The Reckless Oath We Made discussion

Starting on August 23rd.

Thank, Diane. There is not a table of contents, but I took a look and there are 62 chapters. Thirds roughly break down as :

Ch 1-20
Ch 21- 39
Ch 40 - End .
How does that sound?

Thanks Diane.

Your suggestion works for me, Angela.

I’m looking forward to reading this one.

Hi Lise , hope you are well, haven’t seen you much here , so I suspect you are busy at work.

Hope this is a good one!

Thanks Angela. For once, work has not been keeping me busy. I’ve been on the second part of my summer holidays which has been a trip to Northern Ireland and Edinburgh. We head home in a couple of days. It’s been a great trip, but very busy.

I too am looking forward to this one.

Sounds fabulous! Enjoy the rest of your time there!

Starting this one this morning. Hope we all enjoy it!

I’ll be a little behind. I probably won’t start it until tomorrow or maybe later tonight if I finish the one I’m reading. Hope we love it, too.

No worries, Angela. I don't think I'll get through the first part until later today or tonight. I must say that it's not grabbing me so far, although I've read less than 10%.

Uh oh ! Hope it improves, otherwise it will be a long slog at almost 450 pages !

Well, I just finished chapter 20, and I don't know what I think.

It feels like two different stories. I'm not particularly enjoying the part of the plot that focuses on the disappearance of Zee's sister and Zee's family. But Gentry, his family and his relationship with Zee are growing on me. I really like Gentry and his mother -- although I do wonder whether autism could ever manifest as it does in Gentry.

I think I understand how these two sides to the stories are necessary to each other, but Zee's troubled family seems a bit too over the top to me.

I'm not loving it, but there's enough to make me want to keep reading for now.

Lise, I’ll read your comments when I read the first chapters . I’m not starting until tomorrow, but will try to catch up over the weekend.

I've read the first twenty. The first 10% I wasn't sure, but now I'm liking it alot. Z certainly has her hands full. But it's Gentry who has won my heart. I love his character, though like you Esil not sure if this is autistic behavior, but his entry makes this book different and original as well as entertaining. I'm sure he's higher on the spectrum since he drives and seems very capable, if one can be a rain man why not a medieval knight. I like little Marcus too.

One of my eldest daughters friends parents were hoarders. So sad, their son committed suicide at 19 and his sister was messed up in drugs for years. Hard way for kids to live.

Love how Gentry called their house the dragons lair and all her stuff the dragons board. The police were knaves and scoundrels. Too amusing.

Oh and I want my own knight. Wouldn't that be grand?

Starting it today. Diane, I’ll read your comments later , too.

Read a little into the second part and now Im hoping it doesnt turn into a romancy soap opera.

Lise, my son and dil just came back from Ireland. I'm so jealous, I hope you had a great time.

I just finished the second part.

I still have mixed feelings about it. The part out at Gentry's freinds' place felt a bit like a dark adult fairy tale, and then the part at Zee's uncle's place feels like Appalachian noir reminding me of Bull Mountain. It's dark and gritty, except for Gentry who is too good to be true. As I say, I'm having mixed feelings. I like parts of it, but I'm not sure how well it's coming together for me. And I'm really not sure I like where it's going. I suspect it's going to get quite violent.

Diane -- that's so sad about your daughter's friend's family. I could see how hoarding would be hard for the whole family. I do feel like this author throws in every imaginable problem for Zee's family.

I hope your son had a great trip. We were in Northern Ireland this time, where we hiked along the north coast for several days. It was incredibly beautiful and interesting, and the people we met were great hosts. If you get the chance, it's a great place to visit.

I probably won't have a chance to finish this one until tomorrow. We're going to be picking my daughter up from camp shortly where she worked all summer. We will have a few days with her, and then she's off to university. Which makes us empty nesters -- at least until one of our kids comes back home to live...

I read the first 20 chapters and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Dysfunction and quirkyness . While I like Gentry , I don’t get how the knight thing or his way of speaking has to do with autism. I agree that Zee has her hands full and I kind of feel for her. I just don’t know what to make of Gentry.
I’ll keep reading , but I’m not loving it . Hoping it gets better .

Glad you had a wonderful trip , Lise .

So sad about that family, Diane.

I've finished the next part. Not sure either, sometimes I like it, sometimes I think it's over the top. P!us the premise? She's going to storm the citadel and she's going to rescue her sister? A little ridiculous, no? So I think the KKK criminals are Saladin and Z, Gentry and Ed are the Templars. I'm listening to the Templers now, so it fit. I still like Gentry but don't know enough about autism to see if his character is even possible.

I got through ch 40 and it was a struggle even with skimming. Over the top is a good way to describe it, Diane. Since I’ve gotten this far, I’ll get through the rest, but not until tomorrow. The Middle English is annoying me - lol. Maybe just not in the mood for this kind of story.

Might have not been as irritating if the book was shorter. A long story to tackle that kind of style.

I just finished it. “Over the top” is a perfect way to describe it.

The whole shooting scene at the place where Zee’s sister was being held was ridiculously over the top. It was so unrealistic that Gentry could get the best of four career criminals. And then that he can hold his own in prison is again over the top. And that not much is made of Zee’s lie about not being involved in the shootings didn’t make sense.

I liked the end a bit more — how Zee looked after Marcus and tried to make repairs with Gentry, but overall I don’t think it was for me. I didn’t love this one. It will probably be 3 stars for me.

Thinking ahead, there are lots of good books coming out this fall.

Any interest in reading Alice Hoffman’s The World that We Knew or Jojo Moyes’ The Giver of Stars? The weekends of September 7 or 21 would be best for me.

By the way, I’ve just been reading reviews from Bryn Garwood’s previous book All the Ugly and Beautiful Things, and it seems that people loved or hated it. She seems to be good at choosing topics that stir controversy. It also seems that Garwood’s own father probably spent some time in jail given that he’s described as a reformed drug dealer.

2.5 stars for me not rounding up. Over the top and convoluted. That just might be my review.
Bottom line is that this was just not for me . I know that Gentry went to Arkansas on his own, but what a mess Zee made . I really don’t know what else to say.!


Either date in September and either book works for me. Btw , I will probably have to take a pass on October unless we read on the first weekend Oct 5 . My sister in law is visiting on the weekend of the 12th so I won’t have a lot of time that weekend.I’m having cataract surgery on Oct 16th and 30th so not sure how it will be to read. Glad I started audiobooks! My ophthalmologist says they are not too bad and I could wait if I want, but I’ve noticed a change in my vision when driving, especially at night- a lot of glare.
I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it, but I have glaucoma and it is under control having had surgeries and I still use drops in one eye. At the time of the cateract surgery in my left eye , the doctor will implant a microscopic stent that might alleviate the need for at least one of the drops. So I’m going for the surgery now in hopes of improving my driving vision.

Since I've been reading so many non fiction books I've had a hard time with fiction. Except for my mysteries, which I seem to be doing okay with. You're both going to be surprised but i loved this. Yes, it was over the top, unrealistic but to me it's a modern day adult fairy tale. Z. Coming from a family of crime, relatives friends with the KKK has as a defender Sir Gentry. I fell hard for Gentry. Anyway, I think this is a clever book, and i didn't read her first, not my type of subject matter. P!us, it was entertaining to me. So, my rating will be a 4. I think its all reading perspective, if you take it seriously and expect realism you're going to dislike it, if you read it for fun one might feel differently.

How about the seventh and the Hoffman book?

Early October is okay with me, maybe Moyes for then?

Didn't know they could implant stents in eyes. I started audio books in case of the same eventuality, my eyes just seem to get tired more easily but so far my vision is okay. Wishing you well my friend, hugs and much luck.

I think I liked it a tad more than you did, Angela, but I agree with your general perspective. I’ll be posting my review shortly.

I’m sorry to hear about the surgery and the glaucoma. But it sounds like the surgery might really help in the long run. Yes, thank goodness for audiobooks. I’ll be interested to see what you end up deciding to listen to.

Subject to what Diane has to say, maybe we could read the Hoffman book the weekend of September 7th, and Moyes the weekend of October 5th.

Diane — we seem to have been writing at the same time! On the dates for our next books, great minds think alike :)

Also, I love to hear your reaction to this one. I know what you mean about not expecting realism but I just couldn’t suspend disbelief when we got to the parts of the story where Gentry got involved in the shootings and how he survived his time in jail.

I think it’s one of those rare books where our reactions are very different. 2, 3 and 4 stars!

I so much enjoy these buddy reads. You’re both great reading companions!

Thanks, my friends!

Lise , you did like it more and Diane , you liked it a lot more . Looking forward to your reviews. I just couldn’t take the Middle English after while!

Sept 7 for Hoffman and Oct 5 for Moyes , it is !

Here is my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Mine https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Our next link
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...