Fiction | The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

Julie Klassen's latest novel, The Girl in the Gatehouse, is filled with mystery and intrigue. When she is sent to live in an abandoned gatehouse on her ailing aunt's property, Mariah Aubrey realizes her dream of becoming a published author, albeit an anonymous one. Soon Captain Matthew Bryant leases the estate and, as he becomes more aware of Miss Aubrey's presence, learns that there is a secret looming in her past. A story of regret, love, and forgiveness, The Girl in the Gatehouse is sure to draw in Regency-era lovers and hopeless romantics.

After recently devouring Julie Klassen's previous novel, The Silent Governess, I was sure I would like this book. I do enjoy novels set in the Regency period, and I love the way Julie Klassen weaves words together in a most inspired way. The plot of The Girl in the Gatehouse sounded most intriguing, because it is always interesting to me to see how different time periods handled scandal and gossip. For the most part, I really did enjoy The Girl in the Gatehouse, but there were a few things I found lacking.

Though I enjoyed the plot of The Girl in the Gatehouse, one segment of it did not thrill me. Part of Mariah Aubrey's character is the fact that she is a secret author, which is most intriguing. Unfortunately, in the few chapters where excerpts of Mariah's writing is displayed, I found it hard to believe because the writing was so Julie Klassen, not Regency era. It was too modern, and I had to constantly remind myself to let it go.

Also, The Girl in the Gatehouse is clearly historical romance. As such, I find it like most romance novels (even ones from so-called Christian publishers) to move from one seductive, sensual scene to the next, from a touch of fingertips to kissing someone's tears away. It is so . . . overdone. Not just in The Girl in the Gatehouse, but in all Christian fiction/romance/historical. The idea that love cannot be without physical affection saddens me to no end. But, as I mentioned, this is stereotypical in this kind of book, and nothing unique to put a damper on solely Klassen's novel.

I have only read two of Julie Klassen's novels now, but I notice in both a pattern where God is rarely brought up (and then only in doubtful tones by a spiritually indecisive character) until the end, where suddenly the main character(s) discovers God's love, receives forgiveness, and ends in perfect happiness. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this, but I would really like to see from Klassen (and perhaps one of her earlier novels demonstrates) a character who really relies and trusts on God yet still finds herself in a difficult scenario. The tendency to think that coming to Christ means every relationship will resolve and every hardship disappear is too prevalent, I think. Certainly there are still struggles to be faced after becoming a Christian, and I wish Christian fiction would show this more. At the same time, I wonder if Klassen simply thought that God would be difficult to "add in" to her stories. I simply cannot know and will not judge on that matter. However, I am strongly positioned to believe that God should either be part of a story or not; halfway is just stale.

The Girl in the Gatehouse was still a lovely book to read, and anyone who is intrigued by the Regency period, the dos and don'ts of that society, and romantic tales will thoroughly enjoy it. I look forward to reading more from Julie Klassen.

Number of pages: 391 (excludes author's note and discussion questions)
Extra links: About Julie Klassen, read an excerpt on Amazon
Publisher: Bethany House
Source: From publisher