Always Strings Attached

Historical fiction is a funny subgenre. It all gets lumped under one heading, but it could be anything from incredibly distant history to a mere couple decades ago. Strings Attached by Judy Blundell is a story set in New York City during the late 1940's and early 1950's. This is a time when my mother and her family lived in NYC, and I was anxious to read about the time period.

Kit Corrigan was a the last triplet born, and she was the triplet who killed their mother in childbirth. Her father found a way to make ends meet: he made the triplets into the Corrigan Three, a mildly talented trio who travel to state fairs, do endorsements, and bring in enough money to get the family through tough times. Now that Kit is all grown up, she wants to pursue her dream and move to NYC to be famous, even if that means leaving her boyfriend, Billy, behind.

At first she can't get much work and finds herself in a doomed performance. When that show goes under, Nate Benedict finds her. Nate is Billy's father, and Nate is known in Providence for being a lawyer with mob ties, no matter how much he denies it. Nate convinces Kit to stay in an empty apartment he owns and even sets her up with an audition at the Lido, a nightclub famous for its "Lido Girls". At first Kit is uncomfortable with everything Nate does for her (including buying her an all-new wardrobe, complete with intimates), but he insists he is doing it all for her and Billy. With Billy recently enlisted, Nate hopes the dream of coming home to Kit will keep him safe in Korea.

It all seems fine until Nate starts asking Kit for small favors, like delivering a package or keeping him informed on the guests at the Lido at night. When one of Kit's "favors" for Nate leads to the man being the target of a hit right in the Lido, Kit knows her information was what got the man killed. She knows Nate is a dangerous man, and when the story breaks about the mob hit, nothing can stop him. Then the papers start speculating that Nate and Kit are having an affair. She tries to explain to Billy that it isn't true, but with the apartment and the fancy clothes, it is hard to convince him she hasn't been Nate's mistress. Quickly, everything falls apart for Kit and it starts to put her family in danger. She must find a way to protect her family and get the truth out, even if it means risking her own life.

This was a very difficult story to get through. I actually had to put it down halfway through, read another book, and pick it back up again. I wasn't sure if it was the time period at first, but then I realized it was the lack of dynamic characters that really made it a difficult book for me. Kit is not a very likable lead, which would be fine if you could invest in any of the other characters. Nate is supposed to be creepy and controlling, but her interactions with him are so limited you can't even get yourself to dislike him (even though you know you should). Billy was the one who really drove me nuts, though. Were we supposed to want her to get together with Billy? Hate him? I couldn't bring myself to feel much about him, except his striking resemblance to an early Michael Corleone before he was dragged back to the family business.

That was the other difficulty with this book. It was supposed to be a young adult novel and yet I can't imagine a young adult getting through this story. It isn't just that they won't be able to relate to the time period (which they won't through this particular narrative), but also that there is nothing at all they can relate to. If the characters were at least a little interesting or familiar, some kids might stick with this story, but that isn't really the case. If I even mentioned the Corleone connection I noticed, most of my kids wouldn't even understand the reference! In fact, I wouldn't even recommend this book to an adult (although it seems to be written more for adults than young adults).

If you are going to pass this on, the best bet would be that student who is really into historical fiction. Unfortunately, the interesting parts of the story, like the war and the mob, are so drowned by Kit's annoying musings, it makes it hard to pinpoint the type of student this book would be best for. The vocabulary is modest and there isn't anything graphic or inappropriate in the story. For sheer dryness, I would suggest this story for strong readers only, especially those who are good at wading through some dry parts to get to the meat of the story. I was sadly disappointed with this story, but maybe Blundell's next one will be more of a hit... I know it would be great to have exciting historical fiction to get our students and children to read!

Harmony in a Harsh New World

When the world changes drastically, one expects hardship and struggle. While this book is certainly not without hardship and struggle, its focus is on family and making do in hard times. Not to mention the main character plays a fiddle! I love fiddles! If I had even a smidge of musical talent, I might even want to learn to play a fiddle!

Molly McClure is only 16, but she is the only logical choice to pilgrimage from Canada to California in order to find her grandparents. Molly's parents received word that her grandmother was in the hospital after a stroke, but the communications systems are so bad, they were never able to find out if she survived. Molly's mother is also pregnant, but when the only doctor in many miles is killed, her complicated pregnancy desperately needs a doctor, and Molly's grandfather is a doctor. So Molly must make the difficult, illegal journey across the border to find her grandfather, in whatever state he may be in.

After the long trip, Molly finds her grandparent's house and learns her grandmother indeed survived the stroke, but is not in the best of health. Her grandfather reluctantly lets her in the house, but his long-standing feud with Molly's mother keeps him from opening up to Molly too quickly. Molly expects to see her grandfather doing well, but quickly realizes any money he had before the Collapse is gone and he is barely scraping by. When she sees his neighbor's garden, strangled and full of weeds, she can't resist getting into it and taking care of the vegetables. Although the neighbor doesn't trust Molly at first, he quickly realizes she is just trying to help. Together with his niece and nephew who he reluctantly takes care of, they help the garden get back on its feet enough to keep them all from starving.

When Molly made the trek to her grandparent's house, she met a young man who seemed to know the lay of the land well. Now that she is desperately trying to find a way to get her grandparents home, she must take advantage of Spill's knowledge, even when she realizes he is dangerously connected to The Boss and the organized crime family that controls the area. Can Spill help them get away when The Boss wants Molly to stay put? Can they get back to Canafa before Molly's mom has the baby?

Among some serious doom and gloom in the post-apocalyptic genre, this is the nicest, most beautiful story. The backdrop of the Collapse is not overwhelming. the story focuses on a family, whether by blood or circumstance, that come together to survive against all odds. Molly, the main character, is so nice and caring. When she plays her fiddles, Jewels, she not only makes herself forget all the hardship around her, she makes others forget as well. She is also the type of person who refuses to accept the "Every man for himself" notion. Molly is the type of person who will always do the right thing, even if it involves hard work and tough decisions. When it becomes clear her neighbor Doug is not fit to take care of his niece and nephew, she doesn't hesitate to take them in and be sure they are fed and housed. Molly is the type of person we all hope we could be!

The reading level is moderate without any adult or mature language. The situations aren't overly mature, and would be well-suited to a middle school or junior high student. There is enough action to keep a student's attention, but the real story is the characters and their lives. They are good people who are just trying to live in a hard world, and you find yourself hoping for the best for all of them. You won't be disappointed with this story!