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lilybear3's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
This is a beautiful immigrants' story of coming to the U.S. and starting a new life. I loved the different perspectives coming from different time periods. I love novels in verse and this one was so unique.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Classism, and Pregnancy
allibrooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The cover art for this is what initially drew me in. I mean look at it! The gorgeous art was created by Hülya Özdemir whose Instagram is filled with more amazing art. 10/10.
Call Me Athena is a multi-generational story based closely on the author's own family. We follow our main character, Mary, who is the daughter of immigrants who wants to break traditional gender roles set by society and her family to become independent. Of course, cultural expectations, poverty, and the Great Depression all have a role to play here, making it difficult and even taboo for Mary to accomplish her goals. She wants to work, and not just the "women's work" expected of her. She also does not want to follow through with the arranged marriage her father has planned for her.
Told in verse, Mary's story comes alive as the reader gets to experience the heartache and victories that follow Mary and her family as they try to make their way in 1930's United States.
I loved the incorporation of the letters that Mary finds. And while I did guess that they were her parents pretty early on, the reveal at the end with her father returning to Greece and his family there while Jeanne went back to work as a nurse was a beautiful full-circle ending.
This is definitely an author I want to keep an eye on.
Call Me Athena is a multi-generational story based closely on the author's own family. We follow our main character, Mary, who is the daughter of immigrants who wants to break traditional gender roles set by society and her family to become independent. Of course, cultural expectations, poverty, and the Great Depression all have a role to play here, making it difficult and even taboo for Mary to accomplish her goals. She wants to work, and not just the "women's work" expected of her. She also does not want to follow through with the arranged marriage her father has planned for her.
Told in verse, Mary's story comes alive as the reader gets to experience the heartache and victories that follow Mary and her family as they try to make their way in 1930's United States.
I loved the incorporation of the letters that Mary finds.
This is definitely an author I want to keep an eye on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Animal death, and War
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