Petals on the River, by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (review)

It’s been a while I haven’t had so much trouble getting into a book as with Petals on the River. The fact that this romance exceeds 500 pages wasn’t very encouraging, either. But because it’s Woodiwiss, I ploughed on and waited for the magic to happen. Wise decision! I didn’t regret it.

But before I explain why in more details, once again let me add a little context for my friends who might be new to romance. First of all, while people often like to mention Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer as the precursors of today’s romance writers, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss is the one who, in the 70′s, pioneered in the actual subgenre now known as “historical romance” (at the time distinct from the Regency subgenre). Her recipe? Rebellious heroines, lots of adventure, passion, violence and explicit sex in a 600-page format.

At the time, Regency romances were shorter, lighter, and devoid of sexual content (in other words, much closer to the style of Jane Austen). Only in the 90′s did historical romance’s influence permeate Regency romance, with authors now writing “historicals” in Regency settings, and Regency romance becoming more of a (sub)subgenre within historical romance, albeit with its specificity―Regency romance remains usually lighter, with less drama and more emphasis on banter and witty dialogue than, say, medieval romance, or Woodiwiss’s colonial America romance.

Woodiwiss wrote Petals on the River in the late 90′s, yet she still writes like in the 70′s. Meaning her sentences are convoluted, heavy with qualifiers, and everything is a pretext for a description and a bit of colourful dialogue. Mind you, it’s well done. But it certainly isn’t fast, efficient or straight to the point, and it takes some getting used to. By page 20, I had finally adapted to the novel’s peculiar pace and was able to enjoy it till the end of the book. I can even say that, once you take it in stride, Ms. Woodiwiss’s rich style turns out more captivating than many a modern, condensed and concise one, and the perfect tone for her fantastic stories, reminding one of the never-ending historical frescoes of old.

Shemaine O’Hearn, a respectable, if half-Irish young woman, is kidnapped from her home and wrongly imprisoned before ending up on a ship to the colonies, where she will be sold as an indentured servant along other criminals. Thank God, the man who buys her is even better than she’d hoped for. Gage Thornton, an honest cabinetmaker with dreams of building ships, is a widower and father to a toddler. As both Shemaine and Gage soon discover each other’s good qualities, nothing could stop them from falling in love but 1) the mysterious death of Gage’s first wife, and 2) the many enemies Shemaine has made, who will not rest until she is dead and buried…

William raised the sights of his pistol toward the man and began to squeeze the trigger, but before he could complete the motion, the roar of another flintlock echoed in resounding waves across the ship. Ever so slowly, the huge brigand’s knees buckled, twisting oddly beneath him as his body began to collapse. Blood glistened wetly in the rosy shade of the coming dawn as it oozed from a large hole in his head and cascaded down over his ear.

- Petals on the River, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (Avon, 1997)

In reality, though, this novel is much less somber than it sounds. In a way, maybe it is not enough so. There is practically no internal conflict preventing the heroine and hero to find happiness together, and though it is a refreshing change from the “love-hate relationship” cliche, it makes one wonder what, then, is taking so long to tell. And, indeed, the whole subplot feels quite artificial. It is ironical that what Woodiwiss is best known for, and what I was most expecting from her, is what I liked the least in Petals on the River: heightened emotions, hatred, revenge, jealousy, gunshots and blood. A strongly Manichean story, it wouldn’t end until all the bad guys were defeated, and all the good ones happily settled.

She grew flushed and warm, while in the depths of her being there again sprouted that strange, insatiable longing that grew apace with her mindful meanderings, as if her young body desperately hungered for fulfillment from that particular entity whose face and form haunted her imaginings.

- Petals on the River, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (Avon, 1997)

What I liked, then, was the positive, fluffy love story. Shemaine is just perfect for Gage; Gage is just perfect for Shemaine. They follow the perfect steps on the path to love, and find perfect love together. It sounds boring, yet it was the least boring part of the novel to me. It was, in fact, enchanting. Following Shemaine as she rediscovers the simple pleasures of life in a colonial’s handmade cabin―and discovers more adult pleasures in the same colonial’s arms―is very touching, fun, and entertaining. Petals on the River may not be as epic as Woodiwiss’s more famous works, but it’s a fully satisfying romance with a raw, genuine back to nature flavour.

Are you a Woodiwiss fan or hater? Which of her novels is your favourite? Know any other author who still writes in the style of Kathleen Woodiwiss?

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