Rating: Decent
Annabel Chapman is the youngest of
three children and the only daughter to a once wealthy merchant. Each year the
villagers of Glynval must assist in the harvest. To forego this duty, Annabel’s
father paid an annual censum. Losing his ships in a storm, then soon after, Mr.
Chapman succumbs to the pestilence outbreak leaving his family penniless.
Unwilling to partake of the harvest toil, Roberta Chapman bribes the village’s
corrupt steward allowing her family to neglect their share of labor for three
years. Lord le Wyse, the new lord of Glynval, demands repayment of the
Chapman’s shirked duties. In exchange
for paying the family’s fines and to avoid working in the fields, Annabel’s
oldest brother Edward, promises her in marriage to Bailiff Tom, a friend of her
father’s. Unbeknownst to Edward, Tom intends to cover only Annabel’s fees. “Her
brother has arranged for her to marry me in exchange for paying her censum”
(34).
As a means to repay their debt and
retain their house and property, one of the Chapman children must serve in the
new Lord’s manor home for three years. Annabel a true “Angel in the house”
sacrifices herself to provide for her lazy, self-serving family and accepts the
indentured servitude in Lord le Wyse’s household. While under the subjugation
of Lord le Wyse, Annabel discovers much about her “beastly” Lord and is soon
“mesmerized by his scars, eye patch, and maimed hand” (53). Unperturbed by
Annabel’s rejection, Bailiff Tom is determined to have Annabel. Unaware of the lurking
dangers, Annabel suffers an unfortunate incident leading to a dramatic
unfolding.
The Merchant’s Daughter is a retelling of
Beauty and the Beast. Forgiveness, faith, hope, and love are the themes
threaded throughout the novel. I found the book dragging in several spots, as
well as, the central conflict lacking climatic action. The characters were
barely tolerable especially Annabel, who in addition to suffering from timidity,
possesses zero gumption. Dickerson overemphasized Annabel’s desire to read the
Bible. Her longing to study the Holy Writ seemed to be mentioned on every other
page. The novel ended with too many loose ends. With the impending marriage how
did Beatrice feel or treat Annabel? How is Annabel’s marriage going to affect
her family? Would the family’s debt be forgiven or would Lord le Wyse require
one of her brothers to complete the indentured servitude? Would Annabel provide
financially for her family or would she make them work? On a positive note, I will close with
a nice line from the novel, “Trust me, dear girl, you were born for love, for
loving and caring and healing” (152).
**Quotes taken
from ARC**
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