A commendable adaptation of a 200-year-old tale made fresh for a 21st-century audience
In a modern spin on Mansfield Park, Watson’s debut blends Austen with a dash of Shakespeare, all in contemporary Chicago.
Sixteen-year-old Finley Price, “half-Brazilian, half-Irish,” has found a sanctuary with her wealthy white godparents and their son, the Bertrams, after escaping her abusive mother. She is hyperaware of her perceived debt to the Bertrams and is determined to avoid being an imposition and to give back as much as she possibly can. Ever protective Oliver Bertram, however, is consistently encouraging her to be bold and embrace life. When white sibling Hollywood teen stars Emma and Harlan Crawford move in with their aunt and uncle next door the homeostasis of the Bertram home is disrupted. Finley must learn to speak up for herself to heal past wounds and move forward to achieve her dreams. The third-person narration shifts focus between Oliver and Finley, giving insight into the motives of each, including their unspoken affection for each other, which simmers throughout the novel. Austen’s Regency plot fits well among contemporary teens trying to define their own values and ambitions away from family obligations, expectations, and psychological baggage. Watson avoids the satire of the original, though, as this Finley and indeed all the characters seem to be entirely in earnest.
A commendable adaptation of a 200-year-old tale made fresh for a 21st-century audience . (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-63163-118-4
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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