Barbara Taylor Bradford's 'Master of His Fate' is about as suspenseful as a glass of milk -- and that's okay

This week, I have a few things to say about a book that was relatively unremarkable at first glance. I think the ability for a reader to enjoy “Master of His Fate” by Barbara Taylor Bradford depends entirely upon the usual variables that reviewers face when determining how to assess a book. I’ll get to those in a bit.

“Master of His Fate” is a sedate romance set in Victorian England that follows two story lines. The first is James Falconer’s story. James is a 17-year-old wannabe merchant who divulges to his grandparents his 5-year plan early in the book. James respects and strives to emulate his father who also is a merchant, and his family members do their best to set him on the right path for success. As James’ story unfolds, the author reveals James is somewhat of a genius with merchandising. On the side, James carries on an affair with a 30-year-old widow.

The second story line, and the more interesting one in my opinion, follows Alexis Malvern, a young woman whose father is a wealthy commercial realtor. Alexis is in her early twenties. She has no interest in getting married, and she opens a women’s shelter with a handful of her friends, including one other woman, Claudia. Claudia’s father, Sebastian, who is 40 years old, immediately falls in love with Alexis. Alexis, in turn, falls in love with Sebastian. They get engaged within days of meeting.

This book was one of the most unsurprising, literal, straightforward books I have ever read. Has there ever been a time when you wanted to read something uncomplicated? When you just wanted a story without twists or turns? This would be the one.

Every character in this book was uncannily honest, save for a few instances. When James’ rival, Albert, spreads the news of James’ affair with the widow, James lies to protect his lover’s honor, and everyone believes him, no questions asked. Alexis’ romance with Sebastian happens almost instantly. They see each other, they get a feeling they have a connection, they communicate their feelings accordingly, and they get engaged. The dialogue is open, formal and expository. It was odd that a book could have no foreshadowing or plot twists. The narrative was remarkably transparent. When someone dies later in the book (I won't spoil it,) readers will see it coming from a mile away.

Here is one very specific thing I expected from this book: Alexis and her friends make a big deal out of opening a women’s shelter. Partway through the book, when Alexis’ friend Claudia gets married, Sebastian takes Alexis aside during the wedding and insists they announce their engagement during Claudia’s wedding; a faux pas by any stretch of the imagination. Alexis was wearing her engagement ring on her right hand to avoid stealing Claudia’s thunder, and Sebastian insists she wear the ring on her left hand to show others she is engaged. He takes her to pick out tiaras for their wedding and he insists she wear his mother’s tiara. I felt strongly that Sebastian’s controlling behavior was a warning sign that pointed to future abuse. It was not. I was wrong.

I expected more tension between either Claudia and Sebastian or Claudia and Alexis because Claudia was only slightly younger than Alexis and Alexis was to become her stepmother. I expected that James and his much-older lover would be found out and forced to marry. I expected something tragic would happen to any of James’ family members.

I wanted this book to have teeth. To have more conflict, more drama, more feeling. These were my expectations. This book did not deliver on them, and that’s okay. It’s up to the author to tell the story she wants to tell, not me.

Not every book needs to be my cup of tea. This one just happened to be a cup of watery chamomile tea with warm milk when I’ve grown accustomed to strong, spicy chai. I’ll still drink the chamomile and enjoy it when I’m in the mood for it. I’ve been reading a lot of intense books lately. It’s been an intense year. What’s more, I read a lot of news every day, and it’s not all pleasant. When I’m used to my reading material dialing it to 11, and when I’m so used to being defensive and cynical about humanity and expecting the worst from everything, a book like “Master of His Fate,” which is so earnest and open, comes as a shock.

After I finished this book, I went on a long walk and I was able to think more about what this book was and my expectations. Too often, reviewers want books to be something else for them. We see this a lot with any fan culture. When was the last time you experienced a piece of pop culture where the fans of said culture insisted it was about them? When was the last time you projected your expectations onto something, knowing full well no one was asking you?

I can’t just say a book is bad because it wasn’t my taste. There is an audience for "Master of His Fate." The author has written dozens of books since the late 1970s that presumably have done fairly well for her. That said, this would be a 3-star book for me, simply because I felt it lacked conflict and the writing was a little weak. There was a lot of telling, instead of showing. The author seemed preoccupied with the characters’ clothing and the décor of the room instead of cultivating meaningful and realistic connections between the characters. It seemed like every character had the same speech patterns and mannerisms, the same pure thoughts and good intentions, and were, therefore, the same.

Someone who likes mild romances will love this book. That someone is not me.

I received “Master of His Fate” by Barbara Taylor Bradford from St. Martin's Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.