Bittersweet

By: Nevada Barr

Narrated by: Linda Stephens

Length: 16 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling author Nevada Barr delights contemporary mystery fans with novels like Deep South and Blood Lure. In Bittersweet, she departs the mystery genre for a touching story of hardship, perseverance, and love in the old West.

When strong-willed schoolteacher Imogene Grelznik is forced from Philadelphia by scandal, the only position she can find is in rural Pennsylvania. There she meets Sarah, a beautiful young student whose bright light of potential is on the verge of being extinguished by her father's arrangement to marry her off to an abusive, unfeeling man. Branded as lovers, Imogene and Sarah must flee to Nevada amidst suspicion and accusation. In a place of utter desolation, the two women struggle to love and care for each other as they seek freedom from prejudice and intolerance.

Bittersweet showcases Nevada Barr's powerful storytelling and strong, compassionate characters. Linda Stephens' heartfelt narration captures all the emotional depth of a story featuring life at its harshest, and at its most beautiful.

©2004 Recorded Books (P)2004 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Barr has drawn on women's diaries from the Old West to bring detail to this unusual romance. The result is an intriguing story, sensitive and authentic-sounding, and far different from what is usually considered a Western novel." (The Miami Herald)
"The novel...is tender and gentle in its exploration of commitment between two women, especially in days when females were expected to live out their narrow lives doing exhausting work and obeying their husbands." (St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch)
"A solid, unabashed piece of writing that glows with authenticity." (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

A bit long

I too thought that it was a bit drawn-out and that the characters could have been a bit more well-developed- particularly with regard to Imogene's past- and the relationship between the two women could have been more detailed, but I suppose that helps the book to appeal to the general public. One of this novel's strengths is that this ambiguity will help it appeal to a wider audience who would not normally be exposed to descriptions of the sort of true love described in the narrative. Large parts of the story are quite depressing, though!

A tough read

If you’re a fan of Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series like me, Bittersweet may be a disappointment. I found it to be a long slog of a sad story with patriarchal violence as the primary action theme. As always, Nevada Barr’s well-researched detail and interesting characters were credible, but unfortunately the story itself felt like it dragged on and on.

A Love Story

This was a long, beautiful, heart wrenching love story. The main characters faced numerous and immense obstacles, met them head on, and managed to survive their trials with grace and dignity. It was at times a hard story to listen to. The injustice and misogyny made me angry - but those were the way of things in those times. I'm left feeling a bit sad, a bit hopeful, and ultimately satisfied.

Entertaining enough.

This story is very entertaining to listen to, although I would of prefered more relationship development between Imogene and Sarah. Overall a highly recommened listen!

great book

I could not take off my ear phonne

Excellent

Simple and lovely love story. Harsh rugged life for two women who were willing to live a life removed generally from society so that they could be together. What they had to do to fool society so they could live that life. Violence in that one of the women was beaten by her husband. Lots of loss, especially regarding children.

Not up to Nevada Barr's regular standards

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Make it more interesting

Would you recommend Bittersweet to your friends? Why or why not?

Not really. It was a little boring. Not what I am used to with Navada Barr.

Did Linda Stephens do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Pretty much.

What would have made this romance irresistible?

Not into lesbian romance.

Any additional comments?

Although I listened to the whole thing, The last chapter was the best.

Tug at the heart strings

If you could sum up Bittersweet in three words, what would they be?

unexpected, thought provoking, and heart warming

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bittersweet?

The first hint of mutual attraction between Imogene and Sarah

Which scene was your favorite?

When they moved away.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I got teary eyed a few times.

Any additional comments?

It is hard to imagine the difficulties people went through before acceptance has become the norm.

I'm sad....I miss them....

I was absolutely enthralled by this book and loved the characters - I miss them and just finished the book. I understand a lot of the information was actually taken from women's diaries of this time period - it makes me sad to realize how women have been treated throughout history. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants a good story and a peak into history. I gave it only 4 stars because I did feel it was a little drawn out at times - droned on and on in some areas that there was no need - and some of the facts were a little off. Other than that I highly recommend - ENJOY!

Wonderful

This is a wonderful book, opens eyes to what life must have been like for a large group of people in history. It is sad to me that Audible seems to have chosen this one book to represent Lesbian Fiction. Hope it sells well so that Audible will open up to more.