3 Star
Thirteen-year-old Natalie Gallagher is trying to escape: from her
parents' ugly divorce, and from the vicious cyber-bullying of her former
best friend. Adrift, confused, she is a girl trying to find her way in a
world that seems to either neglect or despise her. Her salvation
arrives in an unlikely form: Bridget O'Connell, an Irish maid working
for a wealthy Boston family. The catch? Bridget lives only in the pages
of a dusty old 1920s diary Natalie unearthed in her mother's basement.
But the life she describes is as troubling - and mysterious - as the one
Natalie is trying to navigate herself, almost a century later. I
am writing this down because this is my story. There were only ever two
people who knew my secret, and both are gone before me.
Who was Bridget, and what became of her?
Natalie escapes into the diary, eager to unlock its secrets, and reluctantly accepts the help of library archivist Kathleen Lynch, a widow with her own painful secret: she's estranged from her only daughter. Kathleen sees in Natalie traces of the daughter she has lost, and in Bridget, another spirited young woman at risk.
What could an Irish immigrant domestic servant from the 1920s teach them both? As the troubles of a very modern world close in around them, and Natalie's torments at school escalate, the faded pages of Bridget's journal unite the lonely girl and the unhappy widow - and might even change their lives forever.
Who was Bridget, and what became of her?
Natalie escapes into the diary, eager to unlock its secrets, and reluctantly accepts the help of library archivist Kathleen Lynch, a widow with her own painful secret: she's estranged from her only daughter. Kathleen sees in Natalie traces of the daughter she has lost, and in Bridget, another spirited young woman at risk.
What could an Irish immigrant domestic servant from the 1920s teach them both? As the troubles of a very modern world close in around them, and Natalie's torments at school escalate, the faded pages of Bridget's journal unite the lonely girl and the unhappy widow - and might even change their lives forever.
Kaley - 3 Star
I knew from the synopsis of So Far Away, written by Meg Mitchell Moore, that the novel was
going to be darker than what I usually read. I was right. This wasn’t
necessarily a bad thing but I wonder if I would have liked it more if this was
the kind of book I generally gravitate towards.
It was quite hard to read about the bullying that Natalie
was being subjected to. By no means is it the worst that anyone would have
heard of but it’s still unnecessary and so cruel. I’m sure everyone can
remember what it was like in high school. Maybe it was you who was at the brunt
of the jokes, maybe you were the one making fun, or maybe you just let things
happen without speaking up. Reading stories like this make me realize that
things are so different for teenagers today yet some things are so similar. The
type of bullying and the vehicle (social media, cell phones) is slightly
different but the fact is kids are still being bullied. I imagine if someone
reading this had a teenager, in particular a daughter, they would feel a lot
more…defensive? motherly? protective?...of Natalie. Since I don’t know anyone who would be in that
kind of situation now, I didn’t have the personal connection. I’m still glad
that novels like these are being written. Everyone, not just parents, need to
open their eyes and realize that innocent kids, like Natalie, are being
targeted for no apparent reason and that can lead to some horrible outcomes.
I think my biggest issue with this novel was that I just
didn’t connect with the characters. I wanted to be more invested in their lives
but I just wasn’t feeling it. I believe this is definitely a personal
preference and I’m sure there are others out there who would love Natalie and
Kathleen.
I found that I wasn’t very invested in the story until
Natalie found Bridget’s journal. For some reason this historical aspect of the
novel really interested me. It created a mystery – one that I desperately
wanted to solve. In fact, by the end of the book I found that I was speed reading
so I could find out how Bridget’s story would end. Then, just as we figured out
her story, a few other major incidents occurred. One, which involved Natalie,
was expected. Another, involving Kathleen’s friend and coworker, was a bit of a
surprise (I should have seen it coming but I didn’t).
Overall, I found So
Far Away to be an alright book. I didn’t love it but I didn’t dislike it
either. As I’ve said, I’m sure there are readers out there who would really
enjoy Meg Mitchell Moore’s novel and I encourage them to read the book and find
out for themselves.
Thank you to Little Brown and Company for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
Connect with Meg Mitchell Moore here:
No comments:
Post a Comment