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A review by booksandladders
Nora & Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor
3.0
Actual Rating: 2.5*
This was barely a retelling of Peter Pan and that really disappoints me. Sure there were some wink-nudge aspects to it, but nothing that really satisfied me. Considering it dealt with large issues such as domestic abuse and racism, I think this would have been better suited just as Historical Fiction.
But while the domestic abuse aspect was fleshed out, I didn't get the same vibe from the Japanese internment camp aspect that the author had included. I felt like we barely scratched the surface of what Japanese Americans dealt with at the time and while there were some parts of it included, we didn't really unpack it. I think there needed to be more of an explanation for that and how Kettle and the other Lost Boys felt about it other than flashbacks and "they don't like us" with a few slurs thrown in for good measure. It didn't feel real to me.
As well I didn't feel as though we were really in 1953? Was that the year? Because there were minimal descriptions and parts to this story that confirmed that for me. I wasn't immersed like I wanted to be.
And it was such slow pacing. The two characters didn't meet for real until 65% through and while their stories individually were compelling, the whole idea was for them to be together so why did it take so long? I did however like the characters and thought that they were well fleshed out with their own motivations and I could easily distinguish between them while reading. I definitely felt an emotional connection to them and thought their stories were both worth reading.
Overall this is an okay story but definitely needs more in terms of the historical aspects, both immersing the reader in the time period and a thorough look at the horrible things Japanese Americans had to deal with at the time. I didn't realize this was a series so I will keep my eye on the next book. Also I'm really disappointed by the loose aspect of the retelling. I want more of the original story included tbh.
This was barely a retelling of Peter Pan and that really disappoints me. Sure there were some wink-nudge aspects to it, but nothing that really satisfied me. Considering it dealt with large issues such as domestic abuse and racism, I think this would have been better suited just as Historical Fiction.
But while the domestic abuse aspect was fleshed out, I didn't get the same vibe from the Japanese internment camp aspect that the author had included. I felt like we barely scratched the surface of what Japanese Americans dealt with at the time and while there were some parts of it included, we didn't really unpack it. I think there needed to be more of an explanation for that and how Kettle and the other Lost Boys felt about it other than flashbacks and "they don't like us" with a few slurs thrown in for good measure. It didn't feel real to me.
As well I didn't feel as though we were really in 1953? Was that the year? Because there were minimal descriptions and parts to this story that confirmed that for me. I wasn't immersed like I wanted to be.
And it was such slow pacing. The two characters didn't meet for real until 65% through and while their stories individually were compelling, the whole idea was for them to be together so why did it take so long? I did however like the characters and thought that they were well fleshed out with their own motivations and I could easily distinguish between them while reading. I definitely felt an emotional connection to them and thought their stories were both worth reading.
Overall this is an okay story but definitely needs more in terms of the historical aspects, both immersing the reader in the time period and a thorough look at the horrible things Japanese Americans had to deal with at the time. I didn't realize this was a series so I will keep my eye on the next book. Also I'm really disappointed by the loose aspect of the retelling. I want more of the original story included tbh.