteenth century in China and Australia. Li Baozhai (whose name means precious hairpin) fled from home because when she was fourteen, her father told her he found her a husband. She was resourceful and charming and managed to start a business cooking and selling food. She became a great cook and businesswoman able to look after herself; her loving mother (Mother Li) visited from time to time. When Wang Wei saw Baozhai selling food, he felt struck by her beauty. Wang Wei had been married before, but his wife left him because they were poor. He decided that he would try his luck at the Australian gold mines, and throughout the book, readers follow the couple as they seek a new life in Australia.
I found positive and negative aspects worth mentioning in this novel. Starting with the positives, what I liked the most about the book was the author’s vibrant description of the settings. Gartelmann does a great job of transporting readers to entirely different places. He also conveys Chinese and Australian cultural backgrounds in vivid detail, and we do feel as if we were in the nineteenth century. For instance, I appreciated that Sun Tzu’s sayings got mentioned. There are also maps of the regions the couple explores, which I enjoyed. Above all, the author gives readers a credible and nuanced view of Chinese and Australian customs at the time, providing a lively and rich description of the places Wei and Baozhai visit.
On the other hand, speaking of negatives, I felt that the author overdid the description of the couple’s sexual involvement; Wei and Baozhai’s sexual relations get described in detail. This aspect of the novel was what I liked the least, for I thought that these passages could have been more charmingly (and less explicitly) portrayed. In short, I found the erotic parts a bit cheesy, and I believe the book would benefit from toning them down a little.
Lastly, I rate Destiny Cottage 3 out of 4 stars. I am taking a star away because I thought the novel would be better if the romantic parts were less explicitly and more charmingly depicted. It seems professionally edited, for I only found a few mistakes in it. I believe the story will appeal to those who enjoy adventure and romance. Due to its sexual content, it is a book for adults.
******
Destiny Cottage
View: on Bookshelves