Belonging
Grade : B

Belonging is a very good piece of women's fiction, but it is not a romance. A romance, to me, has the development of the relationship between the hero and the heroine as the primary focus (haven't we discussed this at length many times at AAR?). In Belonging, romance elements play such a small role that they could have been removed and the book would have been just as (and maybe even more) engrossing.

Rebecca Urquhart left her successful career and comfortable lifestyle suddenly, when she had an emotional upheaval. She leaves her past behind and makes plans to spend a month or two at Arlondach - a cherished family home that is now a comfortable inn. When Rebecca arrives at Arlondach, she finds her cousin Tony, who has been running Arlondach with his wife, Una, has taken off for parts unknown with another woman, leaving Una holding the bag. Not only does Una have the inn to worry about, but Tony also left her while he was finalizing the start of a new venture - outdoor leadership training for executives. Rebecca, being the efficient, take-charge woman that she is, jumps in with both feet to give Una a hand running both the inn and the outdoor adventure business.

I am not going to go into too much detail about the main male protagonist, Dan McGee. He plays a very small role in the scheme of things, and is actually involved with another woman for at least one third of the book. He is one of the instructors for the leadership training courses, and becomes more and more involved with life at Arlondach despite his best attempts not to.

Rebecca is my favorite kind of heroine. Strong, honest, and confident - the kind who succeeds in both a man's and a woman's world. She admits her mistakes and flaws openly, and finds humor in them. There are other things to like about this book - the secondary female characters, the day-to-day life so painstakingly described, the way the emotions of the characters are such an integral and real part of every page. I liked how the focus of the book was on the growth of several women (especially Rebecca and Una) - how they all become self-sufficient and confident in themselves.

Unfortunately the men did not fare so well. Dan not only cruelly dumps the other woman he is involved with, but he becomes almost emotionally abusive to Rebecca when he is in a tense situation - he calls her a bitch on more than one occasion. When it comes to the men in the book, Dan is actually the best of the lot, (except for Fritz, a new doctor in town who is only present for a page or two). The rest of the men in this book are all womanizers, sexist pigs, or big, dumb, cheerful guys. I love seeing women become whole people on their own, but I don't like seeing men be made less than they are. Aside from the book's male-bashing tendencies, the author's ability to describe day-to-day life became a liability. At times the narrative dragged due to the lengthy descriptions of hotel life.

Belonging is a worthwhile book to read. Each page has parts to savor, although not not the bitch parts. The end is a shining moment for womanhood. Rebecca is a heroine that I wish all heroines were more like - her self-esteem remains wonderfully intact throughout the whole book. I'm hoping that next time Ms. Raife creates a hero to match.

Reviewed by Rebecca Ekmark
Grade : B
Book Type: Fiction

Sensuality: Kisses

Review Date : June 9, 1999

Publication Date: 1999

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Rebecca Ekmark

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