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A review by renaplays
When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky by Margaret Verble
4.0
A mash-up of genres, including historical fiction, entertainment history, magic realism, thriller, and mystery.
I was enthralled by the first part of the book--the story of Two Feathers, her horse diving, and the various characters of Glendale Park, particularly her friendship with Crawford and the Montgomery Sisters. I was surprised, delighted, and thoroughly entertained as if I had been at the park myself.
Once the number of points of view proliferated, the narrative got boggy, and my energy flagged. There were too many story lines hinted at and left unresolved, including the wealthy Shackleford ne'er-do-well son, the ghosts of Clive's past, and the relevance of the Scopes Trial.
The author's note reveals how much of the plotline was historical, and I think that would have made for a richer, more satisfying structure than the reduction to a villain-focused story. The magic realist aspects were entertaining, but seemed to belong to a different book. The author is just trying to do too much, and we're left with the thin results.
I would have preferred taking the intriguing, fresh, core characters deeper into their complex histories, embedding them in the compelling local history, and showing us more about a changing America. While the latter part of the book didn't work so well for me, I am still a big fan of Two, Clive, and Crawford, and think the book is a notable read for its behind-the-scenes look at this form of mass entertainment, the complexities of diversity in the 1920s, and an end of an era.
Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advanced review copy.
I was enthralled by the first part of the book--the story of Two Feathers, her horse diving, and the various characters of Glendale Park, particularly her friendship with Crawford and the Montgomery Sisters. I was surprised, delighted, and thoroughly entertained as if I had been at the park myself.
Once the number of points of view proliferated, the narrative got boggy, and my energy flagged. There were too many story lines hinted at and left unresolved, including the wealthy Shackleford ne'er-do-well son, the ghosts of Clive's past, and the relevance of the Scopes Trial.
The author's note reveals how much of the plotline was historical, and I think that would have made for a richer, more satisfying structure than the reduction to a villain-focused story. The magic realist aspects were entertaining, but seemed to belong to a different book. The author is just trying to do too much, and we're left with the thin results.
I would have preferred taking the intriguing, fresh, core characters deeper into their complex histories, embedding them in the compelling local history, and showing us more about a changing America. While the latter part of the book didn't work so well for me, I am still a big fan of Two, Clive, and Crawford, and think the book is a notable read for its behind-the-scenes look at this form of mass entertainment, the complexities of diversity in the 1920s, and an end of an era.
Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advanced review copy.