I think it's hard to stay haunted after a book ends. I take a book, read and finish it, then move on to the next. I reflect a little bit about it when it's over, but I usually find myself thinking about that book a couple days after I finish it, long after I've read a couple more books.
Jennifer Donnelly and her books break that curve. It was hard to put A Northern Light down, and harder to look at These Shallow Graves and not pick it back up. In this post, I'm going to review two of Jennifer Donnelly's books. I'll list them below and then they'll each have their own section and review. If reading her books have taught me anything, it's that she's probably one of my favorite authors now. Her writing inspires mine. I can't quite put my finger on what makes it so awesome, but I'm glad she's set the bar so high. I'll continue to sing her praises below, so enjoy.
In order of publication:
A Northern Light - 2003
These Shallow Graves - 2015
I'm going to review them, however, in the order I read them, starting with A Northern Light. You can also find these reviews posted at Goodreads under my username NatalieM22.
Mattie Gokey loves to write. She has big dreams for herself, and they start with the words she looks up everyday and plans to use at least once. To make her dreams come true, she gets a job at Glenmore, where she becomes involved in the murder of Grace Brown, the woman who asked her the day before her death to burn her letters. Immediately readers are drawn into what happened to this young woman after her body is recovered from the lake, and from then on you are also immersed into the life of Mattie herself.
Now, this book can be a little misleading. The summary implies that we are starting off at the part in Mattie's life where she's working at the hotel. While the first chapter stars off with Grace Brown's murder, when those pages are ended, we were transported months back in Mattie's life, long before she'd even though about getting a job at Glenmore. When I first encountered that, I was confused at the timeline, but if I had known about how this book was set up beforehand, I think I would have been a little less confused. Nevertheless, once I figured out this pattern (Grace Brown's murder, then months before the murder, and then the night before the murder, then weeks before the murder, then you get the point) I was okay to continue reading without confusion. The scenes work towards each other until they meet near the end and then converge.
Mattie Gokey as a character is interesting. We learn at the beginning that she has the responsibility make sure all of her sisters are fed, and that all the chores get done. She takes the punishment if something goes wrong, because she's the oldest. For this reason, her father is unwilling to let her do anything with writing or going away to learn in New York. This responsibility her father puts on her shoulders begins to make her feel hopeless about becoming someone great, which is why she continues to fall deeper into this pit of despair. She continues on with her life as if she's going to spend the rest of it in her small farming town, and us as readers are trying to push her the opposite way, as does her teacher and her best friend throughout the book. Near the end, she makes the best couple of decisions that make us really cheer for her. It's amazing to read a character who does what they want, no matter the wants of the other characters. While these types of character seem common in YA Fiction, no one quite writes them as well as Jennifer Donnelly does.
I loved how vivid the setting was. Mattie's house, Mattie's town, the Glenmore, all of it felt like I could walk outside and it would all be right there waiting for me. Donnelly does extensive background work on her time periods, and it really pays off when readers can feel like they're standing in the world she's built around her characters. Sometimes I feel like I praise her world building skills a bit too much but then I remember how much I wanted to be with Mattie in some of these scenes, or how much I wished I stood beside Jo (see These Shallow Graves review) as she was solving the mystery of her father and then I feel like I'm not praising her quite enough for all the hard work she must have put into just the setting of her stories.
Lastly, I would like to point out the premise of this story was based off a true murder, the murder of Grace Brown. You could look it up on Google if you wish to learn more. Donnelly mentions that Grace Brown's death helped her create Mattie's life, and I really liked how she phrased that at the end of the book, because in a way, the death of this real girl led to the birth of Mattie's fictional yet totally inspiring life. Even though Grace Brown's death takes place technically near the end of the book (and I say technically because of the crazy bouncing back and forth that takes place), it's amazing how that event shaped what Mattie decided to do at the end, despite all the past occurrences with her family and her love interest and her best friend and teacher.
I recommend this book because it is an award winner, and those aren't just given out to any old book. Readers who enjoy historical fiction and coming of age novels will certainly enjoy this. If you've read other Jennifer Donnelly books you'll like this book. It's easy to read, and once you finally understand how the book is paced, you'll be asking yourself what's going to happen next. Just as These Shallow Graves is an intoxicating read, A Northern Light is intoxicating in its own right. The characters and setting are extremely vivid, and the plot is a twisting path of fun. Read this book to enjoy it, because I'm certain everyone could, which is why Jennifer Donnelly's A Northern Light gets 5 out of 5.
Josephine Montfort (better known as Jo) is from one of the most elite New York families. She's expected to finish finishing school, then get married to her oldest childhood friend, Abraham (Bram) Aldrich. She's not supposed to be writing stories, or wandering the streets, and she's definitely not supposed to be at her journalist friend's house at night, but her father also isn't supposed to be dead. When Jo hears of his death, and how it happens, she knows something's amiss. Charles Montfort, a successful man who keeps the Montforts afloat in the elite society, would not have been so stupid as to clean a loaded gun, the police's story that covers up Charles Montfort's death. With the help of Eddie Gallagher, a journalist who cares so incredibly deeply about getting the next big story, Jo starts to uncover the truth about her father's death.
It was easy to predict that some characters were involved in the mystery. It was more difficult to discern, however, just how directly they were involved. While I don't want to put any spoilers in my reviews, I think we all have that sixth sense that tells us there's more than something is letting on. Maybe it was the way Donnelly wanted it, with us being able to tell certain characters were more involved than they were letting on, or maybe not. But to be sure, it was easy to tell that certain characters were involved in Charles's murder. Either way, when the book was more than 75% over and I was certain that a particular character had to have committed the murder, I was even more surprised than I thought I would be. While I was correct that that particular character was involved, I did not correctly guess how or why. All of those questions were answered, of course, and the story tied itself up nicely at the end.
I think you'll definitely like this book if you like murder mysteries, or if you like historical fiction, or if you like romance, because this book has a blending of all three without suffocating you. The writing is easy to read and the characters are extremely likable (except for the characters that you're supposed to hate, and those characters are easy to hate). The story itself is intoxicating, and once you start the book, you can't put it down. I know I didn't. If you're looking for a little adventure, a little romance, and to learn about the late 1800s, this book will give you all of that. Based on all the information above, I give Jennifer Donnelly's These Shallow Graves 5 out of 5 stars.
Jennifer Donnelly and her books break that curve. It was hard to put A Northern Light down, and harder to look at These Shallow Graves and not pick it back up. In this post, I'm going to review two of Jennifer Donnelly's books. I'll list them below and then they'll each have their own section and review. If reading her books have taught me anything, it's that she's probably one of my favorite authors now. Her writing inspires mine. I can't quite put my finger on what makes it so awesome, but I'm glad she's set the bar so high. I'll continue to sing her praises below, so enjoy.
In order of publication:
A Northern Light - 2003
These Shallow Graves - 2015
I'm going to review them, however, in the order I read them, starting with A Northern Light. You can also find these reviews posted at Goodreads under my username NatalieM22.
A Northern Light
Published under A Gathering Light in the UK, A Northern Light is a Carnegie Medal Award Winner and a Printz Honor Book, and for a good reason. Coupled with a mystery, this book can rightfully be labeled as a coming of age story with a historical fiction background. The reason I would recommend this book is because of how realistic is was and how the ending was truly inspiring, to me, and how it can be to others. So let's get started.
Mattie Gokey loves to write. She has big dreams for herself, and they start with the words she looks up everyday and plans to use at least once. To make her dreams come true, she gets a job at Glenmore, where she becomes involved in the murder of Grace Brown, the woman who asked her the day before her death to burn her letters. Immediately readers are drawn into what happened to this young woman after her body is recovered from the lake, and from then on you are also immersed into the life of Mattie herself.Now, this book can be a little misleading. The summary implies that we are starting off at the part in Mattie's life where she's working at the hotel. While the first chapter stars off with Grace Brown's murder, when those pages are ended, we were transported months back in Mattie's life, long before she'd even though about getting a job at Glenmore. When I first encountered that, I was confused at the timeline, but if I had known about how this book was set up beforehand, I think I would have been a little less confused. Nevertheless, once I figured out this pattern (Grace Brown's murder, then months before the murder, and then the night before the murder, then weeks before the murder, then you get the point) I was okay to continue reading without confusion. The scenes work towards each other until they meet near the end and then converge.
Mattie Gokey as a character is interesting. We learn at the beginning that she has the responsibility make sure all of her sisters are fed, and that all the chores get done. She takes the punishment if something goes wrong, because she's the oldest. For this reason, her father is unwilling to let her do anything with writing or going away to learn in New York. This responsibility her father puts on her shoulders begins to make her feel hopeless about becoming someone great, which is why she continues to fall deeper into this pit of despair. She continues on with her life as if she's going to spend the rest of it in her small farming town, and us as readers are trying to push her the opposite way, as does her teacher and her best friend throughout the book. Near the end, she makes the best couple of decisions that make us really cheer for her. It's amazing to read a character who does what they want, no matter the wants of the other characters. While these types of character seem common in YA Fiction, no one quite writes them as well as Jennifer Donnelly does.
I loved how vivid the setting was. Mattie's house, Mattie's town, the Glenmore, all of it felt like I could walk outside and it would all be right there waiting for me. Donnelly does extensive background work on her time periods, and it really pays off when readers can feel like they're standing in the world she's built around her characters. Sometimes I feel like I praise her world building skills a bit too much but then I remember how much I wanted to be with Mattie in some of these scenes, or how much I wished I stood beside Jo (see These Shallow Graves review) as she was solving the mystery of her father and then I feel like I'm not praising her quite enough for all the hard work she must have put into just the setting of her stories.
Lastly, I would like to point out the premise of this story was based off a true murder, the murder of Grace Brown. You could look it up on Google if you wish to learn more. Donnelly mentions that Grace Brown's death helped her create Mattie's life, and I really liked how she phrased that at the end of the book, because in a way, the death of this real girl led to the birth of Mattie's fictional yet totally inspiring life. Even though Grace Brown's death takes place technically near the end of the book (and I say technically because of the crazy bouncing back and forth that takes place), it's amazing how that event shaped what Mattie decided to do at the end, despite all the past occurrences with her family and her love interest and her best friend and teacher.
I recommend this book because it is an award winner, and those aren't just given out to any old book. Readers who enjoy historical fiction and coming of age novels will certainly enjoy this. If you've read other Jennifer Donnelly books you'll like this book. It's easy to read, and once you finally understand how the book is paced, you'll be asking yourself what's going to happen next. Just as These Shallow Graves is an intoxicating read, A Northern Light is intoxicating in its own right. The characters and setting are extremely vivid, and the plot is a twisting path of fun. Read this book to enjoy it, because I'm certain everyone could, which is why Jennifer Donnelly's A Northern Light gets 5 out of 5.
These Shallow Graves
Set in the Gilded Age, flipping into this book felt like stepping into a familiar yet not-quite-home world. Having read Anna Godberson's The Luxe series, I was able to recall how everything worked in the 1890s, especially how the socialites worked back then. However, I was not immune to Donnelly's uncanny world building skills, which enhanced the experience of the book. Historical fiction could get lost to some people because of the setting, but in These Shallow Graves, you won't feel like you're swimming in historical facts. Instead, you'll feel right at home, even if it is your first time hearing the term "Gilded Age."
Josephine Montfort (better known as Jo) is from one of the most elite New York families. She's expected to finish finishing school, then get married to her oldest childhood friend, Abraham (Bram) Aldrich. She's not supposed to be writing stories, or wandering the streets, and she's definitely not supposed to be at her journalist friend's house at night, but her father also isn't supposed to be dead. When Jo hears of his death, and how it happens, she knows something's amiss. Charles Montfort, a successful man who keeps the Montforts afloat in the elite society, would not have been so stupid as to clean a loaded gun, the police's story that covers up Charles Montfort's death. With the help of Eddie Gallagher, a journalist who cares so incredibly deeply about getting the next big story, Jo starts to uncover the truth about her father's death.
Jo is a fun character to follow. She's determined to find the truth, as we see in the very first couple of pages as she explains why the most important stories aren't being told. Jo loves her family dearly, and that's why she goes on the hunt to find out what happened to him. She's a loving, determined character, and she's funny when she wants to be. Her biggest desire is to find the truth: she wants it so much to explore all the unkind areas of New York City, places she didn't even know existed amidst her world of grand fetes and beautiful, swirling balls with beautiful, swirling dresses. She learns that the world is so much bigger than she is, and that the death of her father is so much bigger than a mistake. She learns about her world, the real world, and what she wants to do with her life. Her choices made her who she was by the end, someone she probably wouldn't have recognized before she went on the adventure, but someone she would have accepted with opened arms. It's important to see a character who knows what she wants (to become a journalist and the uncover the truth, in Jo's case) and to go through so much to get those things.
One of the things I loved about this book is that we were pulled into all aspects of New York City society: the socialites, the common people and the people of the slums. The socialites of this era cared about marrying their daughters into wealthy families with attractive bachelors. They didn't care about marrying for love or anything that wasn't an immediate benefit for them. The socialites were all about their reputation, and how to best maintain it, even if they had to twist and ruin others' reputations to become successful. On the other hand, Jo, a socialite in her own right, is also pulled into Eddie's world on the common people that walk and work in the streets of the city. Her maid, Katie, is her good friend who helps her sneak out of the house for a price. Oscar, Eddie's friend, knows all about corpses and bodies and is one of the most vital pieces of their investigation. Eddie himself is important to Jo as a friend and as a confidante as they explore the city together to find her father's murderer. Lastly, we are introduced to the people of the slums, especially Fay and Tumbler, both of whom help Eddie and Jo in their investigation. We learn that Eddie's connections to Fay and Tumbler run deeper than being pick-pocketed by them. Fay, Tumbler and the Tailor's crowd is reminiscent of the character in Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist. All of these worlds blend in to make Jo's world, the real one that she now sees that she lives in, not the one full of socialite events. This blending of the worlds is all a part of Donnelly's fabulous world building skills.
One of the things I loved about this book is that we were pulled into all aspects of New York City society: the socialites, the common people and the people of the slums. The socialites of this era cared about marrying their daughters into wealthy families with attractive bachelors. They didn't care about marrying for love or anything that wasn't an immediate benefit for them. The socialites were all about their reputation, and how to best maintain it, even if they had to twist and ruin others' reputations to become successful. On the other hand, Jo, a socialite in her own right, is also pulled into Eddie's world on the common people that walk and work in the streets of the city. Her maid, Katie, is her good friend who helps her sneak out of the house for a price. Oscar, Eddie's friend, knows all about corpses and bodies and is one of the most vital pieces of their investigation. Eddie himself is important to Jo as a friend and as a confidante as they explore the city together to find her father's murderer. Lastly, we are introduced to the people of the slums, especially Fay and Tumbler, both of whom help Eddie and Jo in their investigation. We learn that Eddie's connections to Fay and Tumbler run deeper than being pick-pocketed by them. Fay, Tumbler and the Tailor's crowd is reminiscent of the character in Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist. All of these worlds blend in to make Jo's world, the real one that she now sees that she lives in, not the one full of socialite events. This blending of the worlds is all a part of Donnelly's fabulous world building skills.
It was easy to predict that some characters were involved in the mystery. It was more difficult to discern, however, just how directly they were involved. While I don't want to put any spoilers in my reviews, I think we all have that sixth sense that tells us there's more than something is letting on. Maybe it was the way Donnelly wanted it, with us being able to tell certain characters were more involved than they were letting on, or maybe not. But to be sure, it was easy to tell that certain characters were involved in Charles's murder. Either way, when the book was more than 75% over and I was certain that a particular character had to have committed the murder, I was even more surprised than I thought I would be. While I was correct that that particular character was involved, I did not correctly guess how or why. All of those questions were answered, of course, and the story tied itself up nicely at the end.
I think you'll definitely like this book if you like murder mysteries, or if you like historical fiction, or if you like romance, because this book has a blending of all three without suffocating you. The writing is easy to read and the characters are extremely likable (except for the characters that you're supposed to hate, and those characters are easy to hate). The story itself is intoxicating, and once you start the book, you can't put it down. I know I didn't. If you're looking for a little adventure, a little romance, and to learn about the late 1800s, this book will give you all of that. Based on all the information above, I give Jennifer Donnelly's These Shallow Graves 5 out of 5 stars.
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