Rinaldi (My Heart is on the Ground, p. 228, etc.) makes character count in a rousing novel that is more than a portrait of a town and a people divided during the Civil War. The nucleus of the story is based on the little-known 1864 incident in Hagerstown, Maryland, when Confederate General John McCausland demanded $200,000 ransom from the town, threatening otherwise to burn it to the ground. Although the author places this incident at the end of the story, she prepares readers by creating in Amelia a vivacious small-town heroine determined to ameliorate a wrongdoing. When the result of her actions has dire consequences for her close friend, Josh, Amelia stoically decides not to take a stand in the war. At the same time, she can’t ignore her strong feelings about right and wrong and the evils of slavery. When her brother runs off to fight, and a neighbor cuts off her hair in order to impersonate a soldier, Amelia slowly comes to accept that she must make a contribution; she leaps on the opportunity, serendipitously presented, to single-handedly save the town. Rinaldi captures the complicated relationships of friends and neighbors who must co-exist, despite their opposing stances on the war. Skirmishes and battles, Rebel soldiers and renegades—these seesaw dramatically through the story as the war gets closer to Hagerstown, yet the author shows real art in the creation of believable characters who emerge from such sensational times; she mines the small truths of the heart against a large and vivid backdrop. (bibliography) (Fiction. 10-15)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-11744-0
Page Count: 265
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1999
Masquerading as a man, a young woman sets out to find her friend’s killer in New York and London at the turn of the century; disguise proves to be simultaneously liberating and imprisoning in Lewin’s big-canvas historical novel. No one is who she or he seems to be, not the gender-bending heroine Jackie who spends most of her life as Jack so she can play baseball; not her best friend, Nance, a black performer who “passes” as white, and who dies of a stab wound in the opening pages. Cleverly structured and meticulously detailed so that every piece of information neatly clicks into the jigsaw-puzzle ending, the novel runs on two tracks. One chronicles Jackie’s past history starting with her grandmother (whose incredible life both mirrors and influences her granddaughter’s); the other details her current adventures as the avenger of her best friend, along with a surprise unveiling of her father’s murderer. After a vivid trip through 19th-century America, the novel concludes in and around the music halls of London, where Jackie’s past and present converge. The derring-do climax fails to ignite, for this is a book in which the journey surpasses the destination, but overall Lewin produces a grand adventure that readers won’t soon forget. (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-6225-4
Page Count: 520
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
This sequel to The Squire’s Tale (1998) finds Morris’s affable young hero, Terence, still serving the legendary Sir Gawain. The kingdom of Camelot, where they are living, is in despair over Queen Guinevere’s affair with Sir Lancelot; when Gawain is challenged to meet the Knight of the Green they set off on a new quest. Terence is still young, but he is no longer the novice of the previous novel; when Gawain is imprisoned by the treacherous Marquis of Alva and scheduled for execution, it’s up to Terence to save not only his knight, but the beautiful and spirited Lady Eileen. The three of them come upon an enchanted castle, where the lord of the realm turns out to be the Green Knight in disguise: Gawain is forced to pass two additional challenges in order to regain face. There is a well-crafted but tumultuous unfolding of events, and an author’s note in which Morris explains his abiding affection and respect for Gawain; this personal touch may send readers straight off to Chaucer. Even Arthur and Guinevere make up in this engaging adventure, an ideal follow-up to the first book and just as full of characters who are brave, loyal, and admirably human. (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-91211-3
Page Count: 232
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 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.
