A slow paced and ultimately depressing tale of a not-often-depicted place and time that will, though somewhat flawed,...
It is 18th-century Montreal, and 15-year-old Françoise Laurent has been sentenced to be hanged. How she came to that position is only gradually uncovered.
In a first-person narration that seems oddly inappropriate to Françoise’s humble background, she slowly reveals the hardships of her life: extreme poverty, brutally hard work, a total lack of education—until her father decides to teach her to read after her brother is stillborn—and a grim absence of any hope for a better future. Her character loosely based on a real person, the only living child of an often-drunk, failed soldier and his hard-drinking, prostitute-turned-washerwoman and wife, Françoise’s spirited guidance is the only thing that keeps them alive at all. When tragedy leads to the unexpected opportunity to become the personal maid to a wealthy, embittered lady, things seem to be looking up for her—at least until she makes a serious yet intentional blunder that results in her downfall. Françoise’s detailed descriptions of all that she sees provide a depth to the narrative but also slow it to a sometimes frustratingly languid pace. Her insights and language, while interesting, fail to ring completely true, given her uneducated, near-destitute upbringing.
A slow paced and ultimately depressing tale of a not-often-depicted place and time that will, though somewhat flawed, satisfy dedicated historical-fiction fans. (Historical fiction. 11 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55451-357-4
Page Count: 232
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2011
An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage.
Adrian, the youngest of the Montague siblings, sails into tumultuous waters in search of answers about himself, the sudden death of his mother, and her mysterious, cracked spyglass.
On the summer solstice less than a year ago, Caroline Montague fell off a cliff in Aberdeen into the sea. When the Scottish hostel where she was staying sends a box of her left-behind belongings to London, Adrian—an anxious, White nobleman on the cusp of joining Parliament—discovers one of his mother’s most treasured possessions, an antique spyglass. She acquired it when she was the sole survivor of a shipwreck many years earlier. His mother always carried that spyglass with her, but on the day of her death, she had left it behind in her room. Although he never knew its full significance, Adrian is haunted by new questions and is certain the spyglass will lead him to the truth. Once again, Lee crafts an absorbing adventure with dangerous stakes, dynamic character growth, sharp social and political commentary, and a storm of emotion. Inseparable from his external search for answers about his mother, Adrian seeks a solution for himself, an end to his struggle with mental illness—a journey handled with hopeful, gentle honesty that validates the experiences of both good and bad days. Characters from the first two books play significant secondary roles, and the resolution ties up their loose ends. Humorous antics provide a well-measured balance with the heavier themes.
An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage. (Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-291601-3
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
A suspenseful and evocative gothic mystery.
Amid a murder investigation, a teen orphan finds herself heir to a multimillion-dollar estate.
On Washington State’s Orcas Island in 1918, 18-year-old Lucy Nowhere enjoys the nature surrounding her but dreams of leaving, seeing the world, and attending the University of Washington. Discovered adrift in a canoe as a newborn, Lucy was taken in by the wealthy, reclusive shipbuilding magnate Mr. Dakon Sanders, who made her a servant—and gave her an education—on his large estate, which he named Nowhere. Blond, blue-eyed Mr. Sanders disapproves of her going to college. He shocks Lucy with the revelation that he knew her father—and promises to tell her more if she stays. That evening, she finds Mr. Sanders’ decapitated head floating in the marina, and her hopes of finding answers about her identity are dashed. When it emerges that Lucy will inherit everything, she realizes she must stay and uncover what’s going on. With a growing list of suspects, more suspicious events occurring on the island, and rumors of the involvement of the “half eagle and half fish” demon Orkus and his army of “sea wolves,” Lucy must uncover secrets and find the killer before she becomes the next victim. Against a beautifully described natural setting, Lee creates a dark, haunting, suspense-filled atmosphere with a touch of the supernatural. Combining science and myth, this is an exciting story with a multiethnic cast that explores identity, friendship, trust, and caring for nature.
A suspenseful and evocative gothic mystery. (author’s note) (Historical mystery. 12-18)Pub Date: March 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781665978965
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Sarah Barley Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
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