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maryquitecontrary_22's review
3.0
Loved the premise. Pacing could use some work - first 100 pages were slow (and sometimes confusing), then the ending was rushed.
the_horror_maven's review
4.0
Nora & Kettle is by far the most original novel that I have read in 2016. Even though it has been publicized as a new take on Peter Pan, it was so much more than that and its story line is one that is important and rarely seen in literature. Nora & Kettle is unapologetic and explores child abuse as well as the Japanese internment camps that are so often forgotten in our history. Lauren Nicolle Taylor doesn't sugarcoat anything, and her novel is of vital importance in young adult literature today.
In his eyes are the reflections of the beating I didn't know how to stop, and even though my heart remembers, the rest of me would like to forget.
Nora & Kettle is written in chapters alternating between the title characters as they struggle to survive and eventually cross each others' paths. Nora suffers physical abuse at the hand of her father, while Kettle is a young Japanese orphan who was cast out of an orphanage due to his heritage during World War II. Their story reflects how their lives have always run right along each other, until tragedy captures both of them and they crash into one another by an act of fate.
My father watches me, his eyes crinkling in disgust with every movement. I have his ears, nose, and hair...and he can't stand it. I wish I could scrub out my face and start again. Not because it would protect me, but because it would mean I wouldn't see him in my reflection.
Taylor is a truly poetic author. She doesn't over explain sections of her plot or characters, but she adds in beautiful lines of literature that can sum up an entire scene in one sentence. I found myself awestruck at Taylor's words, and her artistry filled my veins with a warmth that I find hard to find in today's young adult literature. Her novel is one that I believe everyone needs to read - girls, boys, men, women - whoever you are, your life will be better after reading this novel.
His eyes are intense. Dark. They look like they've seen things I don't want to know about.
As I said in the beginning, this novel is so much more than just a re imagining of Peter Pan, and it is sure to make you see beyond the smokescreen that has prevented us from our painful past for years and years.
In his eyes are the reflections of the beating I didn't know how to stop, and even though my heart remembers, the rest of me would like to forget.
Nora & Kettle is written in chapters alternating between the title characters as they struggle to survive and eventually cross each others' paths. Nora suffers physical abuse at the hand of her father, while Kettle is a young Japanese orphan who was cast out of an orphanage due to his heritage during World War II. Their story reflects how their lives have always run right along each other, until tragedy captures both of them and they crash into one another by an act of fate.
My father watches me, his eyes crinkling in disgust with every movement. I have his ears, nose, and hair...and he can't stand it. I wish I could scrub out my face and start again. Not because it would protect me, but because it would mean I wouldn't see him in my reflection.
Taylor is a truly poetic author. She doesn't over explain sections of her plot or characters, but she adds in beautiful lines of literature that can sum up an entire scene in one sentence. I found myself awestruck at Taylor's words, and her artistry filled my veins with a warmth that I find hard to find in today's young adult literature. Her novel is one that I believe everyone needs to read - girls, boys, men, women - whoever you are, your life will be better after reading this novel.
His eyes are intense. Dark. They look like they've seen things I don't want to know about.
As I said in the beginning, this novel is so much more than just a re imagining of Peter Pan, and it is sure to make you see beyond the smokescreen that has prevented us from our painful past for years and years.
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This is not my normal type of read, but I have to tell you that I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to read it. I have to confess that it was the Peter Pan reference that first got my attention. The book has some very loose ties to the Peter Pan story, but I hadn’t reread the blurb before reading the book and hadn’t noticed any but the incredibly obvious ones – this is not a retelling (though now that I’m thinking back on it, the ties are certainly there, and I’m thinking of more and more of them – this is one of the first times I wish I’d read the blurb right before reading the book so I would have caught more of them). But that was fine with me because the book easily stood on its own – it didn’t need a fairy tale to fall back on.
What Fed My Addiction:
A story that needs to be told.
This story is told in parts at first, and Kettle’s portion of the story is one we don’t hear a lot about, especially in YA literature: how Japanese Americans were treated after World War II. In this part of the story, you get Kettle’s story of how he is struggling with being an outsider in society, trying his hardest to survive in a country that doesn’t want him because of his parentage. Kettle lived a good portion of his life in a Japanese internment camp – a part of the history of WWII that we often ignore (we prefer to focus on the inhumanity of Hitler instead of admitting to our own). Kettle is doing his best to scrape together enough of a living to keep himself and the band of Lost Boys he’s collected (they call themselves the Kings) together and alive. It’s not easy, and he has to face the judgments and the prejudices of his fellow US citizens while doing it. But is ever-hopeful and he won’t give up – and he won’t resort to stealing (though scrounging through garbage is definitely a necessity). Kettle’s life was fascinating, in a horrifying sort of way, and I’m so glad I read his story.
Chillingly painful.
Then there was Nora’s story. Hers was often almost more painful and emotional, simply because it was seen more directly. Where it took a little while to truly understand Kettle’s situation, Nora’s painful reality was clear from the very beginning. Her life with an abusive father was incredibly disturbing (and uncomfortable to read about sometimes – be prepared). I was appalled at the actions of this man who, on the outside, seemed to be fighting for social justice while perpetrating such atrocities in his own home. I couldn’t put this book down because I needed to find out what happened to Nora in the end.
The selves we hide.
This book highlighted how we have this darkness in us as humans. In Kettle’s story, he talked about how people who would think themselves good could become their basest selves because of prejudice and act inhumanely, even with evil. Then there was Nora’s dad, who cared about the injustices against Japanese Americans, but couldn’t control the demons inside him – he was a completely different person with his family than he was to the world. And, unfortunately, this is true for so many of us (hopefully to a much lesser degree, but still). I found the commentary on the state of the human soul fascinating.
World’s collide.
Just a warning – it wasn’t until about 65% into the book that Nora and Kettle’s stories truly came together – but it was worth the wait! From the very moment that these two found each other, I was mesmerized, and the story took on a whole new, thrilling dimension!
What Left Me Wanting More:
Separate stories at first.
Like I said, the two stories were told mostly separately with just thin ties between them up until about 65% of the book. While I appreciated both stories, I was more connected to Nora’s, and I sometimes felt like I wanted to hurry past Kettle’s part to find out what was going to happen to Nora (which I shouldn’t have – because while Kettle’s story was slower-building, it was just as important!).
This story was beautifully painful and haunting, and it should not be missed! While this book says it’s a Paper Stars Novel, it can definitely be read as a standalone – though I’m eager to see what Taylor has planned for future books in this series. I give Nora & Kettle 4.5/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the author via XPresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This is not my normal type of read, but I have to tell you that I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to read it. I have to confess that it was the Peter Pan reference that first got my attention. The book has some very loose ties to the Peter Pan story, but I hadn’t reread the blurb before reading the book and hadn’t noticed any but the incredibly obvious ones – this is not a retelling (though now that I’m thinking back on it, the ties are certainly there, and I’m thinking of more and more of them – this is one of the first times I wish I’d read the blurb right before reading the book so I would have caught more of them). But that was fine with me because the book easily stood on its own – it didn’t need a fairy tale to fall back on.
What Fed My Addiction:
A story that needs to be told.
This story is told in parts at first, and Kettle’s portion of the story is one we don’t hear a lot about, especially in YA literature: how Japanese Americans were treated after World War II. In this part of the story, you get Kettle’s story of how he is struggling with being an outsider in society, trying his hardest to survive in a country that doesn’t want him because of his parentage. Kettle lived a good portion of his life in a Japanese internment camp – a part of the history of WWII that we often ignore (we prefer to focus on the inhumanity of Hitler instead of admitting to our own). Kettle is doing his best to scrape together enough of a living to keep himself and the band of Lost Boys he’s collected (they call themselves the Kings) together and alive. It’s not easy, and he has to face the judgments and the prejudices of his fellow US citizens while doing it. But is ever-hopeful and he won’t give up – and he won’t resort to stealing (though scrounging through garbage is definitely a necessity). Kettle’s life was fascinating, in a horrifying sort of way, and I’m so glad I read his story.
Chillingly painful.
Then there was Nora’s story. Hers was often almost more painful and emotional, simply because it was seen more directly. Where it took a little while to truly understand Kettle’s situation, Nora’s painful reality was clear from the very beginning. Her life with an abusive father was incredibly disturbing (and uncomfortable to read about sometimes – be prepared). I was appalled at the actions of this man who, on the outside, seemed to be fighting for social justice while perpetrating such atrocities in his own home. I couldn’t put this book down because I needed to find out what happened to Nora in the end.
The selves we hide.
This book highlighted how we have this darkness in us as humans. In Kettle’s story, he talked about how people who would think themselves good could become their basest selves because of prejudice and act inhumanely, even with evil. Then there was Nora’s dad, who cared about the injustices against Japanese Americans, but couldn’t control the demons inside him – he was a completely different person with his family than he was to the world. And, unfortunately, this is true for so many of us (hopefully to a much lesser degree, but still). I found the commentary on the state of the human soul fascinating.
World’s collide.
Just a warning – it wasn’t until about 65% into the book that Nora and Kettle’s stories truly came together – but it was worth the wait! From the very moment that these two found each other, I was mesmerized, and the story took on a whole new, thrilling dimension!
What Left Me Wanting More:
Separate stories at first.
Like I said, the two stories were told mostly separately with just thin ties between them up until about 65% of the book. While I appreciated both stories, I was more connected to Nora’s, and I sometimes felt like I wanted to hurry past Kettle’s part to find out what was going to happen to Nora (which I shouldn’t have – because while Kettle’s story was slower-building, it was just as important!).
This story was beautifully painful and haunting, and it should not be missed! While this book says it’s a Paper Stars Novel, it can definitely be read as a standalone – though I’m eager to see what Taylor has planned for future books in this series. I give Nora & Kettle 4.5/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the author via XPresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
nicholeb84's review
4.0
A retelling of Peter Pan - Wendy is Nora, a rich girl who has lived through a life of abuse at the hands of her father. Peter is Kettle - a Japanese-American orphan struggling to survive on the streets. The Lost Boys are The "Lost Children" - children who escaped or became orphans after the Japanese-Americans were put in internment camps during World War II.
The story is told between Kettle and Nora on their separate (but ultimately intertwining) journeys.
The story is heartbreaking at times, as we watch Kettle try to survive on the streets and watch Nora try and survive her abuse (Nora also has a younger sibling to protect.) Lauren Nicolle Taylor uses lyrical and poetic prose, full of metaphors and similes, to tell a beautiful story.
A must read for Peter Pan fans and fans of historical fiction.
The story is told between Kettle and Nora on their separate (but ultimately intertwining) journeys.
The story is heartbreaking at times, as we watch Kettle try to survive on the streets and watch Nora try and survive her abuse (Nora also has a younger sibling to protect.) Lauren Nicolle Taylor uses lyrical and poetic prose, full of metaphors and similes, to tell a beautiful story.
A must read for Peter Pan fans and fans of historical fiction.
livres_de_bloss's review
4.0
I think this is the best book I've ever got for free from iBooks.
It's very sad and dark but the characters were immensely strong and admirable. I was a bit surprised when I found out this is geared towards YA as, unlike most YA I find, it wasn't written in an overly simplistic or trite way. The subject matter is heavy and it's a bit upsetting at times, but worth the read!
This is a book that I wouldn't mind owning in print.
It's very sad and dark but the characters were immensely strong and admirable. I was a bit surprised when I found out this is geared towards YA as, unlike most YA I find, it wasn't written in an overly simplistic or trite way. The subject matter is heavy and it's a bit upsetting at times, but worth the read!
This is a book that I wouldn't mind owning in print.
bianca89279's review
3.0
"Nora & Kettle" is set in the post-war, 1953 New York.
The seventeen year old, Nora Deere, lives in a nice house with her mum, lawyer dad and younger sister, Frankie. But not all is what it seems. Nora's dad is a bully and physically abusive. Following Nora's mother's accidental death, her dad becomes even more abusive. Nobody stands up for Nora. She's all alone.
Kettle is a part Japanese teenager, who lives on streets as he doesn't want to return to the orphanage he left. His best friend, Kin, is always by his side. Together they look after a few other younger street kids, whom they feed and clothes and keep them sheltered to the best of their abilities. Kettle and Kin work for minimum wage at the docks. They have to overcome lots of obstacles. Looking different doesn't make their life any easier.
I should have liked this novel much more than I did. But things didn't gel that well for me. I don't know if it was because of the first person, alternate point of views of both Nora and Kettle, or the tone, I just felt disconnected and not as emotional as I think the plot and subject warranted.
So 'Nora & Kettle' gets only a 3-3.5 stars.
I've received this novel via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Cover: 5 stars
The seventeen year old, Nora Deere, lives in a nice house with her mum, lawyer dad and younger sister, Frankie. But not all is what it seems. Nora's dad is a bully and physically abusive. Following Nora's mother's accidental death, her dad becomes even more abusive. Nobody stands up for Nora. She's all alone.
Kettle is a part Japanese teenager, who lives on streets as he doesn't want to return to the orphanage he left. His best friend, Kin, is always by his side. Together they look after a few other younger street kids, whom they feed and clothes and keep them sheltered to the best of their abilities. Kettle and Kin work for minimum wage at the docks. They have to overcome lots of obstacles. Looking different doesn't make their life any easier.
I should have liked this novel much more than I did. But things didn't gel that well for me. I don't know if it was because of the first person, alternate point of views of both Nora and Kettle, or the tone, I just felt disconnected and not as emotional as I think the plot and subject warranted.
So 'Nora & Kettle' gets only a 3-3.5 stars.
I've received this novel via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Cover: 5 stars