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956 reviews
Mutinous Women: How French Convicts Became Founding Mothers of the Gulf Coast by Joan DeJean
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
Joan DeJean gives us an interesting look at how Europeans established themselves in the New World. And if you thought the idea of Europeans setting up shop where people were ALREADY living was bad... it gets worse! Interesting but worse.
The short of it is, women weren't super keen to travel to the "New World." At least, not at the same rate that men were. Turns out that populating a faraway land isn't easy without a decent birth rate. DeJean covers the history of the French kingdom's attempts to up the New World numbers (sometimes with consenting participants, sometimes with... non-consenting ones), but for the most part she focuses the book on the few but striking stories of women who deportations to Louisiana were recorded. Not surprisingly, few of these already scant stories end well.
In an attempt to get two birds with one stone, France decided to send "undesirable" female convicts to the French territory of Louisiana (which is actually much bigger than present-day Louisiana). Many of these women were falsely accused. Some might have been "guilty" (using quotation marks here because let's just say, not all laws were prosecuted in good faith when the people doing the deporting were profiting from this endeavor) but still did not deserve the ordeal they underwent as a result.
And yet, some managed to build a lasting legacy in spite of these horrors. Others did not. It's fascinating to read DeJean's research bring these women's clearly terrifying experience to life. These titular "mutinous women" were far from home, without any say as to where they would be deposited, and essentially at the mercy of people who only saw them as cheap labor and marriage material to bear more kids (who could also eventually become a labor force). Grim, I know, but it's a little known aspect of French-American history, and I'm glad I know more now.
Recommended if you are interested in France's history of American colonization, women in the early 18th century criminal justice system, and the history of several states that used to make up the French-controlled territory of Louisiana.
Thank you to Basic Books and Netgalley for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The short of it is, women weren't super keen to travel to the "New World." At least, not at the same rate that men were. Turns out that populating a faraway land isn't easy without a decent birth rate. DeJean covers the history of the French kingdom's attempts to up the New World numbers (sometimes with consenting participants, sometimes with... non-consenting ones), but for the most part she focuses the book on the few but striking stories of women who deportations to Louisiana were recorded. Not surprisingly, few of these already scant stories end well.
In an attempt to get two birds with one stone, France decided to send "undesirable" female convicts to the French territory of Louisiana (which is actually much bigger than present-day Louisiana). Many of these women were falsely accused. Some might have been "guilty" (using quotation marks here because let's just say, not all laws were prosecuted in good faith when the people doing the deporting were profiting from this endeavor) but still did not deserve the ordeal they underwent as a result.
And yet, some managed to build a lasting legacy in spite of these horrors. Others did not. It's fascinating to read DeJean's research bring these women's clearly terrifying experience to life. These titular "mutinous women" were far from home, without any say as to where they would be deposited, and essentially at the mercy of people who only saw them as cheap labor and marriage material to bear more kids (who could also eventually become a labor force). Grim, I know, but it's a little known aspect of French-American history, and I'm glad I know more now.
Recommended if you are interested in France's history of American colonization, women in the early 18th century criminal justice system, and the history of several states that used to make up the French-controlled territory of Louisiana.
Thank you to Basic Books and Netgalley for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Equestrienne by Peter Sherwood, Julia Sherwood, Uršuľa Kovalyk
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A devastating snapshot of a girl, her love of horses, and a world she lives in.
Warning: this is not for the faint of heart. It's not a happy tale, and it does include self-harm, parental abuse, and sexual assault, if that's something you would like to know up-front.
Slovak author and playwright Uršula Kovalyk gives us the story of Karolina in under 100 pages. Karolina comes of age in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. She isn't someone who could achieve her dreams in her circumstances. But she still has them. Not just that, but she pursues them! And the pursuit, in the midst of a totalitarian regime that affects everything and everyone around her, does not leave her unscathed. It's about seeking control and love of life in a world beyond your control. About how things you will never be able to affect can still destroy everything you touch, and about trying to make good in spite of all this, because what else CAN you do?
Recommended if you feel up to a bleak albeit moving read set in the Soviet (and post-Soviet) block. It's probably unfamiliar to many anglophone readers, but still worth the short time needed to start and finish it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Parthian Books for giving me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Warning: this is not for the faint of heart. It's not a happy tale, and it does include self-harm, parental abuse, and sexual assault, if that's something you would like to know up-front.
Slovak author and playwright Uršula Kovalyk gives us the story of Karolina in under 100 pages. Karolina comes of age in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. She isn't someone who could achieve her dreams in her circumstances. But she still has them. Not just that, but she pursues them! And the pursuit, in the midst of a totalitarian regime that affects everything and everyone around her, does not leave her unscathed. It's about seeking control and love of life in a world beyond your control. About how things you will never be able to affect can still destroy everything you touch, and about trying to make good in spite of all this, because what else CAN you do?
Recommended if you feel up to a bleak albeit moving read set in the Soviet (and post-Soviet) block. It's probably unfamiliar to many anglophone readers, but still worth the short time needed to start and finish it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Parthian Books for giving me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide
Voting Day by Clare O'Dea
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A short and resonant novel about the solidarity and distance between women on a fateful day.
O'Dea's "Voting Day" is set on the titular day in Switzerland--specifically, the day of the February 1, 1959 referendum. But here is a non-spoiler: Swiss women won't get the vote at the federal level until 1971.
I didn't really know what to expect from this story, but it has a charming, head-hopping structure where each chapter is told from the point of view of a character that appeared in the previous section. One woman leads to the next, and it's fascinating to see the ties that link them to one person and pull them away from another. I cheered, I teared up, and I read quietly as O'Dea's characters gave us a small piece of human relationships, recognizable though incomplete. This is just a small fragment of something. A really good fragment.
Recommended for anyone who wants a short read driven by its characters and their day-to-day struggles together and apart.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for honest review.
O'Dea's "Voting Day" is set on the titular day in Switzerland--specifically, the day of the February 1, 1959 referendum. But here is a non-spoiler: Swiss women won't get the vote at the federal level until 1971.
I didn't really know what to expect from this story, but it has a charming, head-hopping structure where each chapter is told from the point of view of a character that appeared in the previous section. One woman leads to the next, and it's fascinating to see the ties that link them to one person and pull them away from another. I cheered, I teared up, and I read quietly as O'Dea's characters gave us a small piece of human relationships, recognizable though incomplete. This is just a small fragment of something. A really good fragment.
Recommended for anyone who wants a short read driven by its characters and their day-to-day struggles together and apart.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for honest review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment
The Mapmakers by Tamzin Merchant
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
The sequel to Tamzin Merchant's world of craftsman guilds and enchanted items, "The Mapmakers" digs deeper into the surrounding lore and takes our young heroine Cordelia on a dangerous mission to save her father.
I won't spoil any plot points in this review. What I will say, however, is that Merchant gives us more of the titular Mapmaker Secret Society, which will allow Cordelia to track down her father who was at sea in the previous installment. In the course of her search, Cordelia must face a dangerous foe and battle terrifying natural elements like gales and rock-shattering storms with the help of her friends and the other enchanted guilds. I would have liked more character-building for Cordelia overall, but she's still a compelling protagonist, and it's hard not to root for her to succeed.
Recommended for anyone who wants a magical adventure that isn't afraid to have life-and-death stakes and a cast of close friends fleshed out by Merchant's excellent dialogue. Any young Arthurian mythology enthusiasts may also enjoy the book's surprises.
Thank you to Netgalley and Norton Young Readers at W. W. Norton & Company for giving me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I won't spoil any plot points in this review. What I will say, however, is that Merchant gives us more of the titular Mapmaker Secret Society, which will allow Cordelia to track down her father who was at sea in the previous installment. In the course of her search, Cordelia must face a dangerous foe and battle terrifying natural elements like gales and rock-shattering storms with the help of her friends and the other enchanted guilds. I would have liked more character-building for Cordelia overall, but she's still a compelling protagonist, and it's hard not to root for her to succeed.
Recommended for anyone who wants a magical adventure that isn't afraid to have life-and-death stakes and a cast of close friends fleshed out by Merchant's excellent dialogue. Any young Arthurian mythology enthusiasts may also enjoy the book's surprises.
Thank you to Netgalley and Norton Young Readers at W. W. Norton & Company for giving me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A Good Year by Polis Loizou
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
"A Good Year" is a vivid and intense slow-burn centered on a couple about to have their first child in early 20th century Cyprus. There should be calm during the twelve days of Christmas, but with every passing day, the tension builds and the cracks in the main characters' fears grow wider, until finally the chasms open up and eat them whole (figuratively speaking).
The prose, translated from Greek, flows well and captures just the right uneasy tone of someone looking over their shoulder in a sunny field or a creaking house at night. Overall, it's a quick and high-quality read.
Recommended for a tense historical fiction piece, or if you're in the mood for a ambiguous ending bolstered by wonderful prose.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for giving me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The prose, translated from Greek, flows well and captures just the right uneasy tone of someone looking over their shoulder in a sunny field or a creaking house at night. Overall, it's a quick and high-quality read.
Recommended for a tense historical fiction piece, or if you're in the mood for a ambiguous ending bolstered by wonderful prose.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for giving me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is frankly fantastic historical fiction, and the best part is that Elodie Harper makes it look easy as pie.
"The Wolf Den" is set in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii and centers on Amara, a young woman whose comfortable family falls on hard times, leading to her sale into slavery and, more specifically, prostitution.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Pompeii? When does the volcano countdown begin? Honestly, I don't know. But what I can say is that this is the first in what promises to be a gripping trilogy, so rest assured, the volcano does not blow by the end of this book.
Instead, "The Wolf Den" gives us a compelling and vivid depiction of a young woman struggling to come to terms with her dehumanization at the hands of a sex industry that sits within a society with legalized slavery at every level of production. You might see a well-dressed house slave working as a personal maid or secretary, or a stables slave or a manual labor slave, even a skilled artisan slave, but at the end of the day, they are all slaves. They have no rights, no autonomy, not even the ability to let themselves fall in love, fall sick, or fall pregnant without considering that their owner has the final say over their fate. Harper didn't have to go hard on this, but boy oh boy does she use the historical mores of Ancient Rome to flesh out the world that cradles her story.
Ultimately, the omnipresence of Roman slavery and the disturbing, viscerally uncomfortable dynamic between slaves and slave-owners are at the heart of "The Wolf Den." Even more impressive is the book's cast of characters and their deeply human relationships with each other. Amara, Dido, Victoria, Cressa, and all the other women at the Wolf Den brothel stand out as individual people, never interchangeable, and always compelling. Harper never takes the easy way out of giving us good guys and bad guys--and in spite of that, the book contains some of the most shocking, stomach-twisting cruelty while making us doubt, over and over, whether there can be room for kindness in a world as cruel as shown here. The answer is yes. And no. It's a bit of both. And the main character isn't exempt from these difficult choices.
Highly recommended, albeit with a warning that the book does discuss and depict slavery, trauma, and non-consensual sex. It's never graphic or gratuitous, but the grief and violence is felt in spite of Harper's restraint.
With that in mind, you should definitely pick this book up (and its upcoming sequel) if you enjoy immersive and well-researched historical fiction, stories set in Ancient Rome, and a large cast of attaching characters who act as a found family and give each other hope in a dark situation.
Thank you to Netgalley and Union Square & Co. for giving me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"The Wolf Den" is set in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii and centers on Amara, a young woman whose comfortable family falls on hard times, leading to her sale into slavery and, more specifically, prostitution.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Pompeii? When does the volcano countdown begin? Honestly, I don't know. But what I can say is that this is the first in what promises to be a gripping trilogy, so rest assured, the volcano does not blow by the end of this book.
Instead, "The Wolf Den" gives us a compelling and vivid depiction of a young woman struggling to come to terms with her dehumanization at the hands of a sex industry that sits within a society with legalized slavery at every level of production. You might see a well-dressed house slave working as a personal maid or secretary, or a stables slave or a manual labor slave, even a skilled artisan slave, but at the end of the day, they are all slaves. They have no rights, no autonomy, not even the ability to let themselves fall in love, fall sick, or fall pregnant without considering that their owner has the final say over their fate. Harper didn't have to go hard on this, but boy oh boy does she use the historical mores of Ancient Rome to flesh out the world that cradles her story.
Ultimately, the omnipresence of Roman slavery and the disturbing, viscerally uncomfortable dynamic between slaves and slave-owners are at the heart of "The Wolf Den." Even more impressive is the book's cast of characters and their deeply human relationships with each other. Amara, Dido, Victoria, Cressa, and all the other women at the Wolf Den brothel stand out as individual people, never interchangeable, and always compelling. Harper never takes the easy way out of giving us good guys and bad guys--and in spite of that, the book contains some of the most shocking, stomach-twisting cruelty while making us doubt, over and over, whether there can be room for kindness in a world as cruel as shown here. The answer is yes. And no. It's a bit of both. And the main character isn't exempt from these difficult choices.
Highly recommended, albeit with a warning that the book does discuss and depict slavery, trauma, and non-consensual sex. It's never graphic or gratuitous, but the grief and violence is felt in spite of Harper's restraint.
With that in mind, you should definitely pick this book up (and its upcoming sequel) if you enjoy immersive and well-researched historical fiction, stories set in Ancient Rome, and a large cast of attaching characters who act as a found family and give each other hope in a dark situation.
Thank you to Netgalley and Union Square & Co. for giving me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Sexual assault, and Suicide
After the Romanovs: Russian Exiles in Paris from the Belle Époque Through Revolution and War by Helen Rappaport
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Helen Rappaport's "After the Romanovs" zooms in on what became of the Russian nobility & intelligentsia that fled the Russian Revolution to be together in Paris. (Sorry, I couldn't resist making an Anastasia reference.)
Despite its title, the book covers a broader time period than expected. Rappaport, apparently mindful of giving her readers as much context as possible to welcome both new and experienced Russian history enthusiasts, starts her account not "after" the Romanovs but smack-dab in the middle of the Belle Epoque. (Early enough to see references to, say, the famous can-can dancer La Goulue.) We see the party times of the unimaginably wealthy Russians treating Paris, Biarritz, and the Côte d'Azur like their private playground and leaving their indelible mark on their favorite spots. Through amusing and sensational anecdotes and memoirs, Rappaport recreates a colorful and decidedly champagne-drenched view of this period during which the richest Russians spoke more French than Russian.
The rest of the book covers the unsettling contrast and chaos caused by these same Russians' flight during the Revolution.
I particularly appreciated how Rappaport preserved the weird tension of the period. Were people who had stayed trapped in Russia still alive? What money had such-and-such duke saved from his fortune? Did so-and-so have to sell her diamonds and take a job? And when would those who seemed to have retained some money run out? What would they do to maintain their lifestyle and accept that things could never, ever be what they once were? (I'm thinking, for example, of Prince Felix Yusupov who, having once helped to assassinate Rasputin, went on to live in Parisian exile and started the "IRFE" label with his wife Irina, combining their first names like an early 20th century Bragelina or Bennifer) Not to mention the many creatives like Nijinsky, Chagall, Stravinsky, Bakst, and Diaghilev, who forever shaped the distinctly Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau-esque view of Russian culture outside the new Soviet Union.
Something that Rappaport threads through the entire book is the increasingly blurred line between these displaced Russians' pre- and post-Revolution identities, not so much on an individual as a generational and hierarchical level. By the end, it's not clear where their Russian-ness ends (if at all) and their French-ness begins. The experience painted here is different from Russians who lived under Soviet rule before leaving their homes, just as it's nothing like the experience of those who chose a home other than Paris. What an interesting world that Rappaport has bottled for readers.
Recommended if for anyone who likes history, the Romanovs (and by extension their entourage), and the artistic scene of the Parisian Belle Epoque.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for giving me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Despite its title, the book covers a broader time period than expected. Rappaport, apparently mindful of giving her readers as much context as possible to welcome both new and experienced Russian history enthusiasts, starts her account not "after" the Romanovs but smack-dab in the middle of the Belle Epoque. (Early enough to see references to, say, the famous can-can dancer La Goulue.) We see the party times of the unimaginably wealthy Russians treating Paris, Biarritz, and the Côte d'Azur like their private playground and leaving their indelible mark on their favorite spots. Through amusing and sensational anecdotes and memoirs, Rappaport recreates a colorful and decidedly champagne-drenched view of this period during which the richest Russians spoke more French than Russian.
The rest of the book covers the unsettling contrast and chaos caused by these same Russians' flight during the Revolution.
I particularly appreciated how Rappaport preserved the weird tension of the period. Were people who had stayed trapped in Russia still alive? What money had such-and-such duke saved from his fortune? Did so-and-so have to sell her diamonds and take a job? And when would those who seemed to have retained some money run out? What would they do to maintain their lifestyle and accept that things could never, ever be what they once were? (I'm thinking, for example, of Prince Felix Yusupov who, having once helped to assassinate Rasputin, went on to live in Parisian exile and started the "IRFE" label with his wife Irina, combining their first names like an early 20th century Bragelina or Bennifer) Not to mention the many creatives like Nijinsky, Chagall, Stravinsky, Bakst, and Diaghilev, who forever shaped the distinctly Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau-esque view of Russian culture outside the new Soviet Union.
Something that Rappaport threads through the entire book is the increasingly blurred line between these displaced Russians' pre- and post-Revolution identities, not so much on an individual as a generational and hierarchical level. By the end, it's not clear where their Russian-ness ends (if at all) and their French-ness begins. The experience painted here is different from Russians who lived under Soviet rule before leaving their homes, just as it's nothing like the experience of those who chose a home other than Paris. What an interesting world that Rappaport has bottled for readers.
Recommended if for anyone who likes history, the Romanovs (and by extension their entourage), and the artistic scene of the Parisian Belle Epoque.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for giving me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Djinn City by Saad Z. Hossain
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Look, I know it has flaws. Probably tons of them. But gosh gosh gosh did I love this.
"Djinn City" follows three principal characters in Bangladesh: Indelbed (a young half-human, half-djinn boy), Indelbed's father Kaikobad (... for whom I won't spoil details), and Rais (Indelbed's cousin and generally hilarious character with no direction in his life).
All three characters get roped in the no-so-hidden world of djinn, where politics and especially the Lore (read: very intricate legal rules, case law, contracts, etc.) rule supreme. Also, a lot of these djinn are a little... shall we say, eccentric? You'd be eccentric too if you were older than Babylon.
Although I loved all three storylines (ok no, Kaikobad's took a bit of getting used to, but it definitely paid off and it made me cry, what more do you want exactly?), I absolutely adored the exploration of djinn as entities and how their powers work. Let's just say the author brings a lot of scientific know-how, and he makes it incredibly easy to follow and compelling, which is not something a lot of people pull off well. Oh, and the djinn Givaras the Maker... my god, I can't forgive what he does to Indelbed. I knew he wasn't trustworthy when he said he'd done the experiment on previous djinn. But wow. What a detestable and compelling character. I hate him and yet I loved reading his scenes. Terrible djinn. Incredible character. I went back and read his scenes multiple times as I worked my way through the novel.
All this to say: Mr. Hossain, if you're reading this, PLEASE please please don't leave us with this ending. Don't do it. I need the rest. Like, it's a good ending, and I can probably live with it because I like a good open ending. But... if you feel like dropping the ending in a footnote somewhere in one of your upcoming novellas (like "Kundo Wakes Up"? Maybe? Probably not)... I'm not going to begrudge that. I'll take it.
Recommended if you want an adventure with djinn, twists, great characters, strategic gambits and legal loopholes, not to mention a super detailed and fascinating exploration of djinn magic without stripping away the awe attached to beings that are, by human standards practically immortal (but really aren't). Definitely one of the best books I've read this year.
"Djinn City" follows three principal characters in Bangladesh: Indelbed (a young half-human, half-djinn boy), Indelbed's father Kaikobad (... for whom I won't spoil details), and Rais (Indelbed's cousin and generally hilarious character with no direction in his life).
All three characters get roped in the no-so-hidden world of djinn, where politics and especially the Lore (read: very intricate legal rules, case law, contracts, etc.) rule supreme. Also, a lot of these djinn are a little... shall we say, eccentric? You'd be eccentric too if you were older than Babylon.
Although I loved all three storylines (ok no, Kaikobad's took a bit of getting used to, but it definitely paid off and it made me cry, what more do you want exactly?), I absolutely adored the exploration of djinn as entities and how their powers work. Let's just say the author brings a lot of scientific know-how, and he makes it incredibly easy to follow and compelling, which is not something a lot of people pull off well.
All this to say: Mr. Hossain, if you're reading this, PLEASE please please don't leave us with this ending. Don't do it. I need the rest. Like, it's a good ending, and I can probably live with it because I like a good open ending. But... if you feel like dropping the ending in a footnote somewhere in one of your upcoming novellas (like "Kundo Wakes Up"? Maybe? Probably not)... I'm not going to begrudge that. I'll take it.
Recommended if you want an adventure with djinn, twists, great characters, strategic gambits and legal loopholes, not to mention a super detailed and fascinating exploration of djinn magic without stripping away the awe attached to beings that are, by human standards practically immortal (but really aren't). Definitely one of the best books I've read this year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Ableism
Troy Chimneys by Anita Brookner, Margaret Kennedy
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Miles and Pronto, two regency men in a single mind. Miles is the dreamer who wishes to retire in the country, if only Pronto the ambitious and socially adept MP would hurry up and get his affairs in order.
I fell in love with this book. Its frame narrative of a Victorian relative reading Miles's biography and letters, Miles's perfectly calibrated regency voice and idealism colored with cynicism. He's an eternal dreamer with no real hope for his dream and oodles of self-hatred for his own flaws.
You know, I think that a certain lady in this novel is right. Miles has never been superior to Pronto. And there is likely no third person occupying the protagonist's mind. There is only a burgeoning realization that, perhaps, Miles has misjudged Pronto. Both personas are flawed. I only wish we could hear from Pronto's side. It's hard to judge without more knowledge of what Miles finds so horrible about him.
Recommended if you like historical fiction (whether set in the regency period or at some other time) with intricate psychological portraits and the perfect dose of subjectivity.
I fell in love with this book. Its frame narrative of a Victorian relative reading Miles's biography and letters, Miles's perfectly calibrated regency voice and idealism colored with cynicism. He's an eternal dreamer with no real hope for his dream and oodles of self-hatred for his own flaws.
You know, I think that a certain lady in this novel is right. Miles has never been superior to Pronto. And there is likely no third person occupying the protagonist's mind. There is only a burgeoning realization that, perhaps, Miles has misjudged Pronto. Both personas are flawed. I only wish we could hear from Pronto's side. It's hard to judge without more knowledge of what Miles finds so horrible about him.
Recommended if you like historical fiction (whether set in the regency period or at some other time) with intricate psychological portraits and the perfect dose of subjectivity.
A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson Levine
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Hats off to Gail Carson Levine for writing a freaking masterpiece.
This is an incredibly well-researched, compelling, and complex historical fiction novel about Loma, a young girl who comes of age in Spain in the years leading up to 1492, the year of the Alhambra Decree, i.e., Isabella and Ferdinand's decree expelling the Sephardi Jewish people. At the start of the book, Loma is 7. By the last page she is 16--and mature beyond her years.
Loma is a naturally nervous child (no surprise given how nervous her parents must be in an increasingly hostile environment rife with pogroms, harassment, and a constant need to pay for protection at different levels of the legal hierarchy, all the way up to the royal family) with a compulsion to count when she is distressed and trying to calm herself. Any conflict sets her on edge, so she is also quick to look for solutions or just the right words to restore peace, even if that peace is merely temporary. She dreams of domestic bliss with a future husband, children, a large family just like her own, where she can be a caregiver and hold her loved ones close.
However, Loma's grandfather is in deep mourning for his recently deceased wife, and in his loss he takes a special interest in Loma's talent for math and diplomacy. He begins to take her with him on work trips, and eventually even to the royal court where he is a regular courtier before Isabella and Ferdinand themselves. All the while, Loma is exposed to more of the world--and the many, many dangers that come with 15th century Spain. Even traveling is a risk, and that doesn't even cover the early rumblings of the Inquisition.
What I especially loved (besides the rich historical background seamlessly woven into the story and its characters) was the complex relationships and personalities of Loma and her family. Her dear grandfather is wise and a pillar of his community, but he is also a man with his own caprices who at times puts his needs above those of his granddaughter (despite the fact that he loves her very, very dearly). It's a level of complexity I don't often find in adult novels, let alone the middle grade shelf for which Gail Carson Levine so masterfully writes.
Even though the book is told from Loma's perspective in the first person, Levine somehow imbues the other characters with enough detail that we the reader can develop opinions of them that may very well differ from Loma's personal take. Loma is a child, so when she notices things, she doesn't always have the experience to understand details reported, but the reader might. I thought this was especially the case with a brother of Loma's whom she particularly dislikes. He does many, many awful things, but there were some later scenes of his where Loma tries to find the right things to say, and I began to see that he was someone... well, not evil. He does bad things that endanger his family such as threatening to denounce them to the Inquisition , and while that made me sick to my stomach, I really respect the author's efforts to make him feel human and, quite honestly, scared. These were very unkind times, and they didn't always bring out the best in people. Levine never shortchanges her readers even where she could have taken the easy way out with cartoon villains. And that doesn't even cover the insidious and cloyingly "well-meaning" attitude of those who try to convert Jewish people to Catholicism by any means necessary (and then justify them).
This is a novel with a LOT of crossover appeal, and honestly I would recommend this to adult readers in a heartbeat. It's a fantastic work. The author makes it look easy, but I can assure you that this is the result of years and years of experience and craft.
Highly recommended if you like historical fiction with compelling, complex characters and intricate family relationships. The last act is STRESSFUL. I was on the edge of my seat and bursting with panic. So much goes wrong for our characters, and there's no avoiding the tragedy of 1492. But wow, Levine sure does stick the landing.
This is an incredibly well-researched, compelling, and complex historical fiction novel about Loma, a young girl who comes of age in Spain in the years leading up to 1492, the year of the Alhambra Decree, i.e., Isabella and Ferdinand's decree expelling the Sephardi Jewish people. At the start of the book, Loma is 7. By the last page she is 16--and mature beyond her years.
Loma is a naturally nervous child (no surprise given how nervous her parents must be in an increasingly hostile environment rife with pogroms, harassment, and a constant need to pay for protection at different levels of the legal hierarchy, all the way up to the royal family) with a compulsion to count when she is distressed and trying to calm herself. Any conflict sets her on edge, so she is also quick to look for solutions or just the right words to restore peace, even if that peace is merely temporary. She dreams of domestic bliss with a future husband, children, a large family just like her own, where she can be a caregiver and hold her loved ones close.
However, Loma's grandfather is in deep mourning for his recently deceased wife, and in his loss he takes a special interest in Loma's talent for math and diplomacy. He begins to take her with him on work trips, and eventually even to the royal court where he is a regular courtier before Isabella and Ferdinand themselves. All the while, Loma is exposed to more of the world--and the many, many dangers that come with 15th century Spain. Even traveling is a risk, and that doesn't even cover the early rumblings of the Inquisition.
What I especially loved (besides the rich historical background seamlessly woven into the story and its characters) was the complex relationships and personalities of Loma and her family. Her dear grandfather is wise and a pillar of his community, but he is also a man with his own caprices who at times puts his needs above those of his granddaughter (despite the fact that he loves her very, very dearly). It's a level of complexity I don't often find in adult novels, let alone the middle grade shelf for which Gail Carson Levine so masterfully writes.
Even though the book is told from Loma's perspective in the first person, Levine somehow imbues the other characters with enough detail that we the reader can develop opinions of them that may very well differ from Loma's personal take. Loma is a child, so when she notices things, she doesn't always have the experience to understand details reported, but the reader might. I thought this was especially the case with a brother of Loma's whom she particularly dislikes. He does many, many awful things, but there were some later scenes of his where Loma tries to find the right things to say, and I began to see that he was someone... well, not evil. He does bad things that endanger his family
This is a novel with a LOT of crossover appeal, and honestly I would recommend this to adult readers in a heartbeat. It's a fantastic work. The author makes it look easy, but I can assure you that this is the result of years and years of experience and craft.
Highly recommended if you like historical fiction with compelling, complex characters and intricate family relationships. The last act is STRESSFUL. I was on the edge of my seat and bursting with panic. So much goes wrong for our characters, and there's no avoiding the tragedy of 1492. But wow, Levine sure does stick the landing.