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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Started a little slow for me and was a little hard to push through the Spanish Flu pandemic having come fresh off Covid, but overall I thought the story was told really well. Pia is such a resilient character and seeing her view of things inside the story as an orphan was enlightening.
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This author often writes dark, heavy content, and this was no exception. I kinda wanted to punch a wall at some points.
Disappointing
This book was a let-down. Given the setting, I was sure it would be enthralling as I'm interested in pandemics and 1918 Philadelphia was a momentous place and time. There was some dramatic tension, what with our 13-year-old poor immigrant protagonist trying to navigate one traumatic nightmare after another. I also appreciated the social commentary about economic class and xenophobia and the hypocrisy of the Catholic orphanages. But overall, the characters were too exaggerated, the pacing too slow, and the plot too unrealistic.
More disturbingly, I felt a bit duped in the end, as the actions of the antagonist are not based on anything remotely istorical. Nothing wrong with a novelist using her imagination. But it seemed wrong to bill this as historical fiction when it was so far-fetched.
There were also some curious plot points and/or loose ends that left me scratching my head. I'll hide them via a spoiler alert in case you haven't read the book:
(2) Finn just shows up and is apparently going to be Pia's love interest. But where is he living? Is he working? How is he managing to stay clean, even? He's just suddenly ... there.
(3) I'm also not sure how I felt about Pia's paranormal gift of being able to diagnose illness through touch. The book isn't billed as magical realism or fantasy, so it felt like one more example of narrative over-reach.
You can only ask so much of your audience before they lose the ability to suspend disbelief.
2.5 rounded up
This book was a let-down. Given the setting, I was sure it would be enthralling as I'm interested in pandemics and 1918 Philadelphia was a momentous place and time. There was some dramatic tension, what with our 13-year-old poor immigrant protagonist trying to navigate one traumatic nightmare after another. I also appreciated the social commentary about economic class and xenophobia and the hypocrisy of the Catholic orphanages. But overall, the characters were too exaggerated, the pacing too slow, and the plot too unrealistic.
More disturbingly, I felt a bit duped in the end, as the actions of the antagonist are not based on anything remotely istorical. Nothing wrong with a novelist using her imagination. But it seemed wrong to bill this as historical fiction when it was so far-fetched.
There were also some curious plot points and/or loose ends that left me scratching my head. I'll hide them via a spoiler alert in case you haven't read the book:
Spoiler
(1) Why would the fake nurse go to so much trouble to deliver the baby rattle to Pia? I didn't get the significance of that, or the motivation for it. (If anyone reading this review has theories, please post them in the comments - I'm genuinely curious.)(2) Finn just shows up and is apparently going to be Pia's love interest. But where is he living? Is he working? How is he managing to stay clean, even? He's just suddenly ... there.
(3) I'm also not sure how I felt about Pia's paranormal gift of being able to diagnose illness through touch. The book isn't billed as magical realism or fantasy, so it felt like one more example of narrative over-reach.
You can only ask so much of your audience before they lose the ability to suspend disbelief.
2.5 rounded up
This is a gruesome story that you can't put down telling of the horrors of the Spanish Flu and orphanages around 1918. Fortunately it does have a happy ending.
Second book of this author this year. As previews one this book has everything - interesting story, characters , a bit of magic and raw emotions. I did enjoy it. 4.5 ⭐️
dark
emotional
sad
tense
2.5-3.0 stars. Appreciated the setting of 1918 flu. And the recurring scapegoating of immigrants. But writing suffered in comparison to reading Victor Hugo at the same time (unfair, I know!)
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, War
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes