2018 School Spending Survey Report
Gr 9 Up—Against a vivid 1950s New Orleans backdrop, 17-year-old Josie Moraine is caught between the harsh reality of her negligent, prostitute mother's lifestyle and her desire to escape to a new life. Josie is smart, resourceful, and determined. Her support group includes Willie, the shrewd brothel madam who recognizes Josie's potential; Cokie, Willie's kind and devoted driver; Patrick, who runs the bookshop where Josie works; Charlotte, an upscale acquaintance who encourages Josie to join her at Smith College; and Jesse, the handsome motorcyclist neighbor who has eyes only for Josie. When a mysterious death leads police to Josie's mother and abusive boyfriend, the teen is drawn into the investigation and into an underworld of threats, violence, and retribution. After her mother skips town, Josie is targeted to repay her debt to a powerful criminal boss. As she tries to handle mounting adversity on her own, she struggles with fear, desperation, and her conscience. Stealing from Willie or hooking up with a wealthy john seem her only choices for survival. Overwhelmed, she reveals her predicament to Willie, who saves her in a final act of generosity. Josie's narrative features a Dickensian array of characters; the mystique, ambience, and language of the French Quarter; a suspenseful, action-packed story; and a coming-of-age realization that personal decisions ultimately shape one's future. With dramatic and contextual flair, Sepetys introduces teens to another memorable heroine.—Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NCA fast-paced story with many intertwined plot threads and continually raised stakes. The convincing portrait of New Orleans makes it easy to picture Josie, an innocent teenager caught up in smut and scandal, navigating the city’s streets. Strong writing and Josie’s confessional tone will captivate readers: “I had graduated from high school last June but had packed college in mothballs and shoved it up into the attic of my mind, where I wouldn’t have to think about it for a while. High school was hard enough, but not because of the course work. That was easy for me. It was constantly trying to stay invisible that was exhausting.” Realistic characters, including Josie’s cruel, unreliable mother, a generous but stern brothel madam, and a sleazy businessman, add to the novel’s complexity and appeal.
In the late 1950s, life in the Big Easy was anything but easy. And that goes especially for young Josie Moraine, seventeen-year-old daughter of a narcissistic prostitute. Josie lives alone and works in a bookstore; searches for the father she never knew; and hopes to be able to leave New Orleans and make it on her own. Trying to pull yourself up by your bootstraps sounds like the American dream, but for Josie it's more of a nightmare. She also works as a maid for New Orleans's premier madam, becomes tied to a murder, owes money to a Mafia boss, and comes close to selling herself to an uptown businessman so she can pay off the bills. If this sounds like melodrama, it is, all playing out in a setting that Sepetys creates more by name-checking geography than by imparting an actual sense of the city and its culture. Numerous names of streets, restaurants (from Commander's Palace to Meal-a-Minut), and department stores (such as Maison Blanche and D. H. Holmes -- locally, but not here, known as Holmeses) crowd the novel, as do myriad characters and plot threads. Still, there's that allure of reading about the forbidden and unknown that will appeal to many a young adult looking for summer escapism. betty carter
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
Thank you for visiting.
We’ve noticed you are using a private browser. To continue, please log in or create an account.
Be the first reader to comment.
Comment Policy:
Comment should not be empty !!!