Shakespeare meets Lancaster County in "Courting Cate"

*I received this book for free from Bethany House publishers to give an unbiased review"

I had a spark of interest when I read that this book was kind of a play on Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew".  I've seen the movie with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and really enjoyed it.  So I kind of had an idea of what the story line of this book might be...with an Amish twist.  What I didn't expect was the way that I could relate to the story and how real and understandable Cate's shrewishness was.

Cate is the oldest daughter of the family and has been responsible for raising her baby sister since she was a little girl herself.  Her mother passed away after giving birth and at 5 years old, Cate shouldered a lot of the burden of mothering.  Flash forward several years later.  Cate has given up her desire of having a husband and family, which is very traditional in the Amish community, and instead hopes to run her own business and provide for herself.  Her sister, now 17, is beautiful and the perfect little wife to be.  She can cook, garden, and charm...all the things that Cate feels she is lacking.  Then Cate meets Pete.  He's traveling through, but instantly Cate knows he's different.  She enjoys spending time with him until she is caught in a situation that brings up all of her old feelings from the past...humiliation and betrayal.  When her father states that Cate's younger sister can't court until Cate does, the story takes a lot of interesting turns. 

The story of Cate and Pete definitely intertwined with "The Taming of the Shrew"...but I thought it offered even more.  Cate's feelings of betrayal...stemming from being openly humiliated by some boys in her community...is so relatable.  It was easy to understand why she struggled with trust.  I honestly felt sorry for her in some ways as she had to bear the burden of raising her younger sister at such a young age, and feeling like a failure when her sister didn't act the way she should.  Cate's sister was also very manipulative, and it was hard at times to see Cate cater to her.  Love and forgiveness were also a theme through the story.  As Cate drew nearer to the Lord, her callous attitude towards those who had wronged her smoothed out.  The Lord helped change her and soothe those deep wounds.  There is one very interesting part in the story (I would spoil it if I told you what happened) that causes Cate to be humbled, but in the process she learns and grows in the areas that she is weakest in.  I know that's kind of vague, but if you read the story you'll know what I'm talking about ; ).  I found myself feeling angry towards those who had hurt Cate but it was a good lesson for me about forgiveness through these fictional characters.  Forgiveness is something that is difficult sometimes to give, but when we do we can experience a wealth of love and freedom.  I would definitely recommend "Courting Cate".