We'll Find a Way by Tia Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a fairly typical rags to ‘probable’ riches romantic story, set in 1860s Boston, USA. I say ‘probable’ because we are left wondering, at the rather abrupt end of the book, whether the young couple concerned are ever going to drag themselves out of the mire in which they find themselves. While it has some intriguing historical points, that occur throughout the story, much of the plot could have been told in almost any more contemporary timeline. I have three main criticisms of this book: the first concerns the somewhat naïve style of writing used because it does not feel like a book aimed at an adult reader; the second is that many of the expressions used are too idiomatic of the modern world and felt out of place in the society of the late 19th century; and my third most important point is the glaring lack of editing all the way through the book. A simple word processor spell/grammar check could have solved many of the typos, lack of punctuation and editing problems. Plus, maybe a friendly beta reader for proof-reading later could have saved the day here?
A few examples are needed to illustrate my critique: the confusion between the words ‘were’ and ‘where’; the use of contemporary slang terms like ‘gussy up’, ‘scooted’, and ‘fancy’ felt out of place in a so-called historical novel; some words like ‘ahold’ cannot be found in a dictionary; a ‘pub’ would probably have been a tavern or inn or even a bar back then; and there were several examples of verbosity which left a wry smile on this particular reader’s face.
However, all of this criticism does not mean that I did not like the story, which says a lot as I usually avoid romantic novels of any genre or time period! Many of the exchanges between Serena and Everett, the main protagonists, are charming and clutch at the heart strings. You want them to succeed in their life together, with impoverished Serena coming across as the stronger of the two, while the rather hapless Everett has to learn some important lessons in the ‘real life out there’ away from the rich and privileged family he chooses to leave for true love, his heart’s desire. ‘We’ll Find A Way’ seems to be aimed at the very young adult but with a lot of tidying up there are many fans of romantic historical fiction who would enjoy this charming tale of young love.


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Escape to Molokai by Spike Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is both intriguing and shocking. I learned a lot about a situation that occurred in Hawaii just after World War 2, which, I would imagine, will surprise most people. The author uses George, a young teenage boy, as the messenger for readers to find out about Hansen’s Disease which is more commonly called leprosy. George is involved in a madcap dash between the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Maui, when he is desperately trying to find his parents and his best friend Jonathan. The pace of the story is almost breath-taking and the number of different people he encounters, young and old, good and bad, can leave your head spinning. George rides a Tsunami and even learns how to cut sugar cane when he is desperate to earn money. All of this action is suitably gripping as are the conversations between characters for a story aimed at children who are around the same age as George, 13 years old. Having said that, the book is equally gripping for anyone unaware of the terrible restrictions that were imposed on the unfortunate population, and who had to live with the disease at that time. I particularly liked the meetings between George and Jonathan as the author’s skilful writing had the language and banter just about right. But while this adventure story is exciting it is also very sad, with some important educational points.

The story has a satisfying ending. It also includes some factual details about the disease and a historical context to add to the information in a kind of simple appendix. Unfortunately, there were a couple of glaring editing errors that should have been spotted before publication. One in particular was the wrong year on the Civil Arrest Warrant for Jonathan and Alice Napua: it wrongly said 1846 rather than 1946. Notwithstanding this I can highly recommend Escape to Molokai to youngsters who like a fast paced adventure story with lots of excitement.


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