Rating: 5 stars
FIRST OF ALL WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT-- to rip my soul out of my body at the same time as making my heart swell three size like the GD Grinch. Seriously crying happy and sad tears over this book. It means so much at the same time that it has extremely important, well-handled themes that young people need to read about. And - it's historical! Things that affect us today, while undoubtedly a little different, were also experienced during times that we can't even fathom living in. The writing style, and the characters, and the plot just... so good.
I understand less than half the words in that sentence, but God bless the book people for their boundless knowledge absorbed from having words instead of friends.
Is that not one of the best sentences you've read in your life???
I had so much fun with this book. People said it was hilarious, and I did smile quite a few times over it. There's love and drama and adventure and mystery and illness and empowerment and diversity. There are so many good elements about this book. I am not a huge fan of historical fiction, especially pre-20th-century historical fiction, but this book was so accessible, it read like a normal contemporary.
Let's talk characters:
"No, you want this to be about you. You care about what happens to me because of what that would mean for you. You are the only thing that matters to you."
Monty
If this guy didn't drive you crazy, you might be as rash and immature as he is. I wanted to slap him across the face so many times for his insensitivity and shelteredness. God. In some ways, he's just the worst. But that's what I appreciate about him. He's not an ideal, perfected main character. He has major flaws which are often cause for drama between him and other characters. This is real life, people. And I definitely know some real-life Montys.
"Ladies haven't the luxury of being squeamish about blood."
Felicity
I LOVE FELICITY. 20% of the way in I knew I loved her, and I had to go make sure the sequel was her story (it is!!). She's snarky, and she likes books more than people, and wants to study medicine. I relate, hard. She's kind of the logical voice of the bunch, with Monty always making bad decisions and Percy just going along with it. Furthermore, everyone wants to commend this book for giving the 18th century a voice in LGBT. I agree that this is pretty cool. But, Felicity serves as the voice of the public in this regard. LGBT lifestyle was much more taboo in this time period, and Felicity reminds the reader that while we see LGBT relationships/feelings as normal, that was definitely not how 99% of the people surrounding Monty and Percy saw it. In addition, she is obviously the most capable of the group, and yet she's often barred from places and activities because of her gender. I know this is accurate to the time period, but I commend the author for making subtle references to the injustice of it.
It's Percy, your best friend. Percy who you've gotten foxed with, who plays you his violin, who used to spit apple seeds at you from high up in the orchard treetops. Percy, who you kissed in Paris, who looks so damn beautiful, even now.
Percy
Percy has to deal with a lot of crap. Not only is he constantly rejected and belittled by society for his race, but he can't even count on his best friend and not-so-subtle crush to understand and empathize. I spent a lot of this book wondering why Percy was even friends/in love with Monty. Here's Percy, a perfect little cinnamon roll who just wants to live his life, and Monty who is, in Felicity's words, "a bit of a rake." Percy is so pure, and so kind, despite the bad luck he's drawn in life. He's "learned his place" at the same time that he's not ashamed to be himself. He's really an icon.
So yeah. This book was a real fun time for me. I immediately placed a hold on the sequel at my library, which somehow has better reviews than the first one. Unheard of!
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