Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith

 

In Short
Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman tells the (true!) love story of Charles Darwin and his wife Emma, and how it survived despite their opposing views on religion. The book was published in 2009 and has 272 pages. It won multiple awards, including being a 2010 National Book Award finalist.

Summary  

As a young man, Charles Darwin didn't believe in the Bible's creation story. Instead, he was creating a new and very controversial theory on the origin of species. His cousin Emma, a very religious person, accepted his proposal for marriage anyway. That decision--to marry despite opposing religious views--was a "leap of faith" that proved to be both heart-breaking and beautiful.

My Take 

I loved this book. Heiligman did a great job making heavy topics (science, religion, the debate on evolution) interesting and accessible to her audience. Though the book never had my heart pounding, the story was thought-provoking and well-paced throughout. Charles and Emma now feel like lovely, old friends.

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Entwined

 

In Short
Entwined by Heather Dixon is a dark retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. It was published in 2011 and has 480 pages.

Summary
After their mother's death, Azalea and her eleven younger sisters find themselves confined to their castle for a year of mourning. Though dancing is strictly off limits during this time, they can't resist when they stumble upon an enchanted pavilion where magical figures dance each night. What begins as innocent fun soon spirals out of control, putting the princesses in grave danger.

My Take 

The book began a bit slowly, but by the time I was halfway through I couldn't put it down. The characters began to round out and the tensions rose. Unexpected plot twists kept me guessing until the very end. 

 

A great book for fairytale fans.

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What I Saw and How I Lied

In Short
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell is an addictive mystery/romance set in post-WWII America. It was published in 2008 and won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in that same year. It has 284 pages.

Summary
Fifteen-year-old Evie wants desperately for her mother to allow her to grow up--to wear lipstick, date older boys, smoke cigarettes, and dress in stylish clothes. When Evie's stepfather takes the family on a Florida vacation, she meets the man of her dreams. Peter is in his early twenties and served in WWII, but Evie knows this is love. Things get complicated when Evie's parents are put on trial for murder. Slowly Evie realizes that life is a lot more complicated than she had thought, and now she has to decide whether to lie to protect her parents or tell the truth.

My Take
Overall, I thought What I Saw and How I Lied was a great page-turner, but it didn't move me. The ending was a departure from what I had expected, and that was a nice surprise even if it didn't seem very consistent with Evie's character. Maybe that was what kept me from fully loving the book: Evie was so naive and innocent and then suddenly so grown-up and, well, guilty. I guess everyone ended up guilty in one way or another. Maybe that's the point. We're all fallible, we all make mistakes, and we all have to figure out how to pick up the pieces of our broken lives and move forward to create something new.

*Warning: This book contains some language and sensuality. I would recommend it for an older teen audience.

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