I really enjoyed this book, but felt like the description/summary provided barely touches the surface of everything that happens. The story of Jakob's brother's death and his daughter's attack all happen in the last third (maybe fourth?) of the book, and so much more is happening. It's a rich tale about the people who live in this small town and all of the things that happen to them, with the main focus on the Schneider family. The way this was written felt like it could easily be made into an HBO or FX show.

This was different for me, a very complex but rich and intriguing story one of which I enjoyed, I was completely hooked even though the pace was slower than my usual and I finished it in two sittings!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Goldcrest Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This intriguing tale is set in the mid 19th century in a Swiss valley. Jakob is a simple farmer who is determined to gain justice for his deaf daughter who was raped and fell pregnant by a matchstick factory owner, Ramun. To further complicate the matter, Ramun is suspected of causing a rock slide which killed his brother thirty years earlier.

This is a wonderful tale that is very well written, researched and an overall great read! With great emotional sensitivity, the author explores the changing facets of human relationships and behaviours in families, business, the local community and the wider society of nineteenth century Switzerland.

Highly recommend!

This was fine! The writing here is obviously very good, but the pacing was a struggle for me. The Big Incident that is described as the center of the plot line in the description of this book doesn't happen until over halfway through the book, and the other Big Incident doesn't happen until nearly 80% of the way through. I fully believe readers who are looking for a slow paced, almost meditative book about what we owe to each other, and the importance of community will love this. For me, I felt like there was just a disconnect between what I was anticipating and what the experience of reading this book was actually like.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Good read. Set in 1800's Switzerland, Jakob and Josef struggle through life's problems. "“That’s the trouble isn’t it? Something always happens."

3.5☆

I received an ARC in return for a fair and honest review. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

I was blindsided by this book with its unassuming cover. The description, while sounding interesting, did not begin to hint at the complexness of plot or richness of characters.

It's the story of the Schneider family and their Swiss valley community. When Anton's home burns to the ground after a lightning strike, his wife goes into early labor from the shock. When she does not survive the birth, Joseph is left to raise his two sons and newborn daughter with the help of his brother and his wife. This begins the story that spans generations and deals with the idea of societal justice.

I was floored by the depth of this book and already know it will be one that I recommend to other readers for years to come. Hats off to the author, Rowena Kinread, for penning such a powerful and wonderful novel.

The title of this book does not give any clue as to how great this book is or was? I could never get that straight. Either way at the beginning of this book Jacob’s mom dies giving birth to his baby sister on the same night their house burned to the ground along with their neighbors homes. He and his brother Joseph and their dad a newly born little sister would go live with his aunt and uncle this is just the beginning of many tragedies that Jakob will face in his life. The death of his mother and loss of his home is just the beginning he will also suffer through the murder of his brother knowing who the culprit is but having no way to get justice his daughter will also suffer through a tragic accident and cause her to be deaf he faces it all with a quiet dignity and in the words of Confucius A hesitant man never airs and when his daughterr is assaulted he will get the justice he seeks or will he? Ram is the rich man who has done many wrongs to the people of the village and his wants mostly focused on the women of the town who he believes no one would believe over him as he was the richest man around his family owned the match stick factory where most people work or at least someone from every family did. One way or another ram seem to have leverage over his victims whether it be the reputation their job and in some cases their life, but when he decided to visit his unwanted desires on the innocent daughter of Jacob it became the final straw. Even when given the option to do things quietly he thought he was above the law.. while reading the story you will continue to ask yourself is this a true account because it is written so well in the telling is so good you really believe you’re reading True Crime history. I read a lot of books and at least once a week I will read a book and think this is my favorite book this week or this month or since the beginning of the year or some other standards that in my mind makes it stand out but to say this book is my favorite would insinuate it was competing with others and it’s not this book is totally in a category all it’s own it is a truly great read an awesome solid five star scrumptious delicious dessert of a book that I highly recommend. This is why I do not mind reading already published books from NetGalley because they have some truly great gems like The Matchstick Boy by Rowena Kinread. I want to thank Gold crest books and net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This was a really interesting concept for a mystery novel. I enjoyed that it was a family member trying to solve what happened to his brother.I really feel bad for Jakob in the story. You could really dynamics annex and what privilege can do. I was invested with what was going and the secrets that were kept. Rowena kinread does a great job in writing this and keeping me invested in the story. It left me wanting to read more from her.