Nobody's Secret by Michaela MacColl
4/5 stars
Chronicle Books, 2013
241 pages
YA Historical Mystery
Scheduled to release April 16
Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I've read both of MacColl's previous books and have really appreciated her focus on young historically significant women. Previously it was the young Queen Victoria and aviatrix Beryl Markham. This time we are visiting Emily Dickinson, a very well-known poet but not someone whose personal life I know much about. The book relies heavily on MacColl's imagination as it has Emily investigate what she suspects is a murder, something that has no direct basis in fact.
Still the book does a great job capturing what a young Emily might have been like. She is spunky and inquisitive, not a fainting flower, filled with a deep intellectual curiosity. I always say that I don't like poetry but that's not really true as I have liked what little I've sampled of Dickinson's writing and am pleased to report that excerpts from her poems open each chapter. Themes from her writing also permeate the story such as a preoccupation with bees and anonymity while living in a very small town. Something else to think about is the effect of domestic labor on a woman's ability to write (very shades of A Room of One's Own, very subtle in this book). Emily's sister Vinnie (short for Lavinia) is one of the most important secondary characters and I was pleased with the role of family.
As I said, this is a mystery with Emily attempting to uncover the identity of a dead man and insisting it was murder, piecing together all the clues. I had a sliver of an idea of what was going on but the villainy of the murderer was beyond my capability to imagine. I'm pleased that Emily was able to unravel the threads and gain some measure of peace regarding the man's final moments and I almost wish this particular story owed more to history than fiction.
Saying that, while I liked this book, I didn't love it. I wanted something more, that ineffable feeling an amazing book gives you and that was lacking here. Lovers of historical fiction and poetry should enjoy this as will fans of MacColl's previous works.
Other Opinions:
Have not seen any; if you (or a friend) reviewed this, leave a link below and I'll add it!
I don't know much about Emily either but her characterisation in this seems like one I'd like. I'm not quite sure if I've read much by Emily herself so I couldn't judge on how this author wrote her. The mystery sounds intriguing!
ReplyDeleteI always thought of Emily as kind of boring (I'm not real big on poetry) but she's actually pretty spunky and funny-a great heroine!
DeleteHrm. This sounds fairly good, but I haven't ever read anything my MacColl. I love the idea of a reimagining of Emily Diskinson, though! It makes it even better that she's not fluttery and faint-hearted. Even in historical books, I can't stand that! I'm glad that the mystery was fairly good, even if you had some of it figured out already. ;) Fab review, girly! (:
ReplyDeleteLoves,
Megan@The Book Babe
MacColl is a really fun author-she takes such an interesting perspective and I highly recommend her for fans of historical fiction.
DeleteI've been curious about this one. I sometimes find it odd to read books about real people.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading, I kept wondering if this murder was based on a real event in ED's life and was both disappointed and relieved to know that it wasn't. Bit odd of the author although she explains how she came to make the decisions she did.
DeleteI like books that take a historical figure and sort of do their own thing. I'm sure truer should be a real loyalty to history but that sometimes can be boring.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this book is true to the spirit of ED and her times and that's what is most important I feel in a work of historical fiction. If this was purporting to be non-fiction though...
DeleteThis is first time I've seen this one. It sounds like it would be good. Great review.
ReplyDeleteJenea @ Books Live Forever
Yeah, I feel like HF doesn't always get enough attention in the blogosphere, which is so sad to me as it's one of my favorite genres (history major representing!) I hope you'll consider picking it up and giving it some publicity :)
DeleteI didn't know about the focus on young historical figures. That actually makes me want to give this author a try sooner rather than later. How did this one compare to the others you read? Which is a good one to start with?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is definitely Prisoners in the Palace but since none of them are connected, you can read them in any order. I'd suggest looking at the summaries and reviews on goodreads and seeing which is most appealing.
DeleteI don't know that I've even heard of this author but her books sound good! I like that this one is focused on a fictional mystery with a real life person inspiring the MC. Very creative!
ReplyDeleteI really recommend her especially for fans of strong heroines (aka everyone :) and historical settings. She has chosen such unique times and given them a lot of depth and detail, which I appreciate.
DeleteSad to hear you didn't love this one but good to hear it's still good! I really have enjoyed her other books :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's not my favorite but I'm still glad I checked it out. I will definitely want to read her next work.
Delete