What I've Read This Week

What I've Read This Week . . .

Viscount Vagabond by Loretta Chase -- Regency Romance

Catherine Pelliston, daughter of Baron Pelliston, wakes up from a drugged sleep to find herself prisoner in a bawdy house where she has been threatened with a brute named Cholly if she makes a fuss. Terrified, Catherine turns to the drunk, half-naked man in her room to beg for help. Surprisingly, the gentleman agrees to help! Poor Catherine fears she's gone from the pan to the fire when her rescuer takes her to his home. She preaches to him on the improprieties of the situation and manages to avoid her fate when her rescuer ends up passing out drunk. Hoping to avoid her rescuer, Catherine tries to sneak out the next morning, but is forced to make a formal introduction to her rescuer, Max Demowery. Fearing she will be sent back home to marry the drunken lout her father chose for her, Catherine lies about her name, but is forced to confess all to Max when she is left alone and friendless in London once again. Max, formally known as Lord Rand, decides to take Catherine to his sister, Louisa, Lady Andover, who had experience escaping an unwanted marriage. Louisa kindly allows Catherine to stay overnight until her adored husband can help her decide what to do. Lord Andover discovers Catherine is a distant cousin of his and Louisa becomes determined to bring out Catherine, but before she can learn her fate, Catherine sneaks out and again finds herself all alone in London. This time rescue comes in the form of a young street urchin, Jemmy, who helps Catherine get a job as a seamstress with his foster mother. In return, Catherine teaches Jemmy his letters and finally finds peace and happiness in her work. However, an angry, enchanted Max is determined to find Catherine and bring her back to his family. Catherine reluctantly goes along with Max, with Jemmy promising to keep an eye on her by ingratiating himself with Max's staff. Catherine enters society and becomes a reigning belle while Max takes up his position in Society as the heir of the Earl of St. Denis after a six-month binge of dissipation following the death of his older brother. Unfortunately for Catherine, she first met Max at his very worst and persists in believing he is a lost cause and takes every opportunity to moralize at him. Max finds Catherine's preaching endearing and when her ex-fiance shows up in London and is on the verge of discovering Catherine's secret, Max protects Catherine once again. Soon he falls madly in love, but fearing Max is a drunken bully like her Papa, Catherine rebuffs his attentions. Knowing when to quit, Max is soon enchanted by the beautiful Lady Diana Glencove and pushes his shy, bookish friend Jack Langdon into courting Catherine. When Catherine finds herself in danger again, the gentleman in her life dash to the rescue but only one can be the hero.Despite the unusual opening of this novel, I rather enjoyed it. The characters have a lot of depth and backstory which helps explain their actions and carries the romance along. Though Catherine looks fragile, she's capable of taking care of herself and she never loses her head or wrings her hands. I admired her pluck. I also liked Max once I learned his story and why he has been behaving the way he has. The romance is believable and sweet and the author doesn't get carried away describing feelings and emotions and lets the reader get swept along in the romance. I liked this book much better than the companion.

Nissa's Place by A. LaFaye -- Middle Grades Historical Fiction

This companion to Year of the Sawdust Man continues the story of Nissa Bergen, now nearly 13 and experiencing the trials of growing up without her Mama. Nissa's best friend has suddenly gone boy-crazy and Nissa's father and stepmother are arguing about her. When Nissa's Mama asks Nissa to join her in Chicago, Nissa decides she wants to go. In Chicago, Nissa's mother has reinvented herself: she's smart, creative, and capable of taking care of herself and Nissa. Nissa enjoys the attention, though Chicago is hard to get used to after living an entire life in small-town Louisiana. When Nissa's Papa and his wife come to visit, they have a surprise announcement and want Nissa to come home. Nissa's feelings are torn. She doesn't know how she will fit into her Papa's new life or whether she wants to go back home. She finally discovers a purpose and a project for her to help her on the path to becoming an independent woman like Mama. Nissa's project is controversial and she worries over how to be true to herself and when she finally comes to a solution, she discovers that some parts of growing up are not so bad. This is a wonderful sequel to a great novel. While it lacks some of the more vivid descriptions of the first, the metaphors are still lovely. I think many girls will be able to relate to Nissa's inner turmoil and her desire to remain the same while growing older. The plot drags on too long though and there are two separate plot lines and I think the author should have finished the book with Nissa's decision and then continued in the next book instead of summarizing the events in the last chapter. I recommend this to girls 12 and up.

The Strength of Saints by A. LaFaye -- Middle Grades Historical Fiction
Six months after we last saw her in Nissa's Place, Nissa Bergen is busy running the town libraries. The Depression is affecting her family and most residents of Harper, so when some Yankees come to town to build a cannery, the whole town is abuzz with excitement and dreaming of the possibilities. When the Yankees try to change things in the town, including hiring African-Americans to work alongside whites, it causes serious tension in town. Nissa begins to wonder if she has done the right thing creating separate but equal libraries and if she'll survive the venture. To complicate her life further, Nissa's best friend has discovered boys and Mama has suddenly reappeared in town to stay. Nissa must have the strength of saints to survive the year of change in Harper. With serious thought, determination and sheer pluck Nissa learns to be herself and become an independent young woman. This is a well-written coming-of-age story. This book lacks the beautiful metaphors and imagery of the first two, but Nissa's odd unchildlike voice is still present to contemplate the ups and downs of change. I enjoyed finding out what happens to Nissa and her family but didn't find this sequel to be as interesting and engaging as the first two books.

Maria Escapes by Gillian Avery and Scott Snow --- Middle Grades Historical Fiction

Until the age of 11, Maria lived with an elderly relative and a house full of servants. When her great-aunt's advisers insisted Maria go to school, Maria is sent off to boarding school where she is miserable. After being humiliated in front of the entire school, Maria decides to run away back home to Bath. She makes it as far as Oxford, where her uncle is the Warden of Canterbury College. When Maria tells him of her difficulties at school and how she's rather learn Latin and Greek, things most girls in 1875 don't learn, he agrees to let her stay on at the college and take lessons with Professor Smith's three boys. Thus begins Maria's adventures with the rowdy Smith boys and their eccentric substitute tutor, Mr. Copplestone, who is obsessed with bullfighting and doesn't care about things like rules! When Mr. Copplestone takes the children on an outing to the historic Jerusalem House, home of the Baron Fitzackerley, Maria becomes fascinated by an unidentified painting of a little boy. A game of truth-or-dare takes Maria and the older boys on a clandestine outing back to Jerusalem House where Maria uncovers an inscription in stone written by someone in 1654. Maria believes the inscription was written by Stephen Fitzackerley, the Baron's son and she is also convinced that he is the little boy in the unidentified painting. Maria is determined to do original research, solve the mystery and prove to her uncle that she belongs at Oxford. This book could be a good example of 19th century "girl power," but I feel that Maria is a little too timid and gives up too easily to be a truly interesting heroine. The Smith boys were much more appealing, though they were quite naughty. Mr. Copplestone is a wonderful eccentric character who brings the world of Victorian Oxford to life. This is a quick, light read for kids who might not like history but they'll learn something anyway without realizing it.

Maria's Italian Spring by Gillian Avery and Scott Snow --- Middle Grades Historical Fiction

A companion to Maria's Escape Maria has spent nearly two years at Oxford enjoying lessons with her uncle and becoming proficient in Greek. Maria's uncle dies suddenly and she's left all alone again. With the Smith boys off at school, she has no one to talk to. The kind Dr. Jessop introduces Maria to his shy, nervous daughter who takes a liking to Maria and shows Maria around Oxford Ladies' College, Maria's new school. When Uncle Hadden's cousin comes to take inventory of Uncle Hadden's library, he allows Maria to choose one book to keep for herself. Maria chooses a copy of the Odyssey in Greek and impresses Mr. Burghclare who decides to take Maria back to Italy with him to study the classics and learn from the great works of art. The journey to Italy is long and difficult and their lodgings in Venice are less than ideal, but Maria enjoys the scenery. Her companion, Mrs. Clomper, despises Italy and heads back to England without Maria. Soon though, the weather turns damp and cold and Mr. Burghclare drags Maria all around Venice without thought for her personal comfort, until she becomes very ill. Maria then moves to Mr. Burghclare's villa outside of Florence to recover in the sunshine. Mr. Burghclare is busy with his books and largely ignores Maria, which is fine by her. She's determined to be an invalid forever so she doesn't have to look at any more pictures. Maria wants to be reclusive and alone and feels no one cares about her. Maria soon learns that many people care about her, including the bold, nosy English girl and her sisters who live in another wing of the villa! Cordelia inspires Maria to be more brave and Maria must face her fears and make a decision about her future. Maria is an incredibly boring character. She whines a lot to herself but doesn't give new situations much of a chance or express her feelings to anyone. I preferred reading about Cordelia and wished the book was about her instead. Unless readers are dying to know what happens to Maria, skip this book.