What I Read Last Week . . .
Sophie's Halloo by Patricia Wynn -- Regency Romance
At Nineteen, Sophie Corby and her parents are on the way to London for her come-out. Sophie is dreading it, fearing that all men are hunting-mad like her father and anxious to leave her to go back to the hunting field. Sophie retreats into her daydreams to avoid her father's long-winded ramblings until a chance encounter with Sir Tony Farnham opens her eyes to the fact that there are gentlemen who don't like to hunt! Sir Tony is a welcome friend in London. He is clever and easily able to capture Sophie's attention and she finds him attractive, however, Sophie's father prefers fellow hunter Mr. Rollo as a husband for Sophie. It's up to Sir Tony and Sophie to ensure they end up happily ever after. There isn't much plot in this book and it's very quiet and slow. Everything is resolved neatly but left me wondering "is that all?" Sophie is mostly bland but she grew on me once she revealed her sense of humor. Sir Tony is one of those too good to be true heroes. This book didn't thrill me but I didn't hate it. It's fine if you like quiet stories where nothing happens.
The Keeping Days by Norma Johnston -- YA Historical Fiction/Classic
Set in 1900 in Yonkers, New York, this book is the journal of 14 year-old Tish, middle child of a large suburban family. Tish feels nobody understands her and longs to be a writer. She pours out her feelings about life, love and her family in her journal. Tish collects special days she calls "keeping days" and hopes her new year will be full of them, instead she gets a mother who insists on being an Early Christian Martyr, an older sister who is conflicted in her feelings towards two gentlemen, wild and unruly siblings and the Queen Bee of the neighborhood who is well on her way to becoming a Scarlet Woman! Through the year, Tish learns the true meaning of love and the importance of family. This is a typical coming-of-age story full of teen angst and critical family situations. I think I would have appreciated it better when I was a teenager but I could identify with Tish's feelings towards her family and the other teens. I felt that towards the end, the book took on a Christian slant that I didn't really care for. It raised some interesting questions about Faith but I didn't really sympathize with Tish's conclusions. The plot moved slowly and I didn't feel an overwhelming interesting in what happens next. I think fans of classic literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries will enjoy this book and teenagers will especially be able to relate to Tish and her situation.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith -- Classic
Like Keeping Days (above), this is a journal of a teenage girl who wants to be a writer. Seventeen-year-old Cassandra lives with her eccentric family in a crumbling old castle in the English countryside in the 1930s. Cassandra's father is a writer with one brilliant book to his credit and a brief jail stint which may have possibly inhibited his desire or ability to write, therefore, the family lives in utter poverty, doing what they can to get by. Cassandra's older sister Rose is fed-up with being poor and will do anything to change her situation. Younger brother Thomas is a brilliant scholar. Hired-boy Stephen is madly in love with Cassandra and she's not sure how she feels about him. Two American men and their mother arrive from New York when the elder man, Simon, inherits the landlord's estate. At first, it seems like the men are captivated by Rose's beauty and think Cassandra an amusing child, but Cassandra overhears what they really think of her family and is embarrassed and angry about it and becomes determined to hate them, but it is difficult when they keep running into each other. Cassandra's father enjoys attention from Mrs. Cotton, Simon and Neil's mother, and the intellectual discussions they share though he shows no signs of wanting to write again. Luck finally comes their way when Rose and Simon become engaged to be married, but Cassandra worries about her sister's motives and her own feelings about the situation. Cassandra likens her family to the Bennets in Pride and Prejudice and there are many literary references to Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and others. It seemed at first like this was going to be a rewrite of Pride and Prejudice but it turned out to be Filled with lots of angst and difficult situations, this book is best appreciated by teenagers who can identify with Cassandra. an entirely original story about life and love and coming-of-age.
My Vicksburg by Ann Rinaldi -- Middle Grades Historical Fiction
Ann Rinaldi's latest novel for young readers takes place during the Civil War in Mississippi during the 87-day Siege of Vicksburg in 1863. Claire Louise Corbet has always lived with her family in a large house with her family and many servants. Her father is brisk and stern but cares for his family. With her older brother enlisted as a doctor in the Union Army and her father as a doctor in the Confederate Army, it seems Claire Louise's world changes quickly. When General Grant and his troops march on Vicksburg, Claire Louise, her mother and little brother James must move from their grand home to caves carved into a hillside. Their cave rooms are spacious with many accomodations from home but it's hard not to worry with the constant shelling going on above their heads. During a cease-fire moment, Claire Louise sneaks off to pick berries and comes across her older brother nursing a man in a Confederate soldier. Claire Louise can tell Robert, the Confederate soldier, has a secret and is determined to help him in some way. Her views about honor and doing the right thing are challenged when she learns his secret. Claire Louise comes to a difficult decision that may change her life forever. This book is filled with amazing period details that are Ann Rinaldi's specialty. The plot was good and kept me interested though it seemed rather thin. Claire Louise is a typical Rinaldi heroine, spunky and brave. I liked this book much better than some of her other more recent works because of the period details and also because the plot wasn't so depressing. I recommend this one to fans of Rinaldi's books young and old and also Civil War and history buffs.
Sophie's Halloo by Patricia Wynn -- Regency Romance
At Nineteen, Sophie Corby and her parents are on the way to London for her come-out. Sophie is dreading it, fearing that all men are hunting-mad like her father and anxious to leave her to go back to the hunting field. Sophie retreats into her daydreams to avoid her father's long-winded ramblings until a chance encounter with Sir Tony Farnham opens her eyes to the fact that there are gentlemen who don't like to hunt! Sir Tony is a welcome friend in London. He is clever and easily able to capture Sophie's attention and she finds him attractive, however, Sophie's father prefers fellow hunter Mr. Rollo as a husband for Sophie. It's up to Sir Tony and Sophie to ensure they end up happily ever after. There isn't much plot in this book and it's very quiet and slow. Everything is resolved neatly but left me wondering "is that all?" Sophie is mostly bland but she grew on me once she revealed her sense of humor. Sir Tony is one of those too good to be true heroes. This book didn't thrill me but I didn't hate it. It's fine if you like quiet stories where nothing happens. The Keeping Days by Norma Johnston -- YA Historical Fiction/Classic
Set in 1900 in Yonkers, New York, this book is the journal of 14 year-old Tish, middle child of a large suburban family. Tish feels nobody understands her and longs to be a writer. She pours out her feelings about life, love and her family in her journal. Tish collects special days she calls "keeping days" and hopes her new year will be full of them, instead she gets a mother who insists on being an Early Christian Martyr, an older sister who is conflicted in her feelings towards two gentlemen, wild and unruly siblings and the Queen Bee of the neighborhood who is well on her way to becoming a Scarlet Woman! Through the year, Tish learns the true meaning of love and the importance of family. This is a typical coming-of-age story full of teen angst and critical family situations. I think I would have appreciated it better when I was a teenager but I could identify with Tish's feelings towards her family and the other teens. I felt that towards the end, the book took on a Christian slant that I didn't really care for. It raised some interesting questions about Faith but I didn't really sympathize with Tish's conclusions. The plot moved slowly and I didn't feel an overwhelming interesting in what happens next. I think fans of classic literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries will enjoy this book and teenagers will especially be able to relate to Tish and her situation.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith -- ClassicLike Keeping Days (above), this is a journal of a teenage girl who wants to be a writer. Seventeen-year-old Cassandra lives with her eccentric family in a crumbling old castle in the English countryside in the 1930s. Cassandra's father is a writer with one brilliant book to his credit and a brief jail stint which may have possibly inhibited his desire or ability to write, therefore, the family lives in utter poverty, doing what they can to get by. Cassandra's older sister Rose is fed-up with being poor and will do anything to change her situation. Younger brother Thomas is a brilliant scholar. Hired-boy Stephen is madly in love with Cassandra and she's not sure how she feels about him. Two American men and their mother arrive from New York when the elder man, Simon, inherits the landlord's estate. At first, it seems like the men are captivated by Rose's beauty and think Cassandra an amusing child, but Cassandra overhears what they really think of her family and is embarrassed and angry about it and becomes determined to hate them, but it is difficult when they keep running into each other. Cassandra's father enjoys attention from Mrs. Cotton, Simon and Neil's mother, and the intellectual discussions they share though he shows no signs of wanting to write again. Luck finally comes their way when Rose and Simon become engaged to be married, but Cassandra worries about her sister's motives and her own feelings about the situation. Cassandra likens her family to the Bennets in Pride and Prejudice and there are many literary references to Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and others. It seemed at first like this was going to be a rewrite of Pride and Prejudice but it turned out to be Filled with lots of angst and difficult situations, this book is best appreciated by teenagers who can identify with Cassandra. an entirely original story about life and love and coming-of-age.
My Vicksburg by Ann Rinaldi -- Middle Grades Historical FictionAnn Rinaldi's latest novel for young readers takes place during the Civil War in Mississippi during the 87-day Siege of Vicksburg in 1863. Claire Louise Corbet has always lived with her family in a large house with her family and many servants. Her father is brisk and stern but cares for his family. With her older brother enlisted as a doctor in the Union Army and her father as a doctor in the Confederate Army, it seems Claire Louise's world changes quickly. When General Grant and his troops march on Vicksburg, Claire Louise, her mother and little brother James must move from their grand home to caves carved into a hillside. Their cave rooms are spacious with many accomodations from home but it's hard not to worry with the constant shelling going on above their heads. During a cease-fire moment, Claire Louise sneaks off to pick berries and comes across her older brother nursing a man in a Confederate soldier. Claire Louise can tell Robert, the Confederate soldier, has a secret and is determined to help him in some way. Her views about honor and doing the right thing are challenged when she learns his secret. Claire Louise comes to a difficult decision that may change her life forever. This book is filled with amazing period details that are Ann Rinaldi's specialty. The plot was good and kept me interested though it seemed rather thin. Claire Louise is a typical Rinaldi heroine, spunky and brave. I liked this book much better than some of her other more recent works because of the period details and also because the plot wasn't so depressing. I recommend this one to fans of Rinaldi's books young and old and also Civil War and history buffs.
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