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emtheauthor 's review for:
Out of the Easy
by Ruta Sepetys
Sometimes we set off down a road thinkin' we're goin' one place and we end up another. But that's okay. The important thing is to start
This was my first introduction to Ruta Sepetys, and I am STOKED that I'm finally in the club because this lady is something to talk about.
Out of the Easy stars Josie, the daughter of a prostitute living in the French Quarter of New Orleans 1950. Her mom is manipulative and unstable (putting it nicely) and her mom's gangster boyfriend is dangerous with a capital D. Josie moved out when she was eleven, and has been living and working in her friend Patrick's bookstore ever since. When she's not helping a customer find a book, she's playing assistant/indentured servant to Willie, the brothel's madam, and trying to dodge the danger that comes with living in the Big Easy.
But Josie has plans. She's saving every penny so she can get out of this place, leave all the madness behind and go to college. She wants that more than anything, and continues to work for it despite all the obstacles that get thrown in her way.
Those plans screech to a halt, however, when Josie becomes unwittingly entangled in an investigation. Someone's dead, and Josie will cross all her lines to find the truth and make herself the life she always wanted.
My first thought: how can a book that centers so heavily around prostitution be so classy, yet still drive home the complex intensity of that life? It's absolutely amazing. Point one for Ruta Sepetys.
My second thought: how can someone write such intricate, complex, real characters that are so lifelike I can almost feel them breathing as I read? Josie makes for an outstanding protagonist that took my heart and ran with it, and she's backed up by some incredibly written characters that I hate (her mom and Cincinnati), love (Cokie and Jessie), and have a mess of mixed feelings about (Willie and Patrick). They all brought their own dynamics to the story and just added to the compelling raw honesty of the book. Point two for Ruta Sepetys.
My third thought: how did she write the plot so it was mysterious and intense, yet completely ruled by the complex emotions that made it all so real? The genre is historical fiction, but I've never read a book that manages to balance so many different things and still be elegant yet gritty, harsh yet heartening, and secretive yet candid. I don't even know how to explain it, other than it felt like real life. I was completely transported to the French Quarter. The plot is full of twists and turns, but the writing and tone takes them slowly—never boring or drawn out, but you're still able to catch and feel everything along the ride. Point three for Ruta Sepetys and her masterful way with words.
This is a heartfelt, wonderfully written story about a girl with so many awful odds stacked against her, and she goes out to make her own destiny anyway—and you should definitely read it.
Rated 5/5 for an honest look at tough subjects through the eyes of a girl who learns her strength and the words of an author that are raw and powerful
This was my first introduction to Ruta Sepetys, and I am STOKED that I'm finally in the club because this lady is something to talk about.
Out of the Easy stars Josie, the daughter of a prostitute living in the French Quarter of New Orleans 1950. Her mom is manipulative and unstable (putting it nicely) and her mom's gangster boyfriend is dangerous with a capital D. Josie moved out when she was eleven, and has been living and working in her friend Patrick's bookstore ever since. When she's not helping a customer find a book, she's playing assistant/indentured servant to Willie, the brothel's madam, and trying to dodge the danger that comes with living in the Big Easy.
But Josie has plans. She's saving every penny so she can get out of this place, leave all the madness behind and go to college. She wants that more than anything, and continues to work for it despite all the obstacles that get thrown in her way.
Those plans screech to a halt, however, when Josie becomes unwittingly entangled in an investigation. Someone's dead, and Josie will cross all her lines to find the truth and make herself the life she always wanted.
My first thought: how can a book that centers so heavily around prostitution be so classy, yet still drive home the complex intensity of that life? It's absolutely amazing. Point one for Ruta Sepetys.
My second thought: how can someone write such intricate, complex, real characters that are so lifelike I can almost feel them breathing as I read? Josie makes for an outstanding protagonist that took my heart and ran with it, and she's backed up by some incredibly written characters that I hate (her mom and Cincinnati), love (Cokie and Jessie), and have a mess of mixed feelings about (Willie and Patrick). They all brought their own dynamics to the story and just added to the compelling raw honesty of the book. Point two for Ruta Sepetys.
My third thought: how did she write the plot so it was mysterious and intense, yet completely ruled by the complex emotions that made it all so real? The genre is historical fiction, but I've never read a book that manages to balance so many different things and still be elegant yet gritty, harsh yet heartening, and secretive yet candid. I don't even know how to explain it, other than it felt like real life. I was completely transported to the French Quarter. The plot is full of twists and turns, but the writing and tone takes them slowly—never boring or drawn out, but you're still able to catch and feel everything along the ride. Point three for Ruta Sepetys and her masterful way with words.
This is a heartfelt, wonderfully written story about a girl with so many awful odds stacked against her, and she goes out to make her own destiny anyway—and you should definitely read it.
Rated 5/5 for an honest look at tough subjects through the eyes of a girl who learns her strength and the words of an author that are raw and powerful