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A review by kathrynk
Abigail by Magda Szabó
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this! I think about this book all the time. Gina is a young teen with a happy life in Budapest, until her father sends her to a religious boarding school in a far away remote town. She and her father have a wonderful loving relationship, so she can’t understand why he would send away - it must be a misunderstanding, right? But this is World War 2, and the stakes are a lot higher than she realizes.
This novel follows Gina as she acclimates to her new life, first rebelling and making enemies, then accepting her fate and forming deep relationships. But the real charm in this book is the dramatic irony and Gina’s naïveté. As readers, we are so much more aware of Gina’s situation and the historical context in which the story takes place than she is. And in any other book, knowing something that the character doesn’t and watching them make awful decisions would be frustrating, but here it’s just so delightful. Gina is sheltered and spoiled but Szabo does such an amazing job of making her sympathetic. And although this definitely has YA themes in that it’s a coming of age and set in a girl’s boarding school, it never feels immature. It’s light-hearted at times and so heart-breaking at others. Szabo creates wonderful tension by telling the story in the past tense, e.g. “she could never know that in 3 months so-and-so would perish in a bomb raid that hit her village.” (Not a real spoiler I promise). So while Gina’s interactions with her schoolmates and teachers are full of girlish innocence, there’s a thread of despair throughout. It’s honestly such a perfect balance. And Gina goes through soooo much growth, it’s rewarding to read.
The mystery of Abigail isn’t revealed explicitly until literally the final page, but there are so many clues and hints that may be obvious to the reader but that Gina completely dismisses. How quickly will you figure it out?
This novel follows Gina as she acclimates to her new life, first rebelling and making enemies, then accepting her fate and forming deep relationships. But the real charm in this book is the dramatic irony and Gina’s naïveté. As readers, we are so much more aware of Gina’s situation and the historical context in which the story takes place than she is. And in any other book, knowing something that the character doesn’t and watching them make awful decisions would be frustrating, but here it’s just so delightful. Gina is sheltered and spoiled but Szabo does such an amazing job of making her sympathetic. And although this definitely has YA themes in that it’s a coming of age and set in a girl’s boarding school, it never feels immature. It’s light-hearted at times and so heart-breaking at others. Szabo creates wonderful tension by telling the story in the past tense, e.g. “she could never know that in 3 months so-and-so would perish in a bomb raid that hit her village.” (Not a real spoiler I promise). So while Gina’s interactions with her schoolmates and teachers are full of girlish innocence, there’s a thread of despair throughout. It’s honestly such a perfect balance. And Gina goes through soooo much growth, it’s rewarding to read.
The mystery of Abigail isn’t revealed explicitly until literally the final page, but there are so many clues and hints that may be obvious to the reader but that Gina completely dismisses. How quickly will you figure it out?