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pacrislopa 's review for:
Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale
by Donna Jo Napoli
This book! No- just no.
There are SO many things wrong with this book.
First of all is the blurb. I mean, just look at it! Irish princess gets stolen off as a slave and takes a vow of silence which entrances her captors. I mean- WOW! So much potential! Adventure, resolve, romance, mystery- it was all there.
Enter the author to chop up the story and make me hate it. Yes, HATE IT!
Mel is our "heroine", if she can even be called that. She's pampered, prejudiced, and weak. Now, I can forgive all that if during the course of the story she learns and changes. But SHE DOESN'T. Awful things happen and SHE DOESN'T GROW! And you think that the vow of silence is entrancing? No, it isn't. We're not even given a real reason of why she takes it. She just does, and somehow that draws attention.
Right, so. After a series of totally random and underexplained events, Mel gets kidnapped to a slave ship. Does she fight back? No. Does she have plans of escape? None that she puts into practice. Again, I'm alright with this, as long as the heroine grows and does something about her lot in life. Mel doesn't. She never puts up a fight, never takes chances, never grasps an opportunity. She has the chance to escape TWICE, and she just DOESN'T DO IT!! She just stands there BLINKING. And then feeling sorry for herself!! UGH.
As for the plot, it is disconnected, vague and senseless. Seriously. It leads NOWHERE. It has no sense of purpose. It all feels like a jumble of events thrown together, with a dash of historical information here and there. Irritating.
The prose? Slow and dull. Lifeless.
The narration? As slow and dull as the narrator Mel.
The message? None that I can see. It would've been a good story if Mel had grown up and fought back, or if she'd learned something from her misfortunes, but she doesn't. And everything is so hopeless, while at the same time so disconnected, that it just feels like a long string of sad stories.
And THE ENDING!! Oh, lord. I felt like throwing up. Do you know where Mel finds hope after a loooong time suffering misfortunes? Any guesses?. I am not kidding. .
I just- I don't even have words for how disturbing that ending is.
Horrible book.
There are SO many things wrong with this book.
First of all is the blurb. I mean, just look at it! Irish princess gets stolen off as a slave and takes a vow of silence which entrances her captors. I mean- WOW! So much potential! Adventure, resolve, romance, mystery- it was all there.
Enter the author to chop up the story and make me hate it. Yes, HATE IT!
Mel is our "heroine", if she can even be called that. She's pampered, prejudiced, and weak. Now, I can forgive all that if during the course of the story she learns and changes. But SHE DOESN'T. Awful things happen and SHE DOESN'T GROW! And you think that the vow of silence is entrancing? No, it isn't. We're not even given a real reason of why she takes it. She just does, and somehow that draws attention.
Right, so. After a series of totally random and underexplained events, Mel gets kidnapped to a slave ship. Does she fight back? No. Does she have plans of escape? None that she puts into practice. Again, I'm alright with this, as long as the heroine grows and does something about her lot in life. Mel doesn't. She never puts up a fight, never takes chances, never grasps an opportunity. She has the chance to escape TWICE, and she just DOESN'T DO IT!! She just stands there BLINKING. And then feeling sorry for herself!! UGH.
As for the plot, it is disconnected, vague and senseless. Seriously. It leads NOWHERE. It has no sense of purpose. It all feels like a jumble of events thrown together, with a dash of historical information here and there. Irritating.
The prose? Slow and dull. Lifeless.
The narration? As slow and dull as the narrator Mel.
The message? None that I can see. It would've been a good story if Mel had grown up and fought back, or if she'd learned something from her misfortunes, but she doesn't. And everything is so hopeless, while at the same time so disconnected, that it just feels like a long string of sad stories.
And THE ENDING!! Oh, lord. I felt like throwing up. Do you know where Mel finds hope after a loooong time suffering misfortunes? Any guesses?
Spoiler
She finds hope when she gets knocked up by the man who repeatedly rapes her after he buys her as a slaveSpoiler
This isn't love; we are told repeatedly that the relationship is painful and humiliating. And yet she finds hope in thinking that her child may someday live her dreams?I just- I don't even have words for how disturbing that ending is.
Horrible book.