Review: Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Tags: young adult, historical fiction, Victorian England, mental hospitals, GLBTQ lit

Summary

Louisa Cosgrove, the independent daughter of a doctor, believes she is being sent to be a lady’s companion. Instead, the carriage drops her off at Wildthorn Hall, where she is forced to take odd medicines, wear awkward clothes, and subjected to horrifying treatment. At Wildthorn, she is not Louisa Cosgrove, but Lucy Childs, and she has no idea why they call her that.

For Wildthorn is a mental hospital, and Louisa is a patient, though she doesn’t know how or why she is there. As she unravels clues from her past and navigates the psychological horrors of Wildthorn, Louisa fears she will forget who she is…unless she is completely open with herself and actively goes after what she wants.

Review

Fans of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith will find something similar here in Jane Eagland’s WILDTHORN. Shocking, subtle, and deliberately paced, it will suck in those with patience, who looking for something a bit different from the norm.

It takes no small amount of skill to weave a world that naturally traps the protagonist in unbearable situations. Louisa’s present-tense account of her time at Wildthorn is interspersed with flashbacks to her childhood, in which we get a clear picture of Louisa’s mother and older brother as restraining her identity development. Yet at the same time, her mother and brother are only trying to protect her in the way that most young Victorian women were protected. Their utter belief in their society’s system only more powerfully illuminates the horrifying situations thrust upon many young women.

WILDTHORN moves slowly, as the first half of the book involves numerous flashbacks that set up the situation and characters. However, if you like Victorian literature, and have patience for quiet character-driven stories, then WILDTHORN just might reward you. From an unconventional romance to a shocking setting, this historical novel is full of suspense, horror, and female empowerment.

Similar Authors
Justine Larbalestier
Sarah Waters (Fingersmith)

Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 3 out of 5 - It's a pretty generic image of a corset, and I suppose you could read metaphors into the presence of a constraining corset...

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Sept. 6, 2010 / Hardcover / 350pp. / $16.00

ARC picked up at BEA.

Review (T2T): The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee

The Agency, Book 2 (Book One review here)

**Note: slight, minor spoilers for Book One, but nothing earth-shattering or life-ruining, yup**


Tags: YA, historical fiction, mystery, Victorian London, suspense

Summary

Orphan Mary Quinn works for the Agency, a secret spy organization run by and employing entirely woman. Her latest assignment has her disguised as a 12-year-old boy at the construction site of a clock tower near Parliament, investigating a mysterious death and the site’s overall generally bad reputation. Mary is skilled at her “trade,” but she finds being a boy harder than she expects when it brings back long-suppressed memories of her rough childhood.

To make matters worse—or better, in some instances—James, her old flame, has returned from India, changed in some ways, yet exactly the same in others. Will Mary be able to balance all the different parts of her life while she does her job, or will something have to fall—literally?

Review

The first book in this series, A Spy in the House, was a solidly entertaining and well-researched historical mystery, but this second installment, THE BODY AT THE TOWER, throws me into fangirl zone. THE BODY AT THE TOWER, is off-the-charts incredible for its genre, a Victorian London mystery that is sure to please old and new fans.

All of Y. S. Lee’s writing strengths return in full force in this worthy sequel: from character development, to exquisitely immersing historical details, to a sizzling romance. All of the details about the Victorian era never feel forced or extravagant: readers will find it easy to fall into the gritty London that Mary inhabits, while learning incredible things about the Victorian era along the way.

The richness of the setting is matched well by the playful banter between Mary and James, banter that I described as Austen-worthy in my review of the first book, a sentiment that I heartily return to now. Sure, maybe it’s wish fulfillment in a number of ways—James is a self-described arrogant and persistent man—but damn if the pages didn’t nearly catch on fire while I was reading their banter. This is a strong-minded couple that doesn’t have it easy, but they certainly have chemistry.

Lee introduces new characters almost effortlessly, while simultaneously further exploring Mary’s conflicts with her heritage and childhood. Sure, minor characters help move the plot forward or give the MCs necessary information, but in THE BODY AT THE TOWER they acquire the possibility for life outside the story. And Mary is not just your average inexplicably competent female detective, but rather a young woman with demons of her own.

I’m not a big historical fiction OR mystery fan, but this series is one of my favorites, and probably my favorite historical mystery series. Well-written, eye-opening, and entertaining, you will dive in and be immersed immediately. THE BODY AT THE TOWER proves that Y. S. Lee is a rising star, and hasn’t even reached her peak yet. I am on tenterhooks awaiting the third book, and more after that from this incredible author!

Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 4 out of 5 - Personally I don't see Mary ever having occasion to dress like that, and I see her slightly different--more feisty, perhaps?--but I certainly appreciate the enormous effort Candlewick goes to to make sure Mary is represented accurately on the cover. Bravo, Candlewick!

Candlewick / Aug. 10, 2010 / Hardcover / 352pp. / $16.99

ARC sent by publisher for a Traveling to Teens tour. Check out the other blog stops on the tour below!

Mon. 8/2 - Kristi (The Story Siren)
Tues. 8/3 - Kristen (Bookworming in the 21st Century)
Wed. 8/4 - Sarah GreenBeanTeenQueen
Thurs. 8/5 - Lizzy (Cornucopia of Reviews)
Fri. 8/6 - Ari (Reading in Color)
Mon. 8/9 - Mariah L
Tues. 8/10 - Steph Su
Wed. 8/11 - Cecilia (The Epic Rat)
Thurs. 8/12 - Laura (Laura’s Review Bookshelf)
Fri. 8/13 - The Book Smugglers

Stay tuned in a few hours for a guest post from the magnificent author Ying herself!

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[ETA] OH, and HOW DID I FORGET that TODAY (August 10) is The Body at the Tower's release date? Huzzah! Hoorah! Congrats! *pops champagne and sprinkles all over Ying, who is thousands of miles away* Now you can run out and get this book immediately (or tell your local bookstores to stock it)!

Review: Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham

Tags: juvenile fiction, middle grade, historical fiction, South, racism

Summary

10-year-old Ludelphia Bennett wears an eye patch over her dead eye, loves quilting, and has never gone beyond her loving community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama—until her mother is dying, and then Lu decides to make the 40-mile journey to the larger town of Camden to get medical help. But life outside Gee’s Bend is not as simple, as Ludelphia must confront obstacles not only in the form of physical impediments but also cold-hearted people if she wants to save her mother.

Review

A great main character unfortunately doesn’t make up for the contrived plot in this lukewarm debut novel that attempts to be a moving journey of familial resilience in the face of racism and other elements.

At the beginning, I thought this book was almost magical. Ludelphia is a fantastic narrator, her voice so genuine, earnest, and warm. She’s ten years old but will be loved by readers of all ages, a classic protagonist going on a seemingly straightforward journey for someone else and discovering something about herself in the process.

Unfortunately, the plot felt slow and forced all the way through. The moment Lu leaves Gee’s Bend, I had trouble that the world was ours, that this is historical fiction. The world outside Gee’s Bend was disconcertingly black-and-white: things and people were either blessed angels helping Lu, or else they were sinister, malicious, inhumane beings. Lu’s greatest human antagonist comes in the form of Mrs. Cobb, whose late husband is Lu’s family’s employer of sorts. It’s hard to get a read on Mrs. Cobb. One minute she’s almost saccharinely kind—the next, she’s one step away from joining the KKK.

I understand that, to a young girl like Ludelphia, the unknown world might seem like it consists of simple binaries, but I was really hoping for more, events and people that we can actually claim as our own history, ugly as it may be. The story plods along until we can’t see Lu’s natural charms for the eyeroll-inducing melodrama.

LEAVING GEE’S BEND has a great protagonist but is sadly lacking in plot strength. It’s no standout addition to African American historical fiction, but perhaps there may be young readers who are interested in the concept enough to lose themselves in Ludelphia’s mesmerizing narration and not notice the story’s flaws.

Similar Authors
Lois Lowry

Writing: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5


Cover discussion: 3.5 out of 5 - I think it's a gorgeous picture and layout, although it doesn't seem like exactly the right cover to attract its target (younger) audience.

Putnam Juvenile / Jan. 7, 2010 / Hardcover / 240pp. / $16.99

Received from Blue Slip Media for review.

Review: Escaping the Tiger by Laura Manivong

Tags: middle grade, historical fiction, Communism, Southeast Asia, refugee camps

Summary

In 1982, 12-year-old Vonlai Sirivong and his family risk their lives and escape across the river from Communist-controlled Laos to Thailand. They left behind what little the Communists had not taken from them—but life in Na Pho refugee camp doesn’t seem much better. Vonlai attends school, plays soccer, watches his older sister and parents go through mood swings, and endures abuse at the hands of the guards, struggling to hold onto his dream of being an architect in America, where buildings touch the sky and crazy inventions such as a machine that automatically washes dishes exist. Will Vonlai ever see his dreams come true, or will he spend the rest of his life in the refugee camp, as he fears every day?

Review

Told in unassuming third-person narrative, ESCAPING THE TIGER sheds a necessary light on a painful part of history: the Lao refugees’ experience. While the writing is not quite spectacular, first-time author Laura Manivong just might move you to tears, as she did me.

ESCAPING THE TIGER is a slow close-up on the characters’ emotions as they go through their refugee experience. That means that if you’re looking for a fast-paced, plot-driven story, you won’t find it here. Vonlai’s time in the refugee camp is full of unending tension, impatience, and doubt. The refugees go through what most of us can never imagine: unhygienic conditions, extreme lack of privacy, and doubt as to whether everything you did prior to the Communist takeover was worth anything at all. But in the midst of all this are sparks of humanity that shine like relieving fireflies in the darkness: Vonlai’s banter with his friend stands out to me here. This book does something extremely difficult by balancing the inhumanity of the Na Pho experience with the little, warm things about people that keep our spirits alive even in the lowest of times.

The characters did feel a bit stiff at times, though, for me. I often couldn’t figure out whether the characters’ jarring “unapproachability” was intentional or the result of somewhat stilted writing. For example, Vonlai and his sister Dalah’s bickering often got borderline vicious with no real explanation from their personalities, with the result being that their improved relationship at the end came off as questionable to me. I was left feeling less emotionally attached to the characters than I wanted to be, especially since the book is on such a sensitive matter, but I’m not sure if anything could’ve been done about that, whether that was just an inevitable result of the subject material.

Overall, you can read ESCAPING THE TIGER as an essential work on Lao and Thai history, despite its sometimes detached writing. This could be a good one for the avid young reader who’s interested in learning an important history lesson.

Writing: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 3 out of 5 - It's not really one that would capture my attention, but then again, it's highly appropriate for the story, and hints at the tension that the Sirivong family will face in the book. Plus, there are Asian people on the cover! Score one for the publisher getting it right!

HarperCollins / Mar. 9, 2010 / 216pp. / $16.99

Review copy provided by publisher. Thanks, E!