Review: All These Things I've Done

All These Things I've Done
By Gabrielle Zevin
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Released September 2011
Received as a Gift

From Goodreads:

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

My Thoughts:

This book was on my wishlist a long time ago when I was first starting to enjoy the occasional YA Fantasy Novel. It has to do with chocolate, coffee, and a strong heroine. This isn't fantasy, it's closer to a dystopian setting. The social infrastructure has really deteriorated to the point that 2083 resembles 1920. Technology has regressed and the education system has really dwindled. I really enjoyed a YA Novel that played on the whole mafia theme without idolizing drug use and sex. These kids are indulging in chocolate and coffee. Granted they are getting a buzz and people are getting killed, but it's not that bad. I really liked the Anya character. She's pretty fierce. I enjoyed the novel and I would recommend it to the YA fiction crowd for sure.

This is the first in Ms. Zevin's Birthright series. Because Its In My Blood came out last year and I'd like to read it if I get a chance.

Review: The 19th Wife

The 19th Wife
by David Ebershoff
Published by Random House
Released August 2008
Purchased at Used Book Store

From Goodreads:

It is 1875, and Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled and an outcast, Ann Eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. A rich account of her family’s polygamous history is revealed, including how both she and her mother became plural wives. Yet soon after Ann Eliza’s story begins, a second exquisite narrative unfolds–a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside in order to discover the truth behind his father’s death. And as Ann Eliza’s narrative intertwines with that of Jordan’s search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love, family, and faith.

My Thoughts: 

This book has been on my shelf for a while. It was my turn to pick the book club read so I picked the 19th Wife. Somehow I was expecting the book to be much different, but I really loved this book. To start the content is intriguing. It combines a modern-day crime mystery with a historical memoir and also includes letters and papers to shed light on the social history of this particular sect of the Mormon Church.

I don't pretend to know much about the church of LDS, but this novel had a lot of information regarding the history of the church and the evolution and subsequent devolution of polygamy as a part of the faith.

The sections of the novel written as part of Ann Eliza Young's Memoir were very interesting. They had enough "story-telling" to keep them interesting, but enough "fact-giving" to appear as a memoir might.

The modern day drama involving Jordan Scott and his mother was very interesting, and the connection of the "19th" wife, was a fascinating one.

I definitely enjoyed this read and I would recommend it general fiction and historical fiction lovers alike.