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abbythompson 's review for:
Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale
by Donna Jo Napoli
This was a fascinating (and quick) YA read. Based on an old Icelandic legend and set in the late 900s, Melkorka is an Irish Princess who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Having always been told at home that she needs to learn to "hush", Mel makes a vow of silence once she's kidnapped, realizing her silence makes her an enigma to her captors. She grasps this tiny thread of power and we watch as she struggles to understand her life and eke out a new existence with her new life.
The first person narrative works for 99% of the book. Mel slips a few times into more modern thought patterns and phrases that were jolting to the otherwise well-rendered historical time period. The choice of a first person narrative also hindered what little information I could glean about the character of Maeve. Presented a peasant women, Maeve knew an awful lot about languages, geography, foreign currency and customs for me to fully believe she was an Irish peasant. Her backstory is never explained so she appears not to truly exist as part of the story, but rather a convenient way for the author to impart historical information. It comes across as more of a "Look! I did research!" rather than a fully developed character. Perhaps if the reader wasn't dependent on Mel's narrative, we could know more about Maeve and she wouldn't ring so false.
Other that those small qualms, I really enjoyed this book and Donna Jo Napoli remains high on my "must read" list for authors.
The first person narrative works for 99% of the book. Mel slips a few times into more modern thought patterns and phrases that were jolting to the otherwise well-rendered historical time period. The choice of a first person narrative also hindered what little information I could glean about the character of Maeve. Presented a peasant women, Maeve knew an awful lot about languages, geography, foreign currency and customs for me to fully believe she was an Irish peasant. Her backstory is never explained so she appears not to truly exist as part of the story, but rather a convenient way for the author to impart historical information. It comes across as more of a "Look! I did research!" rather than a fully developed character. Perhaps if the reader wasn't dependent on Mel's narrative, we could know more about Maeve and she wouldn't ring so false.
Other that those small qualms, I really enjoyed this book and Donna Jo Napoli remains high on my "must read" list for authors.