Review of Maddie's Chronicle
Posted: 06 Sep 2021, 11:57
[Following is a volunteer review of "Maddie's Chronicle" by Daniel O Stuhlman.]
If you're looking for a way to reminisce about your blooming days and the bliss of first love along with a sense of adventure feel free to grab a copy of Maddie's Chronicle by Daniel O Stuhlman. . The book is situated in the 19th century's growing state of California whose changes resonate and impact the experiences of our young Maddie.
Orphaned as a child, Maddie comes to live with her Aunt Gabriel, Uncle Joseph Sullivan and her mentor Ester. Being a gifted weaver and artist whose passion and curiosity pulls her into various nooks and crannies of California awaiting adventure, the 17 year old protagonist has a love for horse riding which lands her and those with her into her first adventure where she falls off her mare and sustains major injuries but some locals fortunately find her and thus she is saved. With an uncle in the trading business in young America this is not the last of her ventures. Learning the ways of this new land she further makes it her own. This book visualizes her transition into womanhood from girlhood in her own way whilst finding love and life along the path.
The few things I really enjoyed while reading the book was the sense of humor that bubbled up now and then with Maddie being quite the entertainer and the thought-provoking excerpts taken from the original Maddie's chronicle. Along with that, the reader can empathize with the character's emotions well that has a feel-good factor to it. The topography of the areas and the usage of Spanish is well researched. The eventful tale keeps you hooked till the end.
The biggest drawback to the story was the storyline that fizzled out by the second half of the book and has a sense of being incomplete and can seem confusing. Even though it is Maddie's tale the story becomes more about Huck by the end. The book also has many pieces taken from religious texts of Christianity which people of other religions may not be able to understand and in many places, the translation of Spanish is also missing.
I would rate this book 2 stars out of 4 because of the constant reference to unfamiliar religious texts, regular need to translate the Spanish dialogues, the way this story turns and becomes more and more about Huck and other characters and Maddie's incomplete adventure just creates confusion regarding what the story is actually about. This book also has a lot of religious content which may or may not bode well with all readers.
I'd recommend this book to someone who is looking for a book from the same shelf as "Anne of Green Gables "by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It's a classic young adult book for any age group who will not be thrown off by a lot of reference to Christian religious text. It's a light read for your relaxing weekends
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Maddie's Chronicle
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
If you're looking for a way to reminisce about your blooming days and the bliss of first love along with a sense of adventure feel free to grab a copy of Maddie's Chronicle by Daniel O Stuhlman. . The book is situated in the 19th century's growing state of California whose changes resonate and impact the experiences of our young Maddie.
Orphaned as a child, Maddie comes to live with her Aunt Gabriel, Uncle Joseph Sullivan and her mentor Ester. Being a gifted weaver and artist whose passion and curiosity pulls her into various nooks and crannies of California awaiting adventure, the 17 year old protagonist has a love for horse riding which lands her and those with her into her first adventure where she falls off her mare and sustains major injuries but some locals fortunately find her and thus she is saved. With an uncle in the trading business in young America this is not the last of her ventures. Learning the ways of this new land she further makes it her own. This book visualizes her transition into womanhood from girlhood in her own way whilst finding love and life along the path.
The few things I really enjoyed while reading the book was the sense of humor that bubbled up now and then with Maddie being quite the entertainer and the thought-provoking excerpts taken from the original Maddie's chronicle. Along with that, the reader can empathize with the character's emotions well that has a feel-good factor to it. The topography of the areas and the usage of Spanish is well researched. The eventful tale keeps you hooked till the end.
The biggest drawback to the story was the storyline that fizzled out by the second half of the book and has a sense of being incomplete and can seem confusing. Even though it is Maddie's tale the story becomes more about Huck by the end. The book also has many pieces taken from religious texts of Christianity which people of other religions may not be able to understand and in many places, the translation of Spanish is also missing.
I would rate this book 2 stars out of 4 because of the constant reference to unfamiliar religious texts, regular need to translate the Spanish dialogues, the way this story turns and becomes more and more about Huck and other characters and Maddie's incomplete adventure just creates confusion regarding what the story is actually about. This book also has a lot of religious content which may or may not bode well with all readers.
I'd recommend this book to someone who is looking for a book from the same shelf as "Anne of Green Gables "by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It's a classic young adult book for any age group who will not be thrown off by a lot of reference to Christian religious text. It's a light read for your relaxing weekends
******
Maddie's Chronicle
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon