A novel as brilliant, but at times as troubling, as the subjects themselves.
Dual biographical fiction from debut novelist Huber detailing the lives of Margery Williams, best known as the author of The Velveteen Rabbit (1922), and her brilliant but troubled daughter, Pamela Bianco.
Starting portentously three days before Margery’s death in 1944, the novel smoothly transitions from Margery’s to Pamela’s point of view, with frequent flashbacks to earlier periods of their lives. While Margery may be the better known of the two today, during their lifetimes, Pamela Bianco was arguably more famous. A child art prodigy, Pamela held her first solo exhibition in London at the age of 13 and was brought to the United States by patron Gertrude Vanderbilt shortly thereafter. However, to Margery, Pamela was a worrisome daughter who fought bouts of depression and mania, struggled in her romantic relationships, and couldn’t always care for her son, Lorenzo. In fact, for much of the novel, Margery is concerned about her adult daughter, as she reminisces about major incidents in their lives. For example, Margery attributes her headache to apprehension over Pamela’s potential depression. Running through the novel is Margery’s undercurrent of regret for permitting her husband, Francesco, to capitalize on Pamela’s talent. Drawing on varied archival sources, the novel fascinates with the primary plot as well as allusions to illuminati of the art and literary communities with whom the Williams/Bianco family interacted (including Eugene O’Neill, Richard Hughes, Oona O’Neill Chaplin, and Pablo Picasso). In her endnotes, author Huber clearly delineates what is factual and what is speculation. For example, Pamela’s infatuation with family friend Diccon, aka Richard Hughes, is documented in Hughes’ papers at Indiana University. Huber’s reliance on primary sources, coupled with her luminous prose, creates an unforgettable sojourn into the lives of early 20th-century artists. At the same time, she effortlessly portrays the madness and addiction, which were regularly untreated in those days, that so often accompany genius. Despite much of the novel being introspective rather than action-oriented, it is fast-paced and difficult to put down.
A novel as brilliant, but at times as troubling, as the subjects themselves.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dog Ear Publisher
Review Posted Online: Sept. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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