Megzz's Reviews > Backwards to Oregon

Despite the nice and exciting setting of this story, I was disappointed. For two main reasons.
1) I wanted to read a lesbian romance novel, and I just cannot define this as one (I'll explain why).
2) I was not convinced by the love story

Okay. Here goes.

I really really struggled to see Luke as a woman (dressed as a man). Luke says it herself, she's living as a man, not only because it makes her life easier, but also because she is most comfortable that way. So, yeah... she's not Mulan, if you know what I mean. Obviously, in the 1850s, it's hard to identify oneself. There's nothing but the binary realm of gender. Either you're a man, or a woman. And homosexuality is a sin. I don't know how Luke would identify herself today. A butch lesbian? I'm tempted to say no. Everything leads me to believe that Luke would identify as a transgender man. At least, that is almost how I saw her in this story. Basically, Luke is just a very gentle and sensitive guy. So I'll switch to "he" now, just because, damn, it's even hard to refer to him/her using "she".
He... is an awesome character. Truly, he's loyal, honorable, kind, sweet, and brave. He's lovely, really. But despite having a vagina and being attracted to women... he's just not a lesbian to me. Funnily enough, I actually felt like Nora the whole time. Nora is equally likable as a character, and feels an instant connection to Luke, who seems trustworthy enough. Together they embark on an adventure crossing the country towards Oregon. When Nora discovers Luke is a woman, she doesn't really believe it. When Luke is dressed, there's just no way to know. And she keeps having to remind herself he's actually a woman. That says something.....

Now, I do enjoy other kinds of love stories and I did like the characters, so I kept on reading. But...
the love Nora and Luke share feels more like strong friendship and affection than real head-over-heels, butterflies-in-the-stomach, I-will-love-you-forever kind of love.
I enjoy long stories usually but this one is very repetitive. The love grows at such a slow pace that it's hard to see it as anything but deep affection that comes from mutual respect. There's not much chemistry or passion.
And unfortunately, there's not enough things happening for this book to be enough as an adventure novel.

My favorite scenes had to be the ones with Luke and Amy. He's wonderful with the kid. I did enjoy learning about the characters and putting myself in their shoes. Trying to understand why they act the way they act and what's made them who they are.