DECEMBER 2017

SEEDS OF AMERICA 1: CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson / YA / **** / Hardback

This trilogy takes place in 1776 and follows the story of Isabel, her sister Ruth, and their friend Curzon.  All three are slaves.

The story moves starts in rural Rhode Island, where the death of their mistress means freedom to Isabel and Ruth.  The son of their deceased mistress refuses to honor his mothers will, and sells the two sisters to a household in New York. The City is mostly Loyalist and is being invaded by the American rebels. (As a side note, it was really interesting to me to read about New York as I was just walking these streets a few months ago - it was cool to actually know where they were talking about.)

Curzon is fighting with the rebels in the place of his Master. He is promised freedom for this work. Curzon befriends Isabel and Ruth and persuades her that if the country is fighting for freedom, why shouldn't they?   Isabel helps pass a few pieces of information gathered from her Loyalist household that aids the cause of Independence.  Curzon is eventually captured by the British and is put in jail in New York.

This novel is a sobering peek into the daily lives of slaves. The hard work. The fear of being separated from family. The conflicting orders from different masters.  Isabel is smart and protective. She tries to protect her sister Ruth throughout the entire story, only to have Ruth sold away from her.  

I know this story sounds like just one depressing event after another but the day to day life in Revolutionary War America told from the viewpoint of a slave was really fascinating. And Isabel was just such a hard worker and so devoted and so HOPEFUL that you were cheering for her the entire way.

The story ends with Isabel being told that her sister was not really sold to the Caribbean Islands but was really sent to their masters plantation in South Carolina.  With his knowledge, Isabel runs away, rescuing Curzon from the jail in a totally daring but completely plausible fashion.


SEEDS OF AMERICA 2: FORGE by Laurie Halse Anderson / YA / ***1/2 / Hardback

The story picks up about a year later. Curzon and Isabel have had a splitting of ways as Isabel wants to go to South Carolina and find her sister and Curzon wants to help fight for freedom.

This book is told from the point of view of Curzon and tells about his life as a soldier. He joins a regiment of rag-tag soldiers who end up wintering in Valley Forge.  

The book is a fascinating peek at the daily life of a soldier - the deprivations and hard work combined with the desire for freedom from Britain.  The story is made even more interesting due to the fact that Curzon is black.  Even though the Civil War is another 100 years away, the changes in attitude that finally prompted the war are already beginning to happen - and are probably sped along by men who live, fight, and died together in the mud of New England.

Curzon is eventually discovered by his old master, and is forced to leave his regiment to work as a house slave. He is horrified to find Isabel in the home as well. She had been recaptured and was forced to wear a forged iron collar around her neck as punishment.

The rest of the book follows their actions to work together to escape.

SEEDS OF AMERICA 3: ASHES by Laurie Halse Anderson / YA / *** 1/2 / Hardback

The story picks up again after about another year. Isabel and Curzon have made their way to South Carolina to find Ruth.

Ruth was a young child when she was separated from her sister and was told her sister did not want her. She is a little simple minded and resistant to change. Isabel has to work not only to convince her to run away but also to trust her and rebuild their relationship.

The group knows they have to get North for freedom. This book tells of their journey back into a northern America that is in turmoil. They have to choose sides - Curzon wants to rejoin the fight for freedom - especially as the military has promised freedom for those that fight.  Isabel wants to join with the British - who have promised freedom for any slaves that help their cause. 

Both quickly find that neither side is all that it promises to be.  Trusts are broken. Allies turn. The three friends are taken advantage of at every turn by people on both sides.  They suffer and they work and ultimately they prevail.

This series was fascinating and heartbreaking and asks over and over again what is the price of freedom and are you willing to pay it?  It was such an engaging story that was ultimately realistic without being overly depressing and hopeful without being saccharine.  I really enjoyed it.



THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman / YA / ***1/2 / Kindle

I don't know what to  think about this book.

It tells the story of a teenager boy, Quentin, who is told he is a magician and is invited to study magic at a school in upstate New York.  Sound like a plot you've already heard? The resemblances to Harry Potter are striking but this is not the only parallel. The book has a lot of tie-ins with the Narnia series as well. I can't help but think that the tie-ins were deliberate... kind of like the idea that all stories already exist and we just redo them over and over again? I don't know....  all I do know is that the Harry Potter books and the Narnia books are on the top of my list of books that I adore and that actually changed my life and this book lacked the magical spark of either.

The book covers a LOT of ground - five years of school plus a year or so of post school plus a couple of years adventure in another realm.  

I had to pretty much force myself to read the book as I just didn't like the main character. As he didn't really like himself, this also could have been deliberate by the author. The book just felt cold and sterile. There were moments of greatness but you had to really plod through to get to them.  

The Swans of 5th Avenue by Melanie Benjamin / A / **** / Kindle
For a book where not much happened, I really enjoyed this book. I read it because it was written by the author of "The Aviator's Wife" which I enjoyed.  It is the story of high society in New York in the 50's and 60's. In the center of it all is Truman Capote and his "swans" - the manicured and moneyed friends Truman cultivated for his own reasons.  The characters were really nuanced and you got to know them in a deep way.  I also enjoyed the cultural references and found myself up looking up different people and events mentioned... like Babe Paley and Truman's famous "Black and White Ball".

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson / A / ***
This is a short story by an author I really enjoy.  She gives a vivid picture of a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970's.  I could feel the heat on the streets, hear the city noises in the night and the slang being spoken, feel the love she had for her friends.  It is a story of friendship but also of the dark side of Brooklyn.  It gave me a look into a world I don't know much about.

The Women In the Castle by Jessica Shattuck / A / ****
This is the story of three widows whose fates become intertwined in the final year of WWII.  There is Marianne, the widow of a Nazi resistor, who is trying to fulfill a promise made to her husband to care for the families of his compatriots; Benita, the wife of her childhood best friend; and Ania, another resistor's wife that is not all she says she is. It tells the story of their lives after their war, their struggles as Germany tries to rebuild, and their fierce loyalty to their own sets of values that did not always coincide.  It was a fascinating story of post WWII Germany.


The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley / YA / ****1/2
I read this book a few years ago, and selected it to review for my turn hosting book group. It tells the story of Ada - one of the best literary characters ever.  She has never left her apartment in ten years due to an unresolved club foot.  When her brother Jamie is sent away from London  during WWII to live in the country, Ada sneaks out and goes with him.

What follows is the most delightful story as they adjust to life in the country. It is a whole new world for both children, but especially Ada.  Their begrudging guardian, Susan Smith, has a beautiful story of her own.  The entire community pulls together during this difficult time in England's history to give the children love, companionship, confidence, and safety.

This is a great story of love, family, and making the most of the life you've been given.  Ada is smart, gritty, damaged, loyal, scared, and brave all at the same time.  Great book!

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley / YA / ***1/2
I didn't even know this book existed until I went to order a few extra copies of the first book for my book group to use.  

While not as purely delightful as the first, it satisfies us all to hear what happened to our precious Ada.  She faces new challenges as she must evolve to understand her new place in the world.  I love that there is just the right amount of reality (this book does take place during a war after all) with the right amount of hope.