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suvata's review
5.0
• TBR since March 31, 2018
I can’t believe I waited four years to read this. It’s so, so good. 5-Stars
It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.
Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.
With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.
I can’t believe I waited four years to read this. It’s so, so good. 5-Stars
It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.
Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.
With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.
r_novigrad's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
tmika's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the unique setting and situation for this book, it was a great read and I plan to return to it in the future.
elentikvah's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Not my favorite Ruta Sepetys book, but not bad. I found the story a bit predictable, and about what I expected for 1950's New Orleans. Unlikely to re-read.
Rating 2/5 "it was ok"
9 hrs and 51 mins (1.75x)
Audiobook
Rating 2/5 "it was ok"
9 hrs and 51 mins (1.75x)
Audiobook
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
beautiful southern story. they always carry a little extra mystery, a secret kept by many for too long.
ericanh's review against another edition
5.0
This is singlehandedly the best book I've read in a while!
dbrosend's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
creedmk's review against another edition
3.0
Probably my least favorite Ruta Sepetys book, but I still read it quickly and enjoyed it. The characters weren't quite as intriguing as her other books, and the time period/subject matter didn't grab me as much as her other books.
miss_merna's review against another edition
3.0
Out of the easy is rather a simple story if you dig under the layers of the plot. The story should have been slightly more complex for a historical fiction. I’m not particular sure if it intended to inform me about life in New Orleans back in the 50’s, because nothing was added to my knowledge that I didn’t already expect of 50’s New Orleans. Out of the easy taught me the importance of social class and your background in 50’s New Orleans and...basically that’s all. I felt the racism was greatly toned down. This is 50's Louisiana, right? In the 60s they threatened a small black girl with death for daring to attend a majority white school? I can only imagine how horrible Louisiana was in its pre-civil rights days.
So from the opening paragraph you can already guess there was going to be major mummy issues. This book was based on mummy issues. I thought there might be some fights between the heroine and her mother about her being a prostitute. But the would have been too ‘simple’. Instead, the mother had to be the most cold-hearted parent that every existed – or that’s how she’s portrayed. Well, she’s not far from being the worst, however, the constant mention of all the bad things the heroine’s mother had done got extremely tiring.
Josie, on other hand, is the opposite of her mother. She’s intelligent, demanding and caring. I’m not particularly sure how many times the secondary characters had to mention that Josie is intelligent, but they did it enough times that I finally remembered. You know, I can’t simply understand the first time, so you have to do it again and again and again.
Cincinnati is the primary antagonist of the novel. He works for a mafia apparently. He once beat Josie’s mum and her close friend’s father. He he has done a list of other terrible things that Josie mentions.
“My mother’s a prostitute. Not the filthy, streetwalking kind. She’s actually quite pretty, fairly well spoken, and has lovely clothes. But she sleeps with men for money or gifts, and according to the dictionary, that makes her a prostitute.”
So from the opening paragraph you can already guess there was going to be major mummy issues. This book was based on mummy issues. I thought there might be some fights between the heroine and her mother about her being a prostitute. But the would have been too ‘simple’. Instead, the mother had to be the most cold-hearted parent that every existed – or that’s how she’s portrayed. Well, she’s not far from being the worst, however, the constant mention of all the bad things the heroine’s mother had done got extremely tiring.
Josie, on other hand, is the opposite of her mother. She’s intelligent, demanding and caring. I’m not particularly sure how many times the secondary characters had to mention that Josie is intelligent, but they did it enough times that I finally remembered. You know, I can’t simply understand the first time, so you have to do it again and again and again.
Cincinnati is the primary antagonist of the novel. He works for a mafia apparently. He once beat Josie’s mum and her close friend’s father. He he has done a list of other terrible things that Josie mentions.
“There was something ice-cold, dead in Cincinnati.”
Really Josie, after everything you told me…you think so?
Now, I ain't no sherlock but...
The love triangle was actually…unique. It was different and I never thought it would turn out the way it did. The romance is somewhat the positive aspect of this story.
The mystery is the negative aspect of the story since the author clearly makes it obvious who committed the crime. I kept thinking “No, the author is trying to trick me. It’s not who I expect. It’s someone different.” But it was exactly who I expected.
Character development was decent, and the book was fast-paced which I loved, but the ending was rushed and I felt things happened to quickly and came together far too perfectly at the end.
This feels more like a negative review when I go over it, but it's an okay novel. It's not bad. It’s just not a good historical novel. I still rated it four stars because as I was reading, I desperately wanted to found out how everything turns out for Josie. I was addicted. It was entertaining.
Some might enjoy/others might not. But overall I would suggest this.
