Book Log: The Candy Darlings, The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose, The Safe-Keeper's Secret

[penmage]

58. The Candy Darlings, by Christine Walde

After her mother dies, a girl and her father move out of their house filled with memories to a smaller house and a new neighborhood. Our narrator (whos name we never learn) is desperate to reinvent herself, to be popular, and it works for a time, until Megan Chalmers moves in. Megan is weird and unabashed - and though our heroine tries to keep away from her, they form an instant bond of outcast friendship. Megan is also addicted to candy, a stark contrast to our heroine, who vowed never again to eat candy after her mother died. The two of them spend more and more time together, and Megan tells candy stories - dangerous, erotic, sugar-coated tales that end abruptly. As Megan starts dissapearing for long, mysterious stretches of time, and the mean girls (Meredith, Angela and Laura - called MAL) get dangerously meaner, our heroine must decide who she is, where she stands, and how to take that stand.

This is a hard book to sum up, in part because our heroine is nameless, but it is also one of the best, most intricate YA novels I've read in a long time. It has high school cattiness, but taken to a sharper level, candy as candy and candy as metaphor, and stories that are sometimes stories and sometimes are mirrors for the truth. And the writing is gorgeous. This book is hot. The book is a puzzle where all the pieces don't quite fit. It leaves you thinking, wondering, and hungry for more. I read this book quite a while ago, but I have been mulling it, trying to do it justice for a while. It won't leave my head. Megan's voice, and our heroine's, haunt me. There is nothing else like this book, and if you have any interest in YA fiction or high school stories, or the power of stories, this is a book you need to read.

--------------------------------



59. The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose, by Mary Hooper

In 17th century England, Eliza Rose is thrown out of her house by her stepmother from her poor countryside home, and travels to London to seek out her father and ask him to intercede on her behalf. Hungry and penniless, she filches some food, and lands in Clink Prison, where Old Ma Gwyn, the madam of a bawdyhouse, spots her and gets her released. Nell Gwynn, Ma Gwynn's infamous actress daughter, adopts Eliza as her companion and maid, and thrusts Eliza into a life replete with court intrigue and nobility. As King Charles II chooses Nell for his latest mistress, the fortunes of both young ladies improve, though Eliza continues to be too common for Lord Valentine Howard, who she has fallen in love with. But when a startling secret from her past comes to light, everything in Eliza's life will change.

This is an enjoyable, if unremarkable read. Eliza is a likeable character who has a couple of strokes of good luck in the poor conditions of 17th century London. The detail of the period is impressive and accurate, letting you easily immerse yourself in Eliza's world without being uncomfortably jerked out by anachronism. But it is a predictable story with a predictable plot, and little chance of danger or harm to Eliza. It's a good solid read. It's just not very original or groundbreaking.

--------------------------------



60. The Safe-Keeper's Secret, by Sharon Shinn

Damiana is a safe-keeper. The people in her village can come to her and trust her with their secrets and unburden their hearts with the safety of knowing that she will never gossip or tell what they have told her. She lives with her daughter Fiona, and her foster-son Reed, brought to her door by a king's messenger the night Fiona was born. Fiona plans to be a safe-keeper like her mother, while Reed finds that his interests lie in apprenticing with a merchant in the next town over. When Damaiana falls ill and dies, she leaves her final secret with Fiona. It is a secret that will, over time, unravel to change the future for Fiona and Reed both.

This is a quiet fantasy. It takes place in a small English-feeling village and never goes much farther than the next village over. The book is all about Damiana, her children and their friends and their quiet life as they grow and learn and change, and even the twist ending is not loud and shocking, but like the final piece of a puzzle clicking quietly into place. papersky has a poem about the quiet things in life, the things that usually fall between the lines in stories, overe here. I think Shinn has accomplished that. She's found a compelling story in everyday life, a tale that stays in my head that isn't about saving the world or doing anything big or loud, but is rather about living life and becoming the person you want to be. I loved this book, every quiet minute of it.

Comments

[penmage.livejournal.com]

Well, if you do see her again, you can tell her that one kidlit bookseller in NYC has been pushing it into the hands of lots of adults who care about YA - I made janni read it, and and a couple of my coworkers too, and they've all been fascinated by it.

[faerie-writer.livejournal.com]

I definitely will! :D

[janni.livejournal.com]

And I've been thinking about it ever since, too. There really isn't anything quite like it out there. Compelling stuff.

penmage is an excellent handseller. :-) If I lived in NYC, I'd be a regular visitor to BoW for sure, and not only to say hello!