Trespasses

I really did not like this book – the second star is because even with all the [in my opinion] shortcomings, the writing itself was simply beautiful.

I kept getting the feeling that I must have been missing out going into this read without much knowledge on the time period and place. Most historical fiction immerses the reader so thoroughly that I typically close a book feeling like I've just had a crash course on said culture, but I did not have that experience with this one. I wonder if it would have been more enjoyable if I went into it with more knowledge prior...

HOWEVER... I know that even with more prior knowledge, I wouldn't have been any more satisfied.
The majority of this book was about a pathetic affair fronting as some kind of steamy “relationship” that I grew woefully tired of as it progressed. I wish with all my heart that (1) a 50yr old, married-with-child man sleeping with a woman half his age wouldn't be painted as seductive or mysteriously complicated ((4 affairs? He's not a good dude??)) and (2) a young woman living in a complex environment wouldn't be painted as a damsel totally incapable of making positive decisions that may have actually reflected some level of self-respect or dignity. Instead of giving Cushla an opportunity to find a solution to this mess, Kennedy gave her a tragic yet remarkably easy way out [from a plot perspective] that had me rolling my eyes and ready to DNF.

Sadly, I do not recommend and don't really understand the positive experience other readers have had.