Julie Hearn (1)Besprekingen

Seriously cool treatment of the 17th century witch hunts, and the women who faked demonic possession to excuse their bad behavior.

This book was boring as shit. It was both predictable and managed to have no plot. It had a huge anti-choice message for no real reason. What an unpleasant reading experience. Don't waste your time like I did, reading this.

I found this book interesting as a historical fiction novel, but I COULD NOT STAND the character of Grace, which says much about the writing skills the author.

I love when books talk about heresy and heretics and this one didn’t disappoint! While it was sometimes slow, I bet it was carefully planned for us to get attached to Nell (the MC) and her granny because I truly did. They are so sweet and lovable though persecuted. Also, the ending...! It left me baffled and wanting more. Questioning, too. But the author made sure I would remember it even in my old days. I recommend it without a doubt!

An unusual book, for sure. Somewhat Dickensian, but it feels more modern.

The writing was fast-paced, witty and clever. A very enjoyable read.

Very good. The ending was not at all what I expected.

Narrated by Heather O'Neill. From jacket copy: Conceived on May Morning, Nell is claimed by the piskies and faeries as a merrybegot, one of their own. She is a wild child: herb gatherer and healer, spell-weaver and midwife...and some say, a witch. Grace is everything Nell is not. She is the Puritan minister's daughter: beautiful and refined, innocent and sweet-natured...to those who think the know her. But she is hiding a secret--a secret that will bring everlasting shame to her family should it ever come to light...two girls who could not have less in common. Yet their fates collide when Grace and her younger sister, Patience, are suddenly spitting pins, struck with fits, and speaking in fevered tongues. The minister is convinced his daughters are the victims of witchcraft. And all signs point to Nell as the source of the trouble.

Rowan Scrivener hears a voice, and sometimes, when stressed or scared, the voice makes him do things he never would normally, like the time he slammed the lid of the piano down on his sister's hand, breaking three of her fingers. It is 1939, war has just broken out, London is under blackout and schizophrenia is poorly understood. Rowan is sent to a hospital where he is to undergo a radical new therapy, administered by a German doctor.

What a brilliant, beautiful, heartrending book. Its power lies in its understated humanity. Rowan's is a tiny, surely insignificant drama in the face of the coming global conflict. He is not treated harshly or cruelly, but by today's standards it is clumsy, callous, insensitive and even contemptuous. Set against the scale of human suffering, however, Rowan seems downright lucky. About halfway through, in a scene of quiet devastation, we discover why this book has been set when it has and why the doctor is German, and suddenly every tiny mistreatment is set in sharp relief, not diminished but accentuated, as these vulnerable people are horribly exposed in the face of indifference or fear or spite at the hands of others.

This isn't a tale of plucky rebellion against institutional authority, it's a story of people struggling against an illness they cannot understand trying to get better with the help of people with limited insight, and who do not understand the limits of their vision.

Yeah, I cried.

I love this book. The plot is simple but perfectly worked out. What makes this book so special, though, is the rich quality of the prose. It's funny and earthy and poetic and tender. Julie Hearn is a very clever writer.

Seriously, wtf?! This book was as weird as A Clockwork Orange but not half as interesting. My thoughts after reading it are all centred around "eh?" with a good bit of "huh?" thrown in there too.

The basic gist of the plot actually had some great potential, it focused on Greek folklore/mythology, particularly surrounding Pandora's box. But it just didn't work! The author constantly switched viewpoints between five teenagers, the dreaded last remaining prisoner in Pandora's box, and then some seemingly random third-person crap. Confusing much?? And I've never been one to fall for the: messy writing = literary technique to show the inner turmoil of the characters. This rarely works, the most successful case being The Bell Jar and that was probably only because Sylvia Plath actually was a stark-raving lunatic so no pretense required(but an admittedly good writer too).

It was just all over the place and I couldn't connect with any one of the five teenagers because the book kept jumping from one to the other all the time. And even if it hadn't I'm not so sure any of them would have been particularly likeable... both boys were annoying, one seemed to also be a potentially murderous psychopath... Jenna drooled over annoying guy number 1 and also frequently pretended to be scared so the boys wouldn't think her too strong-willed and aggressive because these are not good traits for a female (?!)... Maude was a wet lettuce... and the only thing I remember about Dilly is that her parents hated her enough to name her 'Daffodil'.

I actually expected better. I'm not quite sure why because the novel doesn't have many ratings or reviews; I think it's just 'cause I keep seeing a number of Julie Hearn books at my local library, I've picked them up a few times, thought they sounded good... and then ended up leaving them for something else. Maybe by putting it off I have somehow worked myself up to be amazed when I finally gave in. Well, no, the mish-mashed plot and painfully irritating characters simply gave me a headache. Jeez, glad it's over.

This was a good book. Was an interesting read, however it was very confusing. The character development made it easy to understand most of the character's and their personalities. The one character that I never understood, however, was the main character Ivy. She did have a past that was never fully understood or explained, and she would make decisions and take courses of action that I never thought that she would. This confusion made the book much less appealing. Also, the ending of the book was very sudden and no one knew exactly what she had decided to do. She got from one place at the end of the book, to another in the epilogue and it was not explained how she got there. I felt as if her character development was still in process at the end and the manner in which she got from the one position in life to the other would have helped to fully develop her. Still a decent read.

Young Adults interested in the Salem Witch Trials will want to pick up a copy of The Minister's Daughter. Set in England, the story takes place in 1645 during the English Civil War and centers around the teenage Nell as she trains as an apprentice to her healer grandmother. In 2006, the book was chosen as a YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. The book's unexpected twists and turns should appeal to the YA audience.

The book opens in 1692 Salem, with the confession of Patience Madden. Chapters alternate between flashbacks to 1642 England and more of the 1692 confession. Religious persecution, witchcraft, and unplanned preganacy all play a role in the novel. Nell is called a merrybegot, someone with special powers, and is different from other teenagers in the village. Her special status also brings her an accusation of being a witch. Nell's knowledge and quick-thinking allow her to bring about a satisfactory resolution.

The cover and the description for this book are highly misleading; they make it sound like it's going to be some creepy One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest type story, or even science fiction. Instead, although the characters and setting is indeed a troubling one -- the patients and staff at a mental hospital in Britain in 1939 -- the story is, in the end, almost heartwarming.

There were so many characters to appreciate here. Rowan's family, particularly his eccentric dog-loving grandmother, captivated me. Though stressed and bewildered by his illness, they truly wanted what was best for him. The same for his psychiatrist, Dr. von Metzer, a kind and compassionate doctor whose biggest problem was being German in a very xenophobic Britain. Dorothea was annoying but refreshingly real, and the other patients in Rowan's unit were fully drawn, not just cardboard cutouts like supporting characters often are. Even the bad people in the story weren't evil, just bigoted and selfish.

The historical details of the early war -- gas masks, blackout curtains, evacuations of children to the countryside -- were authentic and added color to the story without seeming too didactic. I thought the subplot about Germany's T4 program was very well done.

I would recommend Rowan the Strange to junior high schoolers up through adulthood. There's a lot for people to like in this book.

PLUS -
* An interesting though not perfect historical novel set in Victorian London. Split into two parts we follow Ivy as a child, when she finds herself taken up by a band of thieves, and then later as an older girl when she becomes a model for an aspiring Pre-Raphaelite painter.
* I enjoyed the descriptions of Victorian London, and the book was more humourous than I expected. Watch out for the episode where the lady do-gooders venture into the slums on the look out for children to help, and the painter oblivious to the discomfort of his models.

MINUS -
* I didn't find Ivy a particularly likeable character, and as a result didn't feel all that bothered about what happened to her.
* Several of the characters (Ivy's family, the painter and his mother) felt a little like charicatures which made me feel as if the historical aspects of the book didn't quite ring true.

OVERALL -
* I wanted to enjoy this, as I had liked Rowan the Strange but it just didn't quite do it for me.

The Minister’s Daughter takes place in 1645 in England during the time when local healers were accused and, usually convicted, of practicing witchcraft. When Grace, the minister’s older daughter, seeks out to Nell, the village healer’s granddaughter and next in line for the title, to terminate her pregnancy, Nell refuses because the unborn child is a Merrybegot like herself, a special child conceived on Mayday. Grace, rather than confessing her pregnancy, manipulates her younger sister, Patience, her father, and the villagers into believing that Nell, through the works of Satan and witchcraft, has put a curse on her stomach.

I found The Minister’s Daughter somewhat challenging to read. With the structure of the book transitioning between the confession of Patience Madden, one of the Minister’s daughters, and dated chapters in third person, I never could get a grasp on what was happening in the story. Thankfully, the second half of the book became a real page turner and the storyline began to make sense. Before reading this book, I would suggest one have background knowledge of the witch trials of the 1600’s and understand the meaning of such words as Merrybegot and piskies.½

I loved the way this book treated people with mental illness with respect, yet gave a great insight into how a person feels when dealing with not only the illness but the medical institution. Set at the beginning of world war II in Britain, Rowan is diagnosed with schizoprenia after several episodes including violent ones. He becomes a bit of a guinea pig for new treatments in electric therapy. He makes friends and becomes somewhat separated emotionally from his family. When the physician treating him suggests Rowan for a role in the Christmas play things go a bit haywire. Eventually Rowan comesright

Sometimes a girl just needs a really good work of historical fiction to ease her hectic life. Ivy by Julie Hearn was exactly what the doctor prescribed. First, there is the gorgeous cover, which actually kind of threw me. I went into the book expecting some sort of romance, just because there was a woman on the cover. Silly me. What I got in return was something much better.A quick summary before I begin to cover this book in laurels, Ivy is basically about a girl named Ivy who has been shafted by life. She was an orphan, then she went to live with some evil relatives, becomes a street criminal, picks up an addiction, and later becomes an artists model. Oh and did I mention it is set in Industrial-Era England. Oh fuck yes.I am a glutton for characters. The characters in this book are quite intriguing, there is Carroty Kate, who is sort of like Fagin in Oliver Twist, and by Oliver Twist, I actually mean the Disney film Oliver And Company. Ivy is interesting too, she's not at all what I thought she would have been. Not one bit.When it comes to prose, yes I can put up with crappy writing if it means action (I did actually like Twilight at first, after all). Hearn's writing, however, is not crappy. Actually I was quite engaged by her prose. I definitely used time I should have spent planning lessons reading this book instead. Yes, yes priorities, what are they? Despite the lack of a heartthrob (heartthrobs make me tear up when they do adorable things), I still got all weepy at the end, because I truly am a glass case of emotion.What, pray tell, did I learn from this book? Well, laudanum is a drug that makes you tired. Life as an Orphan in Industrial Era England sucks, you will fall into a crowd of seedy people, because damn it that is how it works in books. Books that are somewhat reminiscent of Charles Dickens minus hundred year old wedding cakes and singing orphans make me feel full of joy.

PLUS -
* A story set at the beginning of World War Two, but an unusual approach to a much covered era. Rowan is being sent away by his family but not as an evacuee. He hears disturbing voices in his head, and after hurting his younger sister during one of his 'panics' he is sent to an asylum to be treated.
* There is so much going on in this book. There is the ongoing story of the war and in particulr how it affects Rowans father, scarred by his participation in the previous war. There are interesting issues around the changing treatment of those with mental health issues and learning difficulties (and in the background details of how similar people were being treated by the Nazis). There is a strong theme of overcoming prejudice, not ony against the mentally ill but als through the character of Dr von Metzer the German doctor.
* Having said all of that, this is not a 'preachy' book on any of these topics. We are introduced to fascinating characters and they are left to tell the story.

MINUS -
* It's not a light read, and some younger readers may struggle with the more unusual subject matter. I'll be interested to see what teenagers at my school make of it.

OVERALL -
* A good adult / teen crossover novel. I hadn't expected to like it (having not enjoyed Hearn's time-travelling first novel) but I really did. I've only just realised that this has two companion novels about Rowan's mother and grandmother and I'll be reading those at some point.

Im half way through the book but I like its really exciting! I love this book because you never know whats going to happen next.I think this would be a great read for anyone aged 12-14.

I listened to this book. I think it made it better. I enjoyed it a lot. It mixed puritan and fantacy. A weird combo that worked.

Hazel lives a life of privilege in England until her father has a breakdown over finances. She then is sent to live with her grandparents in the Caribbean Islands. While in England she gets caught up in the fight for the vote for women, and in the Islands she becomes aware of the injustices to blacks there. There's a lot going on in the book, perhaps a bit too much, but it has some interesting historical information.½

In a classic case of don't judge a book by its cover, Julie Hearn's Rowan The Strange is a moving, emotional and unforgettable read centering around 13-year-old Rowan Scrivener, a British teen battling "voices" in his head. It's 1939 and England is at war -- just as the battles begin in the Scrivener home. When Rowan accidentally harms his young sister, his parents decide it's time to take him where he can get well: an asylum in the countryside.

Under the care of Dr. von Metzer, a German with experience in mental illness, Rowan undergoes electric shock therapy -- and develops interesting new personality traits. While undergoing treatment, he meets Dorothea, a young woman who believes each of us has a guardian angel looking out for us. Spirited, angry and sarcastic, Dorothea "runs" the ward where Rowan stays -- which, for a while, includes just the two of them.

The unlikely friends work through their issues together as they prepare for the Christmas pantomime, a play the asylum's attendees put on each holiday season. After Rowan is cast in a major role, he must confront his own fears to perform his part well. And maybe help others in the process.

The book's strength lies in our main character -- a young boy who has no idea what's happening to him and why, who desperately clings to the belief that someday he'll be "normal." Taunted as "Ro the Strange" by classmates and his sister, Rowan tries to control the voice in his head that causes him to have "panics" and do strange things, but he's powerless to stop it. What carried me through the narrative was the belief that Rowan was, in his heart, a good person -- a good son, a good brother. This wasn't his fault. It wasn't anyone's fault, really, but it most especially wasn't his.

Every preconceived notion I had about the plot proved wrong. I assumed the Scriveners would be a surly lot, angry that they had a "damaged" son, embarrassed by him and desperate to send him away. (Wrong.) I assumed Rowan would be an awkward, silly boy, dangerous and scary and just plain weird. (Wrong.) I assumed Dr. Von would be a masochist, a deranged German doctor with no regard for his patients' well-being and only a regard for the "science" of the experiments he performed on them. (Wrong.)

In fact, I was wrong about nearly everything in Hearn's novel -- including my own belief that I would loathe this one, turning the pages as if weights were positioned on my fingers. In reality? I tore through it in record time, eager to find out what happened to Rowan and hopeful that he would find the solace he seeked. I loved his nana, a kindly woman who never once treated Rowan like he was someone to fear, and his parents, who were so supportive. Against the backdrop of World War II in London, the Scriveners managed to stay brave, strong and loving -- even with their children all over the country.

You know? I just loved this book. If you get the chance, I think you'll -- surprisingly! -- really love it, too.½

Book Review Template

Author last name, first name. Title. Year. Publisher: City.
Hearn, Julie. The Minister’s Daughter. 2006. Ginee Seo Books: New York.

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fictiono

Themes: Vengeance, Judgment, Religious intolerance, family loyalty

Age / Grade Appropriateness: 13 and older

Awards:
Aesop Accolade
ALA Best Books For Young Adults
Kirkus Editor's Choice

Censorship Issues: fantasy, witchcraft, unflattering treatment of religious men

Plot Summary (Summarize the plot in 250 words or less): Set in 17th Century England, The Minister’s Wife is a novel that deals with the issues of revenge, judgment, and family loyalty. Nell struggles to find her place in life, and finally becomes comfortable with being the local “healer” when she is confronted with her most challenging case. The minister’s daughter, Grace, is pregnant with a child she conceived on May 1st, the same day Nell herself was conceived more than 13 years prior. For this reason, Nell simply cannot “cure” Grace of her condition; “nature takes care of its own.” Since Nell won’t help, Grace enacts a carefully crafted plan to both save her reputation and ruin Nell and her grandmother.
Enabling the help of her sister, Patience, Grace enacts her master plan. She begins to plant the seeds of doubt about Nell’s talent. Is it magic or witchcraft? Have the townspeople been wrong to trust in this magic? Grace herself does not accuse anyone of witchcraft directly, rather she insinuates that Nell is dangerous, and the minister goes along with this plan. Only when Nell is facing the gallows does the minister discover a long forgotten secret. Nell is, by way of his deceased wife’s adulterous affair, his daughters’ sister; and his deceased wife believed in and practiced this “magic.” Nell, Grace, Patience, and the minister all go on to live the lives they were supposed to, but the minister and Patience never find peace.

Critique (Consider if the book fits the bill of a YA book as we have discussed /read. Include your opinion of the book here as well): This book definitely meets the criteria of Young Adult literature. The protagonist, Nell, is responsible for her own fate and makes her own decisions, rather than relying solely on her grandmother. Nell does face the challenges that often accompany youth. She does not feel attractive; she chooses to wear her hair short because she doesn’t like the way it looks long. She also deals with constant judgment by both her peers and the adults in the town. While teens may not relate to the magic areas of the novel, they can all relate to Nell’s feeling of inadequacy in her healing powers. I thought this book was very well-written. I do find that some criticisms of YA literature would not fit here. Julie Hearn uses foreshadowing and literary allusions in this novel, which make it interesting to read and analyze.

Curriculum Uses (Possible uses in the classroom / school library / public library): This story could be used in the English classroom to accompany works such as The Crucible. It could also be used in the American history class to discuss the British Civil War, the witch trials in England, and religious intolerance that led to exploration and settling the American colonies.

Hazel Louise Mull-Dare has always been a pampered Daddy's girl. But when she witnesses a suffragette throw herself in front of the king's horse at the Epsom Derby to draw attention to her cause, Hazel begins to yearn to break out of the mold of the sweet naive girl who would never do anything her father disapproves of and to take action. The family's straitened circumstances and need for propriety lead to Hazel's 'banishment' to her grandfather's sugar plantation in the Caribbean - where she must confront even more family secrets.

My Thoughts:
Hazel is definitely not a simple escapist read - rather it is a historical novel that deals with burgeoning political awareness, votes for women, depression, gambling addiction, slavery and its aftermath, adolescent rebellion and betrayal. In short, Hazel is a realistic snapshot of the many pressures and influences an actual teenager of her time might have faced. She's not just a character with some fleshing out to capture the reader's attention - she's a full-fledged person The novel is more of a character study than a plot-driven story, and its weakest points tend to be those that rely on external plot for tension (such as the hurricane).

Hazel is an interesting contrast. The first half of the book focuses on Hazel's membership in a class of the oppressed. She gradually realizes how much society's polite strictures are meant to keep women powerless and docile, and she rebels out of desire for greater autonomy for herself and others. After she takes action, she is sent to her family's sugar plantation and must come to grips with being a member of the oppressors. She gradually awakens from her naivete to appreciate (to a degree) the hardships and continuing injustice the former slaves face on the island. She sees first-hand some of the prejudice they encounter, and she also must deal with hostility from the house-servants because of who her family is, and her own skin tone.

I found the treatment of racism and the after-effects of slavery interesting, though I was a bit annoyed at how the thread was introduced into the narrative. While the plantation workers certainly had ample reason for resentment against the Mull-Dare/Moulder family, I wasn't convinced that hostile messages to a 13-year-old girl holding her vicariously responsible for the sins of her family would lead to the kind of acceptance and acknowledgment Hazel demonstrates after her initial bewilderment. I've never thought hostility and blame were particularly effective didactic tools. Aside from my disbelief regarding how the message was brought across, it was good to see Hazel overcome her ignorance and blind naivete.

More at A Hoyden's Look at Literature.½

Essentially, this is a young-adult blend of the Salem witch trials and a fantasy-creatures book. (In England, not Salem, but a Puritan witch hunt all the same.) Since it begins as a straightforward-seeming historical novel, I was really surprised when the fantasy element was introduced, when it became clear that the mentions of "piskies" and "fairymenchildren" were real and not just excuses for old-timey dialogue. At first this was exciting, but ultimately I think the blend is really really awkward. I wouldn't guess that, for example, a scene in which a teenage midwife attends to the delivery of a fairy birth could be so boring. Maybe this is just because by chance I read this book immediately after Elske, but I saw the main drive of the plot coming as soon as I read the dustjacket. I'd put forth a theory that midwives should soon be off-limits subjects for historical fiction, in the "not trying hard enough" category, except that it was one of my favorites as a young adult reader (Karen Cushman anyone?) and also it can be quite powerful when utilized well for plot or atmosphere.HEY LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. I have to explain something. Here's a synopsis of part of the story: There's a pregnant girl. Her family's Puritan. So the pregnant girl comes to the midwife protagonist to say, I really need this to stop and I think you can help. And the midwife is like, ok I believe you, and yes I have "old ways" that will help you out of this, let me do that right now. And the girl says, OMG thank you. And the midwife says, wait a minute, is there a small chance that this conception occurred on this particular day that is special to my pagan beliefs? And the girl is like, I have no freaking clue which day it was, so maybe yes. And the midwife is like, well, I have to change my mind now, because my traditional religion prevents me from harming this child if it is sacred in this way, as ending the pregnancy would go against nature. EVEN THOUGH I truly think that your father might murder you as soon as he realizes you've shamed him, I've gotta rescind this offer. And since I am the NICE character and you are the MEAN character, the story indicates this is 100% the right thing to happen!Because then, for the remainder of the story, this pregnant girl is the villain. The midwife protagonist continues to enjoy her magical pagan beliefs, they are portrayed to the reader as sweet and natural and earthy and we learn more about them. We hear things like "Whatever is set in motion once ... the Powers [are] summoned is meant to be... I knew that your coming was inevitable." Their description of their faith in their customs sounds exactly like how contemporary fundamentalist Christians describe their beliefs, but here it is meant to be lovely and folksy -- and factual. The story rewards the midwife's decision because when the baby is born, it is indeed a sacred child as suspected and given special mystical treatment by "the Powers" just like she said. See, isn't it good she didn't help the girl get an abortion? THAT BABY COULD END UP PRESIDENT.How do your free-spirited non-Christian protagonists end up more conservative than THE PURITANS? What's most frustrating is that I think this is all completely accidental on Julie Hearn's part. Biographical facts seem to indicate she's not intentionally putting across an anti-abortion screed; she has a masters degree in women's studies from Oxford, and references her research of feminist criticism. And I don't think she meant to portray an informative, cautionary story of how all types of ideologies can lead to suppression of women's freedom. MOST LIKELY, she is just an author who is simply thoughtless in her pursuit of style. I think Julie Hearn just likes fairies. What a disappointing reason to let girls down.