A... My Name's Amelia (Wheeler Softcover) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Joanne Sundell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wheeler Softcover | Publication Date: August 2008

Deafened at a young age, her natural-born means of expression taken from her, Amelia Anne Polley must learn to communicate all over again. More than her ability to hear was taken from her, on the fateful day she fell ill in 1874. Left to grow up in frontier territory, at the Colorado Institute for the Education of Mutes, Amelia is determined to live the life she'd dreamed for herself, before becoming deaf. Her dreams do not include becoming anyone's mail-order bride, especially the handsome, roughened rancher, Aaron Zachary's. Amelia has reasons enough not to marry Aaron, not the least of which is that she and the weathered cowboy are complete strangers. Different in ways that count, for any man and wife, Amelia and Aaron surely won't suit. Why, they have nothing in common--except secrets--secrets neither wants to reveal to the other, and risk what might happen. Beyond the language of speech and sign, of reading and writing, and informed expression, is another language, one speaking to emotion and passion, a language far more intimate, and oftentimes, harder to learn. Only if Amelia and Aaron can find their way out of their troubled pasts, overcoming hardship and heartache, will they find their way to each other, and learn to speak the same language--of love.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Love blooms in late 19th-century Colorado between an illiterate rancher and a deaf-mute illustrator in Sundell's simplistic sophomore romance. After ruggedly handsome rancher Aaron Zachary places a mail-order bride ad in the Colorado Springs Gazette, Amelia, an artist working at the paper, becomes smitten with Aaron and marries him, but it isn't until they're on the way to his ranch that he discovers she and, after some maneuvering, the epileptic orphan she brought with her are both deaf. Aaron, meanwhile, has his own secret: he can't read or write. It puts a damper on communication around the ranch. Domestic struggles ensue. There is little here to recommend: the prose is uninspired, the characters act as if on stage and the plot limps along. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"...Amelia and Aaron are immensely appealing...I could not stop reading about these two people...not a predictable tale." -- Romance Reviews Today, Sandra Brill (www.romrevtoday.com) March 20, 2007

"...a beautiful story about two wounded people and the power of healing through communication and love." -- Alice Duncan, award-winning author

"...wonderfully appealing. Plentiful historical detail about the hearing impaired makes this a good choice for all fiction collections." -- Library Journal, February 15, 2007

"A delightful historical, full of little known facts that's sure to engross and entertain the reader." -- Karen Kay, bestselling author of Native American romance

"A great read! Poignant and endearing. A...is for Amazing. Don't miss it!" -- Joan Johnston, New York Times bestselling author

...mark Ms. Sundell as an author to watch. -- Romance Reviews Today on Matchmaker, Matchmaker

A great read! Poignant and endearing. A...is for Amazing. Don't miss it!" -- Joan Jonston-NYT Bestselling Author --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 449 pages
• Publisher: Gale Cengage; Lrg edition (August 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597227900
• ISBN-13: 978-1597227902
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,149,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fabulous western romance, March 24, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A...My Name's Amelia (Five Star Expressions) (Five Star Expressions) (Hardcover)

In 1874, young Amelia Anne Polley lost her hearing and in some ways her dreams. However, instead of wallowing in self-pity, Amelia decides she must find her way as she attends the Colorado Institute for the Education of Mutes. There she became the school's newspaper printer, which lands her a job at the Gazette.

Rancher Aaron Zachary arrives at the paper to take out an ad for a mail order bride. Amelia takes the order since the editor Benjamin Steele and the ace reporter Harvey are covering a fire. He is fascinated by the female printer, but assumes she is not cut out for ranch life; being a wife is not in her plans either as she assumes no man wants a woman who cannot hear his whispers of love. Still they marry and fall in love in spite of the language barrier. However, he hides his inability to read from her while she conceals her fears that he would be better off with a wife who can hear as opposed to someone who lives in silence.

Amelia is a refreshing lead protagonist as she is deaf, but overcomes her "handicap" with her printing skills. Aaron is a fine lonely rancher who needs someone who can handle his taciturn personality as well as the remoteness of his spread. Benjamin is also a wonderful support character whose original bias is gender oriented and not the hearing issue; but as a favor gives Amelia a chance and quickly realizes how talented she is. His adjustment in outlook and making their working relationship successful is a key to the heroine achieving her independence. These characters and other secondary players make for a fabulous western romance.

Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and heartwarming, November 4, 2008

By 

Lauren Calder (FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A...My Name's Amelia (Five Star Expressions) (Five Star Expressions) (Hardcover)

Ms. Sundell has presented us with a gift that we will hold close to our heart, silently cheering for the couple at the attempt to conquer the barrier of communication, the tragedies and hardships on the frontier life.~Affaire de Coeur