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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Review posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.
After mostly enjoying As I Descended by Robin Talley, I was in the mood for another Shakespeare retelling, and so picked up The Steep & Thorny Way by Cat Winters. A gender-bent retelling of Hamlet set in 1920s prohibition-era Oregon, where Hanalee's African American father was murdered for his skin colour, I knew this was going to be an interesting though scary story - I just didn't expect it to be as brilliant as it was.
When Joe, the drink-driving teenager who knocked down Hanalee's father, Hank, and killed him, is released from prison early on good behaviour, Hanalee is intent on revenge. What she doesn't expect is for Joe to forcefully plead his innocence, and lay the blame at someone else's feet; Dr Koning, her new stepfather. According to Joe, apart from a broken leg and a sore arm, her father was fine after he hit him, talking and even joking. Joe helped him to his house and got the doctor. Hank was fine when the doctor closed the door, but when he opened it again, he was dead - as if he'd been poisoned. Joe was sent down for it, and wasn't allowed to say anything in his defence. He believes Dr Koning is part of the Ku Klux Klan, and murdered Hank because of his skin colour. Hanalee no longer knows what to think, but she's never felt ok about her stepfather being in her father's home, in his bed with his wife, so soon after his death, and something is not quite right. She knows the only way to get answers is to ask the one person who knows - her father, whose ghost has been seen haunting the cross roads where he was hit.
This story is incredible! There are so many elements interwoven to make the whole; bootleggers and their moonshine, the KKK and racial intolerance, and then also the Hamlet retelling. The 1920s is a hard time to live in; The Great War took many wives husbands, and farms are no longer bringing in the money they had been during the war. Families are struggling, and they are having to resort to illegal means to make money; moonshine and bootlegging. Though anti-Catholic, the KKK seem an almost harmless force who are just raising money to to fill the potholes in the highway. And yet it's a time when interracial marriage is not acknowledged under Oregon law, where racial intolerance simmers under the surface, and Hanalee is treated differently for being the daughter of a white woman and an African American man. She's always been treated differently because of the colour of her skin, disliked and judged, and knows there are rights she is not given because of this, but she's not felt like she was in danger. But after she starts digging into the truth behind her father's death, things change rapidly when she realises she could be living in the same house as her father's murderer, a possible member of the KKK, who killed him because of his skin colour - a skin colour she shares.
Then you have the Hamlet elements. It's been quite a while since I studied Hamlet, but I remembered the basics, and that's pretty much all you need to know for this story, because it twists and turns, and you're never really sure what the outcome is going to be. You're constantly left guessing, sitting on the edge of your seat as Hanalee tries to work out exactly what happened to her father - a dangerous task anyway, when you're trying to find a possible murderer, but made even more dangerous as her digging draws attention to herself in a town of bigots. You're never really sure where the story is going to go, even if you know the story of Hamlet; as new evidence and new clues come to light, you come up with theory after theory, never quite sure which will be the one that's right.
Hanalee was a fantastic character; despite how she's treated by some, she's strong and determined to find the truth. She's wary of Joe, but something about what she's been told just doesn't ring true, and so she cautiously trusts him as they work together to uncover the truth. She puts herself in potential danger more times than I can count, but she keeps going, needing to know what truly happened to her dad, wanting to help his ghost rest. Joe is also a pretty great character, and a bit of a surprise. Joe is gay, and has been hiding out in a shed on Hanalee's friend's property because his Reverend father won't have him back, as he's a sexual deviant. When the truth of his sexuality comes out, people warn Hanalee to stay away from him if they ever see him, though never really explaining to her why. Through Joe, we see it's not just racial prejudice that's rife in Oregon, but also homophobia. Joe tells Hanalee of the things he learnt in prison, about Eugenics; how some prisoners people like him, people like Hanalee, were being castrated and sterilised, to keep them from "breeding" more people like them. Seriously, the beliefs and opinions of these people are absolutely disgusting and so terrifying.
But the terror continues as the story reaches it's climax. I read in horror, shocked and appalled as the truth was discovered, and what discovering the truth meant. This is not an easy book, and it's not one that will shy away from the actions of the past. This book will make you angry, sick to your stomach, and, given our current political climate, scared. And if you're a white, straight, cis person with any human decency, it will make you feel ashamed.
The Steep & Thorny Way is a wonderful book! It's captivating and gripping, it's eye-opening and shocking, and a fantastic retelling. A truly amazing story.
Thank you to Amulet Books for the proof.
After mostly enjoying As I Descended by Robin Talley, I was in the mood for another Shakespeare retelling, and so picked up The Steep & Thorny Way by Cat Winters. A gender-bent retelling of Hamlet set in 1920s prohibition-era Oregon, where Hanalee's African American father was murdered for his skin colour, I knew this was going to be an interesting though scary story - I just didn't expect it to be as brilliant as it was.
When Joe, the drink-driving teenager who knocked down Hanalee's father, Hank, and killed him, is released from prison early on good behaviour, Hanalee is intent on revenge. What she doesn't expect is for Joe to forcefully plead his innocence, and lay the blame at someone else's feet; Dr Koning, her new stepfather. According to Joe, apart from a broken leg and a sore arm, her father was fine after he hit him, talking and even joking. Joe helped him to his house and got the doctor. Hank was fine when the doctor closed the door, but when he opened it again, he was dead - as if he'd been poisoned. Joe was sent down for it, and wasn't allowed to say anything in his defence. He believes Dr Koning is part of the Ku Klux Klan, and murdered Hank because of his skin colour. Hanalee no longer knows what to think, but she's never felt ok about her stepfather being in her father's home, in his bed with his wife, so soon after his death, and something is not quite right. She knows the only way to get answers is to ask the one person who knows - her father, whose ghost has been seen haunting the cross roads where he was hit.
This story is incredible! There are so many elements interwoven to make the whole; bootleggers and their moonshine, the KKK and racial intolerance, and then also the Hamlet retelling. The 1920s is a hard time to live in; The Great War took many wives husbands, and farms are no longer bringing in the money they had been during the war. Families are struggling, and they are having to resort to illegal means to make money; moonshine and bootlegging. Though anti-Catholic, the KKK seem an almost harmless force who are just raising money to to fill the potholes in the highway. And yet it's a time when interracial marriage is not acknowledged under Oregon law, where racial intolerance simmers under the surface, and Hanalee is treated differently for being the daughter of a white woman and an African American man. She's always been treated differently because of the colour of her skin, disliked and judged, and knows there are rights she is not given because of this, but she's not felt like she was in danger. But after she starts digging into the truth behind her father's death, things change rapidly when she realises she could be living in the same house as her father's murderer, a possible member of the KKK, who killed him because of his skin colour - a skin colour she shares.
Then you have the Hamlet elements. It's been quite a while since I studied Hamlet, but I remembered the basics, and that's pretty much all you need to know for this story, because it twists and turns, and you're never really sure what the outcome is going to be. You're constantly left guessing, sitting on the edge of your seat as Hanalee tries to work out exactly what happened to her father - a dangerous task anyway, when you're trying to find a possible murderer, but made even more dangerous as her digging draws attention to herself in a town of bigots. You're never really sure where the story is going to go, even if you know the story of Hamlet; as new evidence and new clues come to light, you come up with theory after theory, never quite sure which will be the one that's right.
Hanalee was a fantastic character; despite how she's treated by some, she's strong and determined to find the truth. She's wary of Joe, but something about what she's been told just doesn't ring true, and so she cautiously trusts him as they work together to uncover the truth. She puts herself in potential danger more times than I can count, but she keeps going, needing to know what truly happened to her dad, wanting to help his ghost rest. Joe is also a pretty great character, and a bit of a surprise. Joe is gay, and has been hiding out in a shed on Hanalee's friend's property because his Reverend father won't have him back, as he's a sexual deviant. When the truth of his sexuality comes out, people warn Hanalee to stay away from him if they ever see him, though never really explaining to her why. Through Joe, we see it's not just racial prejudice that's rife in Oregon, but also homophobia. Joe tells Hanalee of the things he learnt in prison, about Eugenics; how some prisoners people like him, people like Hanalee, were being castrated and sterilised, to keep them from "breeding" more people like them. Seriously, the beliefs and opinions of these people are absolutely disgusting and so terrifying.
But the terror continues as the story reaches it's climax. I read in horror, shocked and appalled as the truth was discovered, and what discovering the truth meant. This is not an easy book, and it's not one that will shy away from the actions of the past. This book will make you angry, sick to your stomach, and, given our current political climate, scared. And if you're a white, straight, cis person with any human decency, it will make you feel ashamed.
The Steep & Thorny Way is a wonderful book! It's captivating and gripping, it's eye-opening and shocking, and a fantastic retelling. A truly amazing story.
Thank you to Amulet Books for the proof.
I have to say I'm a little disappointed. This says that it is a reimagining of Hamlet but it deviates from the plot of Hamlet so much that it isn't recognizable. It was a good story and I'm not saying it wasn't wonderfully written. I just feel as if that saying it is a Hamlet retelling is a bit of a stretch.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Hanalee is a biracial girl living in rural Oregon during Prohibition. Her (black) father died after being hit by a drunk driver almost two years ago. Her (white) mom remarried a close family friend. When the teen who hit her dad is let out of jail, Hanalee meets him unintentionally and he tells her that he did not kill her dad, that the guy who married her mom is actually the one who killed him. Tension is added because the Ku Klux Klan is taking prominence in their town and Hanalee does not feel as safe as she used to.
Based loosely on Shakespeare's Hamlet. So loosely that if the bookleaf hadn't said so, I never would have picked up on it.
I definitely appreciated the diversity and depth of characters and, as a Seattle-ite, the Oregon setting.
Based loosely on Shakespeare's Hamlet. So loosely that if the bookleaf hadn't said so, I never would have picked up on it.
I definitely appreciated the diversity and depth of characters and, as a Seattle-ite, the Oregon setting.
I wasn't really impressed. Although The Steep and Thorny Way did touch on a lot of issues that I am passionate about (internalized racism, homophobia, pressure to conform, etc.), the characters were not overly complex and the Hamlet element felt out of place. Had Winters used her own unique plot and spread the story out over more than four days, it probably would have been a much better book. It did, however, touch on sides of the 1920's that are rarely explored, which I appreciated. Overall, it was alright and for those interested in the aforementioned issues and history, this is a easy, quick read that is worth considering.
Hanalee Denney’s father recently died and she wants answers. Was his death accidental or was it murder? Living in a small town in Oregon, in 1923, where the KKK are very active in the community, she fights with all she has fighting obstacles, mainly her skin colour, to get to the truth. This novel was based on real events and that is what made it haunting. The plot was heart-pounding and frightening. Winters has a great way of writing something so simple-yet have it be terrifying. The reader really felt for the characters; they were bogged down with details, but they were dynamic, diverse and interesting, claiming the hearts of the reader. This novel really opens the reader’s eyes to a lot of the bigotry and hatefulness that spreads throughout our world. Even though this novel takes place in 1923, it’s almost a clear representation of today’s day, and that’s scary in and of itself. Lastly, the addition of the photos she has sprinkled throughout the novel were used well and really put her story into perspective. This was a wonderfully told, yet not always happy story.
Cat Winters does it again--a well-researched historical fiction of the Klan operating in 1923 Oregon. A gender-swapped and feminist Hamlet. Beautiful and hopeful, Hanalee is a dream female lead. The town is menacing. The themes are hopeful.
This review can also be found at Lost in My Library.
I love it when I finish a book in a day. Not just the times when I have enough hours in the day to read an entire book, but when a book sucks me in so completely that I can't imagine taking any longer than a day to finish it. And I especially love when those books take me by surprise. This was one of those books.
I was absolutely sold on this book from the minute I read the synopsis. A book inspired by Hamlet set in 1920s Oregon with a biracial female protagonist? Count me in! And then I got even more excited after I read Cat Winters's previous YA book, The Cure for Dreaming, and it was amazing.
One of the first things I loved about this book is that it makes so many references to Hamlet, and yet it was definitely its own story. A lot of the names were similar - Hannalee for Hamlet, Laurence for Laertes, Gerta for Gertrude. Fleur (Ophelia) knows a lot about the purposes of flowers and plants. Hannalee talks to the ghost of her father. And yet the character's aren't always subject to the same fates. The characters who were Hamlet's friends were sometimes replaced with Hannalee's enemies, and vice versa. And instead of the ghost of Hamlet's father urging a reluctant Hamlet to avenge him, the ghost of Hannalee's father is shocked and tries to restrain a vengeance-bound Hannalee.
After a while, this book almost entirely departs from the Hamlet plotline. Things were not what they appeared, and neither were people. A conflict that starts almost entirely within one family ends up with discussions of some of the darkest parts of Oregon history - prejudice, the Ku Klux Klan, and the eugenics movement. I learned a lot that I'm ashamed to say that I had no idea about before reading this. And these issues are not treated lightly - the book confronts the reader with how wrong things are head-on, and doesn't shy away from descriptions.
But the content alone isn't what made this book so incredible. The content may be powerful, but it's the writing that makes it really shine. I would have been moved by all of the things that I'd learned even if they were only written halfway decently. But the way these things were written moved me so deeply that I know I won't stop thinking about this book for a while.
The ending was some of the most beautiful writing in the book. So satisfying, so inspiring, and so hopeful.
I love it when I finish a book in a day. Not just the times when I have enough hours in the day to read an entire book, but when a book sucks me in so completely that I can't imagine taking any longer than a day to finish it. And I especially love when those books take me by surprise. This was one of those books.
I was absolutely sold on this book from the minute I read the synopsis. A book inspired by Hamlet set in 1920s Oregon with a biracial female protagonist? Count me in! And then I got even more excited after I read Cat Winters's previous YA book, The Cure for Dreaming, and it was amazing.
One of the first things I loved about this book is that it makes so many references to Hamlet, and yet it was definitely its own story. A lot of the names were similar - Hannalee for Hamlet, Laurence for Laertes, Gerta for Gertrude. Fleur (Ophelia) knows a lot about the purposes of flowers and plants. Hannalee talks to the ghost of her father. And yet the character's aren't always subject to the same fates. The characters who were Hamlet's friends were sometimes replaced with Hannalee's enemies, and vice versa. And instead of the ghost of Hamlet's father urging a reluctant Hamlet to avenge him, the ghost of Hannalee's father is shocked and tries to restrain a vengeance-bound Hannalee.
After a while, this book almost entirely departs from the Hamlet plotline. Things were not what they appeared, and neither were people. A conflict that starts almost entirely within one family ends up with discussions of some of the darkest parts of Oregon history - prejudice, the Ku Klux Klan, and the eugenics movement. I learned a lot that I'm ashamed to say that I had no idea about before reading this. And these issues are not treated lightly - the book confronts the reader with how wrong things are head-on, and doesn't shy away from descriptions.
But the content alone isn't what made this book so incredible. The content may be powerful, but it's the writing that makes it really shine. I would have been moved by all of the things that I'd learned even if they were only written halfway decently. But the way these things were written moved me so deeply that I know I won't stop thinking about this book for a while.
The ending was some of the most beautiful writing in the book. So satisfying, so inspiring, and so hopeful.
We left the state of my birth behind and entered a new world, with different laws, different adventures and challenges; a state in which I'd taste even more of love and heartbreak, hate and triumphs; where I'd dance with Joe in jazz clubs, grow into a woman with Fleur, sharpen my brain, start a career, and meet people with skin colors similar to mine. A state in which I would eventually marry and give birth to children with their own beautiful colors.
For me, the rest was not silence.
It was loud and powerful and melodic.
I have no idea what it was about this novel, but while the characters were cool I felt a distinct lack of development and drive from the plot. It should have objectively been more engaging than it was in practice, which is disappointing. I do love this book for the unique story about the twenties-not as a decade of glitz and flappers, but as a time of deeply-rooted disgusting prejudices that harmed so many people just trying to live.
7/20. Has interesting and compelling themes, but the characters are all shallow and have no personality.