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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.
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
greatolcatsby's review
4.0
tw: domestic violence
A historical fiction that’s loosely based on Peter Pan, Nora & Kettle takes place during the aftermath of World War II, but more specifically the aftermath of a moment during the war not many people know about and should really be discussed more. After Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were ‘relocated’ to internment camps to be monitored for any threats by the government.
Writing in different points of view can be tricky since authors can often times make each view point sound the same as another characters. Luckily, that wasn’t the case for this. The author did a great job on making the voices of the characters very different from each other. It’s great that the book has more than point of view because that means we can see how they handle the same situations differently.
Nora is the eighteen-year-old privileged daughter of a civil rights lawyer who fights for the rights of the Japanese-Americans who were interned in camps. Behind closed doors, Nora is trapped in her home as she tries to protect her younger sister, Frankie, from the violent man their father actually is.
Seventeen-year-old Kettle is an orphaned Japanese-American is struggling with identity and to make a life after being raised in the camps. Together with his 'brother’ Kin, they make money by working on the docks to provide food and supplies for orphaned and abandoned children they’re responsible for. Everything Kettle and Kin do, they do it for each other and the rest of the group. Kettle is the leader of the group of lost boys and together they call themselves the Kings. The family-like interactions Kettle has with Kin and the rest of the group is my favorite part.
I found both the stories of these two characters very emotional. They’re fighting their own demons and nobody can really help them. The signs of abuse in Nora’s household is visible but no one does anything to stop it. Kettle is neglected by everyone, he doesn’t know what his identity means to him and he keeps his head down, moves in the shadows and refuses to give into the all the prejudice being thrown at him.
My only complaint would be the pacing of the storyline. I found it to be rather slow and it’s not until halfway through the book that Nora and Kettle meet and the story really takes off from there.
I applaud the author for her moving and realistic writing on such raw topics that is still relevant today. The elements of the story of Peter Pan being sprinkled around was very unique with Nora wanting to spread her wings and fly to a better place while Kettle has his group of lost boys.
A historical fiction that’s loosely based on Peter Pan, Nora & Kettle takes place during the aftermath of World War II, but more specifically the aftermath of a moment during the war not many people know about and should really be discussed more. After Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were ‘relocated’ to internment camps to be monitored for any threats by the government.
Writing in different points of view can be tricky since authors can often times make each view point sound the same as another characters. Luckily, that wasn’t the case for this. The author did a great job on making the voices of the characters very different from each other. It’s great that the book has more than point of view because that means we can see how they handle the same situations differently.
Nora is the eighteen-year-old privileged daughter of a civil rights lawyer who fights for the rights of the Japanese-Americans who were interned in camps. Behind closed doors, Nora is trapped in her home as she tries to protect her younger sister, Frankie, from the violent man their father actually is.
Seventeen-year-old Kettle is an orphaned Japanese-American is struggling with identity and to make a life after being raised in the camps. Together with his 'brother’ Kin, they make money by working on the docks to provide food and supplies for orphaned and abandoned children they’re responsible for. Everything Kettle and Kin do, they do it for each other and the rest of the group. Kettle is the leader of the group of lost boys and together they call themselves the Kings. The family-like interactions Kettle has with Kin and the rest of the group is my favorite part.
I found both the stories of these two characters very emotional. They’re fighting their own demons and nobody can really help them. The signs of abuse in Nora’s household is visible but no one does anything to stop it. Kettle is neglected by everyone, he doesn’t know what his identity means to him and he keeps his head down, moves in the shadows and refuses to give into the all the prejudice being thrown at him.
My only complaint would be the pacing of the storyline. I found it to be rather slow and it’s not until halfway through the book that Nora and Kettle meet and the story really takes off from there.
I applaud the author for her moving and realistic writing on such raw topics that is still relevant today. The elements of the story of Peter Pan being sprinkled around was very unique with Nora wanting to spread her wings and fly to a better place while Kettle has his group of lost boys.
lyndajdickson's review against another edition
5.0
Eighteen-year-old Nora has lived through a life of physical abuse at the hands of her father, a lawyer campaigning for the civil rights of Japanese Americans interned seven years earlier in World War II prison camps. Children who escaped from these camps or became orphans were dubbed the "Lost Children" by the press. Kettle is one of these children. Now seventeen, Kettle lives in the tunnels of the railway station with his "family" of homeless children, the Kings of the Subway. Refusing to resort to stealing, Kettle ekes out a meager living by working dangerous jobs on the docks to support his family. We follow both Nora and Kettle on their separate journeys. Their paths intersect on so many levels until they finally meet - right when they both need each other most.
This is a heartbreaking account of a young man's struggle to survive on the streets and of a young woman's physical abuse at the hands of her own father. This is a story that moved me the tears. It is an emotional journey for both the characters and the reader. The author imbues the story with a fable-like quality through her beautiful, lyrical, and poetic prose, full of rich metaphors and similes. We see shades of Peter Pan through the recurring theme of flying, and the more you look, the more references you will find; this added layer of nuance provides the reader some relief from the stark realities of the characters' lives. I love the cover, the significance of which will be revealed as you read. Thankfully, this story is ultimately uplifting. I love how Nora ends up defeating her father in a totally unexpected, yet satisfying, way.
Best read of the year so far.
Warnings: domestic violence, violence, animal cruelty, mild swearing, minor sexual references.
Full blog post: https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2016/03/nora-and-kettle-by-lauren-nicolle-taylor.html
This is a heartbreaking account of a young man's struggle to survive on the streets and of a young woman's physical abuse at the hands of her own father. This is a story that moved me the tears. It is an emotional journey for both the characters and the reader. The author imbues the story with a fable-like quality through her beautiful, lyrical, and poetic prose, full of rich metaphors and similes. We see shades of Peter Pan through the recurring theme of flying, and the more you look, the more references you will find; this added layer of nuance provides the reader some relief from the stark realities of the characters' lives. I love the cover, the significance of which will be revealed as you read. Thankfully, this story is ultimately uplifting. I love how Nora ends up defeating her father in a totally unexpected, yet satisfying, way.
Best read of the year so far.
Warnings: domestic violence, violence, animal cruelty, mild swearing, minor sexual references.
Full blog post: https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2016/03/nora-and-kettle-by-lauren-nicolle-taylor.html
booksandladders's review
3.0
Actual Rating: 2.5*
This was barely a retelling of Peter Pan and that really disappoints me. Sure there were some wink-nudge aspects to it, but nothing that really satisfied me. Considering it dealt with large issues such as domestic abuse and racism, I think this would have been better suited just as Historical Fiction.
But while the domestic abuse aspect was fleshed out, I didn't get the same vibe from the Japanese internment camp aspect that the author had included. I felt like we barely scratched the surface of what Japanese Americans dealt with at the time and while there were some parts of it included, we didn't really unpack it. I think there needed to be more of an explanation for that and how Kettle and the other Lost Boys felt about it other than flashbacks and "they don't like us" with a few slurs thrown in for good measure. It didn't feel real to me.
As well I didn't feel as though we were really in 1953? Was that the year? Because there were minimal descriptions and parts to this story that confirmed that for me. I wasn't immersed like I wanted to be.
And it was such slow pacing. The two characters didn't meet for real until 65% through and while their stories individually were compelling, the whole idea was for them to be together so why did it take so long? I did however like the characters and thought that they were well fleshed out with their own motivations and I could easily distinguish between them while reading. I definitely felt an emotional connection to them and thought their stories were both worth reading.
Overall this is an okay story but definitely needs more in terms of the historical aspects, both immersing the reader in the time period and a thorough look at the horrible things Japanese Americans had to deal with at the time. I didn't realize this was a series so I will keep my eye on the next book. Also I'm really disappointed by the loose aspect of the retelling. I want more of the original story included tbh.
This was barely a retelling of Peter Pan and that really disappoints me. Sure there were some wink-nudge aspects to it, but nothing that really satisfied me. Considering it dealt with large issues such as domestic abuse and racism, I think this would have been better suited just as Historical Fiction.
But while the domestic abuse aspect was fleshed out, I didn't get the same vibe from the Japanese internment camp aspect that the author had included. I felt like we barely scratched the surface of what Japanese Americans dealt with at the time and while there were some parts of it included, we didn't really unpack it. I think there needed to be more of an explanation for that and how Kettle and the other Lost Boys felt about it other than flashbacks and "they don't like us" with a few slurs thrown in for good measure. It didn't feel real to me.
As well I didn't feel as though we were really in 1953? Was that the year? Because there were minimal descriptions and parts to this story that confirmed that for me. I wasn't immersed like I wanted to be.
And it was such slow pacing. The two characters didn't meet for real until 65% through and while their stories individually were compelling, the whole idea was for them to be together so why did it take so long? I did however like the characters and thought that they were well fleshed out with their own motivations and I could easily distinguish between them while reading. I definitely felt an emotional connection to them and thought their stories were both worth reading.
Overall this is an okay story but definitely needs more in terms of the historical aspects, both immersing the reader in the time period and a thorough look at the horrible things Japanese Americans had to deal with at the time. I didn't realize this was a series so I will keep my eye on the next book. Also I'm really disappointed by the loose aspect of the retelling. I want more of the original story included tbh.
burntbooks's review
3.0
While most people enjoyed this book for being lyrical and poetic I found it a little bit too reliant on metaphors and similar bouts of figurative language for no particular reason - Obviously this opinion varies as many enjoy that writing style, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Other than that it was pretty enjoyable, again I had a difficult time getting into the style of writing but once the two characters finally met I was very drawn to the story and finished the rest in one sitting. It ends in a way that you could read it as a stand-alone even though there is a sequel that comes after it if you are interested in learning more about the two characters.
fitzsbeloved's review
4.0
This is a difficult book for me to review. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it–the story was compelling and the character’s lovable–but there were quite a few glaring issues with it.
First and foremost: this didn’t need to be associated with Peter Pan. This was published during a time where fairy tale retellings were extremely popular. Every other book that came out seemed to be inspired by Snow White or Cinderella. But not everything needs to have fairy tale elements.
The thing about Nora & Kettle is that the story itself does bare resemblance to the Peter Pan story, but you could also go through the whole book and never make the connection if it weren’t for the mentions of fairy dust, Neverland, and the constant imagery about flying. It was unnecessary and took me out of the story every time.
I think my biggest issue with the book was the fact that the whole plot of the book is in the summary. I kid you not, the events that happen in the summary do not happen in the book until about 200 pages in. Of course, this is not the fault of the author, and henceforth something I can’t hold against the book itself, but it is something to note.
What kept me going in this book were the characters and their situations. Nora comes from an abusive household–one of which she stays in in order to protect her little sister, Frankie. Kettle is a half-Japanese American who spent his childhood in an Internment camp. He is currently living on the streets and is the caretaker of other orphaned children.
These two characters are from completely different worlds but both struggle from day-to-day. And both of their situations shaped them both to be the kind, determined people that they are. All they want is to be able to care and provide for their loved ones.
If you come into this book looking for romance, then this isn’t the book for you. The two leads don’t even meet until about the 200 mark. Though, when they do, it’s great. I love the dynamic between Kettle and Nora and I loved seeing them come to understand one-another.
There is one more gripe I have with this book, though it can be a bit controversial. And that was Kettle’s racial background. Why can we not have asian leads in media that aren’t half-white?
In this time, any person who had a Japanese last name or features was looked at as an enemy, so I’m not saying that it doesn’t make sense for him to be mixed. However, I couldn’t help but feel like this was done to appeal to the white audience and make him seem more “attractive” or “unique,” even if it was done subconsciously so. Every mention of his blue eyes, especially the ones made by Nora, earned an eye roll from me.
The ending of this book was very open-ended and I am unsure if I feel satisfied with it. It was as if the author didn’t really know how to end it because she wasn’t sure whether or not to actually write a sequel to it. Personally, I hope this remains a stand-alone. While there are loose ends in the end, I don’t think they warrant a whole book to themselves.
In short, this was a pretty emotionally confusing book for me, but I can’t bring myself to rate it any lower than I did. It’s a book that will probably stick with me for a while, and that in itself is enough to warrant a good rating from me.
First and foremost: this didn’t need to be associated with Peter Pan. This was published during a time where fairy tale retellings were extremely popular. Every other book that came out seemed to be inspired by Snow White or Cinderella. But not everything needs to have fairy tale elements.
The thing about Nora & Kettle is that the story itself does bare resemblance to the Peter Pan story, but you could also go through the whole book and never make the connection if it weren’t for the mentions of fairy dust, Neverland, and the constant imagery about flying. It was unnecessary and took me out of the story every time.
I think my biggest issue with the book was the fact that the whole plot of the book is in the summary. I kid you not, the events that happen in the summary do not happen in the book until about 200 pages in. Of course, this is not the fault of the author, and henceforth something I can’t hold against the book itself, but it is something to note.
What kept me going in this book were the characters and their situations. Nora comes from an abusive household–one of which she stays in in order to protect her little sister, Frankie. Kettle is a half-Japanese American who spent his childhood in an Internment camp. He is currently living on the streets and is the caretaker of other orphaned children.
These two characters are from completely different worlds but both struggle from day-to-day. And both of their situations shaped them both to be the kind, determined people that they are. All they want is to be able to care and provide for their loved ones.
If you come into this book looking for romance, then this isn’t the book for you. The two leads don’t even meet until about the 200 mark. Though, when they do, it’s great. I love the dynamic between Kettle and Nora and I loved seeing them come to understand one-another.
There is one more gripe I have with this book, though it can be a bit controversial. And that was Kettle’s racial background. Why can we not have asian leads in media that aren’t half-white?
In this time, any person who had a Japanese last name or features was looked at as an enemy, so I’m not saying that it doesn’t make sense for him to be mixed. However, I couldn’t help but feel like this was done to appeal to the white audience and make him seem more “attractive” or “unique,” even if it was done subconsciously so. Every mention of his blue eyes, especially the ones made by Nora, earned an eye roll from me.
The ending of this book was very open-ended and I am unsure if I feel satisfied with it. It was as if the author didn’t really know how to end it because she wasn’t sure whether or not to actually write a sequel to it. Personally, I hope this remains a stand-alone. While there are loose ends in the end, I don’t think they warrant a whole book to themselves.
In short, this was a pretty emotionally confusing book for me, but I can’t bring myself to rate it any lower than I did. It’s a book that will probably stick with me for a while, and that in itself is enough to warrant a good rating from me.