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A review by kuyemura
Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman
2.0
This book was quite confuzzling. Despite an initial interesting premise (wild child taken in by rich family to prove that nurture is superior to nature) I felt like the book was trying to settle in the audience the entire time. The character development left much to be desired. For example, the girl was able to learn English incredibly quickly, the narrator was constantly hanging out in brothels etc. etc. but was in love with the girl, and the narrator's friend, Bev, seems like a pretty nice guy, even helping Bronwyn design a new wardrobe, until bang it turns out he raped the narrator's ex-fiancé? Resulting in her eventual death due to an abortion? What?
Really, the only character I liked at all was Nicky, who seemed a much better fit for Bronwyn despite being twelve or so. Of course, he got basically no screen time, the most character development was done on the Oriental (who conveniently carries a shoto on her person that she handy dandily uses to kill a guy trying to kill Bronwyn) and the berdache, who, well honestly I'm not even sure why he needed to be in the story at all. Seriously.
The love story itself was mainly about how awesome Bronwyn was and how insane Hugo was both before and while being in love with her (can't even tell if he's the murderer, is constantly sick probably from an STD from all those prostitutes, faints quite often, and is creepily obsessed with knives and the human body). Here, in the epilogue, where they finally end up together, is some of their dialogue.
Hugo: Then how did you know Charlie wouldn't go for me?
Bronwyn: Well, that I didn't know, but I figured at least one of you two would survive, Delegate or Flenniken, so either way I'd have a husband.
FYI, Charlie is a man eating Tigon from India. Don't these romantic words send shivers down your spine?
Lastly, at the resolution of this mystery, you find out who's been murdering and mutilating all these guys and turns out it's not Bronwyn, or Hugo, but.......some random character you're supposed to remember from the beginning of the book who was in about ten pages! Wow, isn't that satisfying?
So really, the only reason this book isn't a one is because it did pull me in enough that I just kept reading in the hopes that it would get better, and it never did, but I did read the book. So hooray for that.
Really, the only character I liked at all was Nicky, who seemed a much better fit for Bronwyn despite being twelve or so. Of course, he got basically no screen time, the most character development was done on the Oriental (who conveniently carries a shoto on her person that she handy dandily uses to kill a guy trying to kill Bronwyn) and the berdache, who, well honestly I'm not even sure why he needed to be in the story at all. Seriously.
The love story itself was mainly about how awesome Bronwyn was and how insane Hugo was both before and while being in love with her (can't even tell if he's the murderer, is constantly sick probably from an STD from all those prostitutes, faints quite often, and is creepily obsessed with knives and the human body). Here, in the epilogue, where they finally end up together, is some of their dialogue.
Hugo: Then how did you know Charlie wouldn't go for me?
Bronwyn: Well, that I didn't know, but I figured at least one of you two would survive, Delegate or Flenniken, so either way I'd have a husband.
FYI, Charlie is a man eating Tigon from India. Don't these romantic words send shivers down your spine?
Lastly, at the resolution of this mystery, you find out who's been murdering and mutilating all these guys and turns out it's not Bronwyn, or Hugo, but.......some random character you're supposed to remember from the beginning of the book who was in about ten pages! Wow, isn't that satisfying?
So really, the only reason this book isn't a one is because it did pull me in enough that I just kept reading in the hopes that it would get better, and it never did, but I did read the book. So hooray for that.