rakesandrogues
Written on Oct 24, 2014
More to come.
- ISBN10 0307976068
- ISBN13 9780307976062
- Publish Date 10 May 2014 (first published 1 January 2013)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Alfred A. Knopf
- Format eBook
- Language English
Reviews
More to come.
Briana @ Pages Unbound
Written on Jun 6, 2013
Sophie could be either immediately endearing or annoying, according to readers’ perspectives. She rambles from the moment she meets her godfather, explaining she is not normally so chatty but simply overwhelmed by her new surroundings. Her chattering never stops, however, even as she must be growing used to her new home, even when she meets other new people. Considering Sophie is often alone in the mansion, shut away from interactions with anyone other than her godfather, her talking may be both a coping mechanism for herself and for the readers, who barely meet any other characters, as well. In the end, however, her ramblings often make her seem rather silly.
Of course, some level of silliness is a prerequisite for the protagonist of this story. She has to walk a line between being foolish enough to become entangled in her godfather’s trap and smart enough to have some chance of getting out of it—and to keep readers for giving her up as a hopeless cause. Sophie manages this pretty well, even commenting once to the effect of, “I’ve always wondered how characters in stories could foolishly get themselves in such troubles. Now I know.”
The plot Sophie enters is at some times obvious and at others deliciously creepy. Her godfather’s obsession with her, due to his age, is one of level of disturbing. Sophie’s supernatural encounters with the dead are another. The story of the ghosts could have been more fleshed out, but mostly it seems intended as an eerie backdrop for the readers and a convenient warning mechanism for Sophie—one to which she often fails to pay any heed.
The story’s greatest strength lies in Sophie’s self-reflection. As she spends increasing time in her godfather’s world, she begins to realize she is losing her sense of self. She is abandoning her values because someone else has told her they do not matter, or because there is no one around to see whether she is behaving appropriately or not. Sophie realizes morality and identity are what she does even when no one is watching. Such moments of Sophie’s thoughts and self-evaluation are sprinkled throughout the book and can encourage readers to think more about their own ideas on principles and identity.
The book’s obsession with morality also leads to its greatest weakness, however. The book is set in the 1800s in the American South. Meaning slavery. Meaning Sophie is the cliché character who stands firm against this atrocity even as all the other characters accept it. The desire behind this characterization is understandable, even commendable. It would be difficult for modern readers to completely back a character who unequivocally approves of or even encourages slavery—but they could accept someone whose views more nuanced, caught between the passion of a cruel overseer and the zeal of a Underground Railroad conductor. Authors do a disservice to historical fiction and historical figures by vilifying characters who promote anything modern society opposes–whether slavery, segregation, anti-feminisim, etc.—and ensuring their protagonists are all outspoken advocates of modern values. Today’s readers basically agree slavery is wrong. We do not need fictional characters self-righteously throwing the fact in our faces. We can handle more complexity in characterization. We will not all turn on Sophie if, instead of raring to free all the slaves she can find, she admits her views on slavery are a little more confused.
Interestingly, the other characters do tend to be more nuanced. The house’s servants and slaves are somewhat one-dimensional, background characters who exist to drive the plot or Sophie’s own characterization. Her godfather, however, is quite complex, experiencing a wide range of moods and desires. A character Sophie meets in secrecy also has more complicated views of the world and of right and wrong.
Strands of Bronze and Gold is a fresh addition to the retold fairy tale market. It has its flaws, mostly in under-development of plotlines and minor characters, but the originality of its subject matter and its tendency to ask weighty questions of both characters and readers make it a worthwhile read for those who appreciate retold fairy tales, imaginative historical fiction, or a little darkness in their YA.
Ashley
Written on Mar 3, 2013
BookNook — Young Adult book reviews
2.5 Stars
Strands of Bronze and Gold was written well and certainly had interesting elements, but unfortunately the majority of the book was boring. The problem is that once Sophia arrives at the Abbey, Bernard doesn't let her go anywhere or do anything. As such, 95% of the book takes place in the Abbey. Sophia wanders around, has dinner with Bernard, and explores a little. And 352 pages of that just gets uninteresting really quickly. There are long, drawn out periods where I literally felt like there was no action and no plot development. Sophia slowly learns that Bernard has a temper, but that's the only real sense of development.
To some people, Strands of Bronze and Gold might be a creepy read, but I actually wasn't that creeped out by it. Maybe because I'm not a teenager and I have read much creepier adult books? I also feel like the fact that it's advertised as a Bluebeard retelling worked against the book. I wonder if Strands of Bronze and Gold would have been more interesting if I didn't go into it expecting Bernard to be a creepy wife-killer. If I didn't know that from the start, maybe the ending would have been somewhat of a surprise instead of something I anticipated from the very beginning.
My other main problem with the book was the insta-love between Sophia and Gideon. Sophia meets another man in the woods (Gideon) and after like two meetings they are already "in love". That was hard for me because Sophia began to cling onto her 'love' for Gideon like a beacon in the darkness of the Abbey, but I couldn't relate to it or appreciate it at all.
On the bright side, I did think that Bernard was an interesting character. He was easily the most dynamic character in Strands of Bronze and Gold. Since he had a temper, you never quite know which side of him you were going to get. He could be sweet, charming, flirtatious, but also creepy, forward, demanding, controlling, and temperamental. But unfortunately, the dynamic characters stop here. The others were either uninteresting or popped in and out so much that I constantly forgot about them until they temporarily reappeared.
But the biggest downside of Strands of Bronze and Gold is just the lack of action. If it wasn't so darn boring, I feel like this could have been a great book. It certainly has beautiful writing and I did like the historical elements of it. There are some connections to slavery and the Underground Railroad that I quite enjoyed reading about. But the fact that not much actually happened in the story is what makes me feel indifferent towards the whole thing. I just had no connection to it. It took me over a week to read it just because it couldn't hold my attention.
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Feb 21, 2013
The tale takes place in America before the end of slavery at Wyndriven Abbey in Mississippi. Seventeen year old Sophia Petheram has recently lost her father and receives a letter from her Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather to come and live in his home since he has been appointed her legal guardian. Her older siblings are left to deal with the financial burden their father’s loss has thrust upon them. At first Sophia's enchanted with her handsome godfather and all that his home offers but soon she grows lonely. She quickly learns that her godfather wants to keep her separate from others, is extremely jealous and suffers violent mood swings. As she unravels the mysteries of this complex man she quickly finds herself trapped with no escape from the monstrous side of her godfather.
Sophia is a red-headed beauty with an inquisitive mind. Throughout the novel this gets her into trouble, reveals clues and introduces her to some interesting characters. While she is naïve she is also brave, clever and strong. Her sense of loyalty to her family and her indebtedness to Monsieur Bernard bring her trouble. I adored how she treated the servants and slaves at the Abbey. Because her godfather has always provided Sophia with gifts since her childhood, she at first sees only the good in him and imagines herself a little in love. Have you ever met a man who beats and verbally abuses his wife; a man who comes from a good home, is financially successful and devilishly handsome? These men have many faces, they are witty and charming, admired by men and adored by woman. Beneath that facade lies a monster and this is Monsieur Bernard. He is handsome and endearing; his words whisper only kindness but reek with something sour and sinister. The young French maid, the preacher and the young slave couple all add to the tale. Sophia’s siblings force her to make decisions against her wishes and you truly feel for her.
Nickerson weaves a deliciously dark, Gothic tale and while I was not scared enough to keep the lights on, the tension slowly built throughout the tale keeping me on edge. The last part of the book was climatic and I turned the pages at a dizzy pace in fear for Sophia. I think those who aren't familiar with the classic will enjoy the twists and find it quite surprising. After having read the original tale this was somewhat predictable, but the author added her own voice to the tale, and changed up the ending a bit. The author's writing is beautiful, had excellent pacing and all the threads came together. I loved how the title was woven into the tale and it fit beautifully.
ARC provided in exchange for my unbiased review.
See more of my reviews @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer