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tamaram's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lecrockett's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you, Viking and Goodreads, for providing this book for review!
Hugo Delegate knows he's in trouble. Whether or not it was Savage Girl -- Bronwyn -- who committed the murders or he, Hugo's determined to free her and take the blame instead. He tells their story from the very beginning, in a windy, dusty city in Nevada where his wealthy family found and collected this feral young woman and brought her to New York City to be educated, trained, and prepared for her season. But somewhere within his story, Hugo blurs Bronwyn's character, and begins to wonder if his love for her blinds him from her true nature, or if something -- someone -- more sinister is at work.
While many historical novels stick to the historical facts of the day -- politics, education, fashion, transportation, social expectations, belief systems, etc -- Zimmerman embodies the language of the day in her story. From skeptical Harvard medical man to a drunkard wailing over his love, lust, and confusion, Zimmerman's Hugo is a character that comes alive through the rich diction. I felt like I was on the train with his family, traveling across the country and entering high society and working with this "raised by wolves" young woman. Bronwyn is quite similar too -- her growth is fascinating, her fierce independence and loyalty and brave nature colliding together to create this beautiful, believable character from the wilds. Feral children are not simply stories; they were real.
When I first received this ARC, I assumed it would be like reading Catherine from Wuthering Heights plucked and dropped into Edith Wharton's high society -- her passions and wild-like manner considered animalistic and foreign. It's nothing like that, and I'm glad. The mystery of the murders propelled the already intriguing plot (the character growth is enough to keep you reading), and it's not until the exact last page that the truth is revealed. Zimmerman will keep you guessing, tossing around Hugo, Brownyn, and many other suspects back and forth. Who should you believe? The unreliable narrator? The wild woman?
Oh, it's just so wonderfully written. Transported in time! A time that many seem to skip across when discussing history, that age between the Civil War and the suffragettes -- beautifully represented in this great book.
Hugo Delegate knows he's in trouble. Whether or not it was Savage Girl -- Bronwyn -- who committed the murders or he, Hugo's determined to free her and take the blame instead. He tells their story from the very beginning, in a windy, dusty city in Nevada where his wealthy family found and collected this feral young woman and brought her to New York City to be educated, trained, and prepared for her season. But somewhere within his story, Hugo blurs Bronwyn's character, and begins to wonder if his love for her blinds him from her true nature, or if something -- someone -- more sinister is at work.
While many historical novels stick to the historical facts of the day -- politics, education, fashion, transportation, social expectations, belief systems, etc -- Zimmerman embodies the language of the day in her story. From skeptical Harvard medical man to a drunkard wailing over his love, lust, and confusion, Zimmerman's Hugo is a character that comes alive through the rich diction. I felt like I was on the train with his family, traveling across the country and entering high society and working with this "raised by wolves" young woman. Bronwyn is quite similar too -- her growth is fascinating, her fierce independence and loyalty and brave nature colliding together to create this beautiful, believable character from the wilds. Feral children are not simply stories; they were real.
When I first received this ARC, I assumed it would be like reading Catherine from Wuthering Heights plucked and dropped into Edith Wharton's high society -- her passions and wild-like manner considered animalistic and foreign. It's nothing like that, and I'm glad. The mystery of the murders propelled the already intriguing plot (the character growth is enough to keep you reading), and it's not until the exact last page that the truth is revealed. Zimmerman will keep you guessing, tossing around Hugo, Brownyn, and many other suspects back and forth. Who should you believe? The unreliable narrator? The wild woman?
Oh, it's just so wonderfully written. Transported in time! A time that many seem to skip across when discussing history, that age between the Civil War and the suffragettes -- beautifully represented in this great book.
pollyno9's review against another edition
4.0
This book surprised me with how satisfying it was to read. Towards the end I was worried that it was going to leave me with questions about the ending, but thankfully it didn't. Things may have ended too neatly for some, but I really prefer when the author lays it out for me.
wordnerdy's review against another edition
3.0
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2014/03/jean-zimmermans-savage-girl-i-had-some.html
leahlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful historical novel with a nice twisty mystery thrown in. The characters were very flawed but interesting and the narrator was completely unreliable, which I love. Fun read.
jedore's review against another edition
4.0
"The lies one tells always pale in comparison to the truths one withholds."
Savage Girl is a blend of well-researched historical fiction and compelling mystery. Set in the late 1800s, the story begins in Virginia City, Nevada, when a wealthy New York family "rescues" a "wild" orphan girl who had been raised by native Americans, then was left to fend for herself in the wild.
It quickly turns macabre as brutal murders follow the family to New York City and Philadelphia. Famous characters (including the famous psychologist William James who was a professor at Harvard at the time), wildly misguided psychology, and actual historical events kept me engaged.
If likable characters are your thing, this definitely isn't your book. The main character is annoying at best and the secondary character is intentionally kept at a distance from the reader. There are a couple likable fringe characters, but you never get past their surface.
Not many books can keep me guessing until the end...this one did. Although I wasn't crazy about the author's choice of endings or the characters themselves, I enjoyed the book. Jean is an excellent writer and I found the story to be entertaining and educational!
Savage Girl is a blend of well-researched historical fiction and compelling mystery. Set in the late 1800s, the story begins in Virginia City, Nevada, when a wealthy New York family "rescues" a "wild" orphan girl who had been raised by native Americans, then was left to fend for herself in the wild.
It quickly turns macabre as brutal murders follow the family to New York City and Philadelphia. Famous characters (including the famous psychologist William James who was a professor at Harvard at the time), wildly misguided psychology, and actual historical events kept me engaged.
If likable characters are your thing, this definitely isn't your book. The main character is annoying at best and the secondary character is intentionally kept at a distance from the reader. There are a couple likable fringe characters, but you never get past their surface.
Not many books can keep me guessing until the end...this one did. Although I wasn't crazy about the author's choice of endings or the characters themselves, I enjoyed the book. Jean is an excellent writer and I found the story to be entertaining and educational!
rubenstein's review against another edition
4.0
http://theprettygoodgatsby.wordpress.com/2014/03/06/savage-girl-by-jean-zimmerman/
Following her successful The Orphanmaster, Jean Zimmerman returns with a marvelously detailed - and at times, downright gruesome! - tale of the Gilded Age, high society, and a feral child.
In 1875, the Delgate family, among the upper crust of Manhattan society, takes a tour of the American West. While in Nevada, they stop for a local sideshow attraction, Savage Girl. It's said the girl was raised by wolves and is presented on stage for the curious audience to gawk over. Mr. and Mrs. Delgate are collectors of a sort. Mrs. Delgate has in tow two helpers, or servants, that she refers to as her pets: a Chinese woman named Tu Li and a Zuni berdache ('two-spirit', identifies with both genders). Nothing would make Mrs. Delgate happier than adding a feral child to her brood, particularly since this girl is around the same age her own daughter would be had she not died as a baby. For Mr. Delgate, the social experiment - is it possible to teach and mold this girl, to debut her - is far too exciting to pass up.
Almost immediately from the start the plan begins to crack, but the Delgates press on, teaching this girl - Bronwyn, they discover she could write her name - to write and read, the proper way to eat, and how to curtsy. Back in Manhattan, Bronwyn meets all the right people, learns all the correct dance steps, and soon becomes a media darling. Her debut was a Must See and any dress she wore immediately set the current trend.
Bronwyn had a power over people and no one was immune - not even her 'brother,' Hugo Delgate. Hugo was studying anatomy at Harvard and had a promising career ahead of him until Savage Girl came along. After one murder too many, Hugo's suspicions are tested and it's Hugo who tells this story as he's sitting in a holding cell. Savage Girl is his confession for murders and mutilations stretching the length of the United States.
From the opening chapter I knew I was in for a good time. Savage Girl's imagery is so rich and detailed I had no trouble at all believing I was in the newly-settled West or mingling with millionaires in New York. It certainly didn't hurt that Zimmerman included many historical figures as cameos (my favorite was a college-aged Teddy Roosevelt)! Although I wasn't quite sure how I would enjoy having Hugo narrate the story, my worries quickly vanished. Hugo had it all before Savage Girl came along. His studies were going well and everyone was waiting for the moment he would finally propose to Delia Showalter. Once Bronwyn appeared, however, everything fell apart. So strong was his infatuation that he confessed to a series of murders he didn't commit - although his near-descent into madness and worry that perhaps he did murder all those men was fascinating and morbidly enjoyable.
When she was discovered, Bronwyn had a few items: a Bible and Vanity Fair, both with many missing pages, and a dirty doll. It was clear that at some point before losing her family she had been taught to read and write, and under the Delgates's wings, she quickly picked up where she left off. Her story, once she decides to share the details with Hugo, was heartbreaking. She remembered bits and pieces of her childhood: her parents and a baby, she possibly came from Wales. She had been taken by the Comanche and it is this tribe that she considers to be her true family. They raised her as their own, taught her how to ride horses and hunt, gave her a new name. When settlers came along Bronwyn found herself alone once more, this time she truly had to fend for herself. For years she lived in a cave with a jaguar cub until a severe illness led her to being discovered and taken into town as a new attraction.
There were only two minor issues I had with Savage Girl. The story takes place over the course of a single year. In that time, Bronwyn was able to transform from a feral child to a debutante fully capable of holding her own in a philosophical debate. That this happened in such a short time frame seemed a bit unrealistic to me. My other issue was that, as the reader, I was constantly being told things that I'm perfectly able to figure out myself. On multiple occasions Hugo would pause his narration to explain what a snide remark was supposed to mean. In one case Delia spoke and the following sentence read: "This was Delia's pointed reference to the evening she saw..." This hand-holding became slightly aggravating as the novel wore on.
Despite my minor quibbles Savage Girl was a wonderful read. It's 400-page length kept me engaged and invested until the end and whenever I had to stop reading the book was constantly on my mind and I couldn't wait to get back to it. The best part of the story, however, was that I was kept guessing until the last page. Bravo, Ms. Zimmerman! If you're a reader who enjoys historical fiction and doesn't mind getting down and dirty (remember, these murders involved mutilation), I strongly recommend picking up a copy of Savage Girl! I loved it and am now interested in reading Zimmerman's previous novel!
Following her successful The Orphanmaster, Jean Zimmerman returns with a marvelously detailed - and at times, downright gruesome! - tale of the Gilded Age, high society, and a feral child.
In 1875, the Delgate family, among the upper crust of Manhattan society, takes a tour of the American West. While in Nevada, they stop for a local sideshow attraction, Savage Girl. It's said the girl was raised by wolves and is presented on stage for the curious audience to gawk over. Mr. and Mrs. Delgate are collectors of a sort. Mrs. Delgate has in tow two helpers, or servants, that she refers to as her pets: a Chinese woman named Tu Li and a Zuni berdache ('two-spirit', identifies with both genders). Nothing would make Mrs. Delgate happier than adding a feral child to her brood, particularly since this girl is around the same age her own daughter would be had she not died as a baby. For Mr. Delgate, the social experiment - is it possible to teach and mold this girl, to debut her - is far too exciting to pass up.
Almost immediately from the start the plan begins to crack, but the Delgates press on, teaching this girl - Bronwyn, they discover she could write her name - to write and read, the proper way to eat, and how to curtsy. Back in Manhattan, Bronwyn meets all the right people, learns all the correct dance steps, and soon becomes a media darling. Her debut was a Must See and any dress she wore immediately set the current trend.
Bronwyn had a power over people and no one was immune - not even her 'brother,' Hugo Delgate. Hugo was studying anatomy at Harvard and had a promising career ahead of him until Savage Girl came along. After one murder too many, Hugo's suspicions are tested and it's Hugo who tells this story as he's sitting in a holding cell. Savage Girl is his confession for murders and mutilations stretching the length of the United States.
From the opening chapter I knew I was in for a good time. Savage Girl's imagery is so rich and detailed I had no trouble at all believing I was in the newly-settled West or mingling with millionaires in New York. It certainly didn't hurt that Zimmerman included many historical figures as cameos (my favorite was a college-aged Teddy Roosevelt)! Although I wasn't quite sure how I would enjoy having Hugo narrate the story, my worries quickly vanished. Hugo had it all before Savage Girl came along. His studies were going well and everyone was waiting for the moment he would finally propose to Delia Showalter. Once Bronwyn appeared, however, everything fell apart. So strong was his infatuation that he confessed to a series of murders he didn't commit - although his near-descent into madness and worry that perhaps he did murder all those men was fascinating and morbidly enjoyable.
When she was discovered, Bronwyn had a few items: a Bible and Vanity Fair, both with many missing pages, and a dirty doll. It was clear that at some point before losing her family she had been taught to read and write, and under the Delgates's wings, she quickly picked up where she left off. Her story, once she decides to share the details with Hugo, was heartbreaking. She remembered bits and pieces of her childhood: her parents and a baby, she possibly came from Wales. She had been taken by the Comanche and it is this tribe that she considers to be her true family. They raised her as their own, taught her how to ride horses and hunt, gave her a new name. When settlers came along Bronwyn found herself alone once more, this time she truly had to fend for herself. For years she lived in a cave with a jaguar cub until a severe illness led her to being discovered and taken into town as a new attraction.
There were only two minor issues I had with Savage Girl. The story takes place over the course of a single year. In that time, Bronwyn was able to transform from a feral child to a debutante fully capable of holding her own in a philosophical debate. That this happened in such a short time frame seemed a bit unrealistic to me. My other issue was that, as the reader, I was constantly being told things that I'm perfectly able to figure out myself. On multiple occasions Hugo would pause his narration to explain what a snide remark was supposed to mean. In one case Delia spoke and the following sentence read: "This was Delia's pointed reference to the evening she saw..." This hand-holding became slightly aggravating as the novel wore on.
Despite my minor quibbles Savage Girl was a wonderful read. It's 400-page length kept me engaged and invested until the end and whenever I had to stop reading the book was constantly on my mind and I couldn't wait to get back to it. The best part of the story, however, was that I was kept guessing until the last page. Bravo, Ms. Zimmerman! If you're a reader who enjoys historical fiction and doesn't mind getting down and dirty (remember, these murders involved mutilation), I strongly recommend picking up a copy of Savage Girl! I loved it and am now interested in reading Zimmerman's previous novel!
ninetalevixen's review against another edition
2.0
Not once did I feel like I could get behind Hugo as the hero of this story. At least Bronwyn fascinated me, but the wild-child appeal wore off halfway through.
clairewords's review against another edition
4.0
Set in 1875, Savage Girl begins when the wealthy socialite Delegate family are on a tour of the American West, having travelled to Nevada by private train to visit family mining concerns.
The son, Hugo, a 22-year-old anatomy student at Harvard, who keeps taking time out from his studies due to undiagnosed mental health issues, visits a back alley sideshow attraction with his mother entitled ‘Savage Girl’, allegedly a wild, mute 18-year-old girl raised by wolves. It is a popular attraction, attracting many of the mining community and the Delegate family are interested in her, for much more than entertainment purposes.
The novel follows ‘Savage Girl’s’ progress, Hugo's (the 22-year-old anatomy student son) paranoia and reasoning within the context of Manhattan’s Gilded Age (late 1800’s) where only those who know the rules, befriend the right people and come from socially acceptable families will make it.
It is an intriguing story, wrapped around a puzzling, violent mystery containing a dark, barely legible heartbeat of early feminist activism and that nature versus nurture debate. As historical fiction goes, it has all the elements, pure, entertaining escapism.
My complete review at Word by Word here.
The son, Hugo, a 22-year-old anatomy student at Harvard, who keeps taking time out from his studies due to undiagnosed mental health issues, visits a back alley sideshow attraction with his mother entitled ‘Savage Girl’, allegedly a wild, mute 18-year-old girl raised by wolves. It is a popular attraction, attracting many of the mining community and the Delegate family are interested in her, for much more than entertainment purposes.
The novel follows ‘Savage Girl’s’ progress, Hugo's (the 22-year-old anatomy student son) paranoia and reasoning within the context of Manhattan’s Gilded Age (late 1800’s) where only those who know the rules, befriend the right people and come from socially acceptable families will make it.
It is an intriguing story, wrapped around a puzzling, violent mystery containing a dark, barely legible heartbeat of early feminist activism and that nature versus nurture debate. As historical fiction goes, it has all the elements, pure, entertaining escapism.
My complete review at Word by Word here.
estellabelle92's review against another edition
4.0
I have really enjoyed the previous two Zimmerman works I have read (The Orphanmaster & Love Fiercely: a gilded age romance). At times, I didn't feel this lived up to these works. In the end it satisfied me, but it wasn't a complete & total satisfaction such as I had with "The Orphanmaster" - perhaps because that time period & setting appealed to me more than this one. I burnt myself out on the "old west" as a kid and have never felt a need to return as an adult.
**** Spoiler Alert - don't read the following until you finish the book ****
I felt the ending was a bit contrived as there were no clues she actually felt anything for him. Suddenly in the epilogue they are living happily ever after. I know he loved her, but never noticed any sign of feelings from her for him. Perhaps I misinterpreted the clues as they were presented. I was very convinced she didn't feel a thing for him (and that she was probably a murderer).
This of course won't keep me from reading her future works or going back to her previous books. I love her blog & her writing style.
**** Spoiler Alert - don't read the following until you finish the book ****
I felt the ending was a bit contrived as there were no clues she actually felt anything for him. Suddenly in the epilogue they are living happily ever after. I know he loved her, but never noticed any sign of feelings from her for him. Perhaps I misinterpreted the clues as they were presented. I was very convinced she didn't feel a thing for him (and that she was probably a murderer).
This of course won't keep me from reading her future works or going back to her previous books. I love her blog & her writing style.