Calcified prose and a lack of believability waylay this work of historical fiction.
In Rose’s historical novel, a Dutch colonist in the New World is captured by an Indigenous tribe and attempts to rise within its ranks.
In 1655, Judah Joseph lives in New Netherland (present-day New York); he was raised as a Jew, though without any religious enthusiasm. His Dutch settlement is raided by members of the Susquehannock tribe, and after a cataclysm of violence, he is taken captive. Despite his reduced circumstances, he develops a “certain sympathy” for his captors—enamored of their dignity and discipline, he makes an implausibly quick decision to become one of them, to distinguish himself as a warrior, and to eventually become their leader. He impresses his chief, Flowing Waters, and establishes a reputation as a fighter and hunter, earning the tribal name Blue Eyes. However, he jeopardizes his place within the tribe when he impregnates Singing Bird, a 15-year-old girl who kills herself to avoid the shame of marrying a white man. In the historically edifying but literarily unsatisfying narrative, Blue Eyes flees his tribe to find another, determined to realize his ultimate aspiration to become a four-feathered sachem (chief) and changing his name to Blue Eagle. The author’s portrayal of the story’s historical period and the culture of the Susquehannock people radiates an impressive verisimilitude. Additionally, the depiction of Blue Eagle’s psychological conflict—the way in which, despite ascending to a position of leadership in a tribe, he “still had one leg in the white man’s world”— is artfully rendered. But the plot as a whole is starkly implausible, and Rose’s prosaic writing lacks style. When the author reaches for poetic heights, he instead comes up with breathless melodrama. Here is a snippet of Blue Eagle’s inner monologue after he is captured by an enemy tribe: “You must survive this ordeal. You have a destiny to fulfill, obligations to meet, a family that needs you, a village that respects you. Kill if you must, but you must live!” For all of its strengths as a historical record, the novel is disappointing as a work of fiction.
Calcified prose and a lack of believability waylay this work of historical fiction.Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9798992419863
Page Count: 272
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 9, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
