My fellow muses are probably going to banish me to the stables for this, but I have to begin this review by stating that YA fiction is not a genre that I read or enjoy…. Yes, I can feel the death stares permeating through my skin as I type! However, I like a challenge, and so I decided to read a YA, yes you read correctly, a YA novel called Code Name Verity. Actually, truth be told, I listened to it on audio, rather than read, but same difference!
Frustratingly, this is one of those novels where you can’t give too much of a synopsis due to spoilers, so this will be brief: WWII, two young women, one of whom is captured in Nazi occupied France. The novel begins with “Verity” writing a confession in a prison cell, and thus begins the tale. Through this epistolary novel, Verity tells a story of Queenie and her friend, Maddie, and their experiences being stationed together during the war. The story is split between 1st person narrations (Verity’s experience in the prison), 3rd person narration (the story of Queenie and Maddie’s friendship) and the narration is primarily shared between Verity and Maddie.
Listening on audio, you get the added advantage of hearing different voices for different characters. This helped a lot, and was appropriate due to the style in which the novel is written. As I mentioned above, I don’t usually read YA, but this one was so different. It had the usual components of a YA novel – very little swearing, not really any sexual situations, and no gratuitous violence. However, this one presented certain situations in an extremely frank and honest manner, without sensationalising and gratuitousness: E.G., the interrogation scenes were very frightening and horrific, but they were honest, and didn’t feel like they were exploiting it. It’s hard to explain, but I felt like it read as an adult book, but at the same time, it would still be appropriate for an older teenager.
If you do decide to pick this story up, which I highly recommend that you do, be prepared to find yourself laughing, possibly crying, gasping, cringing, and recoiling. It will hit on most of your emotions and it will leave you asking yourself what if? What if you were captured by an enemy agent? Would you divulge crucial secrets? Would you do anything to survive? Would you break? Elizabeth Wein has written a fresh, unique and interesting WWII story that is brutal, honest, emotive, and effective. Do yourself a favour and read this gem of a novel before some big film studio ‘effs it up and makes a piss poor adaptation.
Enjoy ~ Pegasus
Code Name Verity (Edgar Allen Poe Awards. Best Young Adult (Awards))
friendship
Review: The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
It’s the late ’60s and five ladies who hang out with their children at a park in Palo Alto strike up a friendship. Ally, Kath, Brett, Linda and Frankie have different marriage situations, different backgrounds, and varied financial statuses, but they all want the same thing: to be noticed and appreciated.
The women decide to start writing — and sharing their work on Wednesdays at the park. As they navigate the world of literary critique without hurting feelings, they learn to love each other despite any shortcomings in their talent or personalities.
I just loved this book. It reminded me of my relationship with my sister and my best friends – always honest, sometimes abrupt or annoyed, always loving. These ladies were strong and independent, even as housewives in the 1960s. But they intelligently chose to rely on each other when a husband cheats, a pregnancy ends in miscarriage, self-esteem tanks, an old injury leaves physical and emotional scars, and breast cancer threatens to take a mother from her children. The women weren’t perfect. They judged each other silently, and supported each other out loud. But I guess you don’t really care what someone thinks of you when you’re suffering; you care how people treat you.
I think I mostly loved this book because the friendship was real – flawed and imperfect, but they always figured out what to do to move on from their mistakes. I laughed and cried at these five women sharing a relationship this special, while raising children, taking care of their homes and husbands, and dealing with the tragedies life threw at them.
The ending? Think Johnny Carson, blatant hilarity, and true love for our fellow man. I mean, woman.
–Calliope
Buy it now The Wednesday Sisters
Review: Wings of Glass by Gina Holmes
This wonderful, touching story by Gina Holmes crosses boundaries and fits into so many categories. It’s a story about domestic abuse that also has a Christian theme running underneath. It’s a story about friendship and the support we get from others who care about us. It’s also a story of suspense that leaves you wondering what’s going to happen from one page to the next.
Penny is just barely 17 when she becomes smitten with Trent Taylor, a handsome and charismatic farmhand hired by her father. Being young and naive, Penny is easily swept off her feet. The abuse begins almost as soon as Penny leaves home with Trent. He’s both physically and emotionally abusive. The hitting is just a small part of the way he terrorizes Penny. Cut off from her family, Penny is dependent on Trent for everything and never knows when something is going to set him off. Like most abused women, Penny begins to believe that she deserves the abuse and her self-esteem is eroded more and more each day. Then an accident turns the tables and Trent is suddenly dependent on Penny. Is it possible that Trent has changed and is trying to be the husband she deserves? It’s at this point that Callie Mae and Fatima enter Penny’s life. Along with providing a friendship she didn’t know was possible, the women also challenge Penny to look within herself and examine the way she’s living. She’s also conflicted by her strong faith when she wrestles with the decision of whether she should leave Trent or “stand by her man”.
This is the second book I’ve read by Gina Holmes and I’ve loved both of them beyond belief. The author creates such strong, believable characters that you almost believe she’s writing about her own personal experiences. That’s not to say I had warm and fuzzy feelings for Penny. I found her infuriating and couldn’t believe she kept going back to Trent and falling for his lies. I just wanted to reach into the book and scream at her. How could she be so stupid? Couldn’t she see that this was bound to end badly? But the fact that I felt such strong emotions for the character just speaks volumes as to what a great story this is. This was one I couldn’t put down, and I couldn’t get this story out of my head even after I finished it. Anytime a story pulls me in that deeply it’s a must-read!
~Thalia
Buy it Now: Wings of Glass
Random Book Muses 