An interesting, if incomplete, glimpse into the history of the American West.
An eclipse gives a young woman from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the chance to follow her dreams.
Elizabeth Bertelsen, 17, spends her days in Monroe, Utah, caring for her many younger brothers and sisters and her nights watching the stars. It’s 1878, and scientists from around the world (including Thomas Edison) are gathering in the American West to study a solar eclipse. Elizabeth dreams of becoming an astronomer, but her mother dismisses the idea as counter to God’s plan for a woman. When Elizabeth’s neglect leads to her sister’s near drowning, Elizabeth atones by traveling to Wyoming to help her older half sister Rebekka through childbirth (her father is polygamous). The shared experience of a train robbery leads to friendship with wealthy Black siblings, which eventually results in Elizabeth’s helping scientists during the eclipse and beginning to believe she can pursue both science and faith. Elizabeth’s quest for self-discovery sometimes drags, however, it’s refreshing to see members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their beliefs well expressed in historical context. Eves’ inclusion of Native American, Black, Chinese, and multiracial characters (and veiled references to gay ones) deliberately highlights the often overlooked diversity of the time. Elizabeth experiences prejudice for her religious faith; meanwhile, Black characters she meets highlight her lack of awareness of the impact of race. However, the overall racial harmony ultimately seems to erase realities experienced by people of color.
An interesting, if incomplete, glimpse into the history of the American West. (author's note, further reading) (Historical fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-984849-55-7
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A dizzying, intimate romance.
Rowan teams up with her academic nemesis to win a citywide scavenger hunt.
Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been rivals in a never-ending game of one-upmanship since freshman year. Now, on the last day of senior year, Rowan hopes to best Neil once and for all as valedictorian, then win Howl, a scavenger hunt with a $5,000 cash prize. She also hopes to sneak away to her favorite romance author’s book signing; no one’s ever respected her passion for the genre, not even her children’s book author/illustrator parents. But Rowan’s named salutatorian, and vengeful classmates plot to end her and Neil’s reign. At first their partnership is purely strategic, but as the pair traverse the city, they begin to open up. Rowan learns that Neil is Jewish too and can relate to both significant cultural touchstones and experiences of casual anti-Semitism. As much as Rowan tries to deny it, real feelings begin to bloom. Set against a lovingly evoked Seattle backdrop, Rowan and Neil’s relationship develops in an absorbing slow burn, with clever banter and the delicious tension of first love. Issues of class, anti-Semitism, and sex are discussed frankly. Readers will emerge just as obsessed with this love story as Rowan is with her beloved romance novels. Rowan’s mother is Russian Jewish and Mexican, and her father is American Jewish and presumably White; most other characters are White.
A dizzying, intimate romance. (author’s note) (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: July 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4024-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
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
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