Review: Annie's Song

Title: Annie's Song

Author: Catherine Anderson

Date of Publication: January, 1996

Formats Available: Paperback

Buy This Book: Amazon.com

Synopsis: Annie Trimble lives in a solitary world that no one enters or understands. As delicate and beautiful as the tender blossoms of the Oregon spring, she is shunned by a town that misinterprets her affliction. But cruelty cannot destroy the love Annie holds in her heart.
Alex Montgomery is horrified to learn his wild younger brother forced himself on a helpless "idiot girl." Tormented by guilt, Alex agrees to marry her and raise the babe she carries as his own. But he never dreams he will grow to cherish his lovely, mute, and misjudged Annie; her childlike innocence, her womanly charms and the wondrous way she views her world. He becomes determined to break through the wall of silence surrounding her; to heal... and to be healed by Annie's sweet song of love.

My Review:

It's been a week or so since I finished this novel and I'm still trying to gather my thoughts in order to properly right a review, though I have a feeling it's going to take much longer and probably another reading before I can even begin to put how I feel about this book into words. I've never read a book that I've loved the same way I love this one, and I have a feeling I never will. 

Reading Annie's Song is like riding a roller coaster of emotions, this book is sweet, heartbreaking, and everything else in between. There were times when I thought I was going to cry, because this book couldn't possibly get any more sad, then a few pages later I thought I was going to cry because it couldn't get any more sweet. Anderson really knows how to pull at your heartstrings and turn a depressing situation into an overwhelmingly sweet one. This novel could not possibly been executed any more perfectly and I have to applaud Anderson for writing a novel I literally cannot say one bad thing about. 

I instantly loved Annie and her naive outlook on the world. There was something endearing in her innocence and learning what she had gone through broke my heart. I've always had a soft spot for disabled main characters and the fact that Annie was so sheltered from the world made everything that happened to her even more devastating. I loved watching her grow from scared and child-like into a strong and confident woman, with Alex helping her every step of the way. Alex was an amazing hero and though he starts off a little gruff I loved watching the sweet and selfless side of him shine through as he began to learn more about Annie. Annie couldn't possibly have asked for a better, and more loving, hero than Alex. 

But in the end, what really got me was the romance. I've always loved the sweet romances more than the raunchy ones and Annie's Song is the definition of a sweet and heartwarming romance. Alex was the perfect hero, putting his needs aside and throwing everything he had into giving Annie the life she always deserved, but never had. Watching the romance develop between them, and seeing how much Alex loved Annie, was heartwarming and I loved every second of their time together; from the beginning when Alex thought she was simpleminded, to the moment he realized she was deaf, and the second he fell in love with her.  

Annie's Song has easily taken the place as one of my favorite books of all time. It's rare that I finish a novel and have the urge to flip to the beginning and read it all over again, but I'm already trying to figure out when I have a break in my reading schedule to read this one again. Hands down one of the best books I've ever read.

5/5