Only a year ago (!!) we reviewed Meg's first novel, The Arrivals (recently released in paperback). Since then she's gotten married (Congrats!) and written this new book!
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Natalie Gallagher is trying to escape: from her parents’ ugly divorce, and from the vicious cyber-bullying of her former best friend. Adrift, confused, she is a girl trying to find her way in a world that seems to either neglect or despise her. Her salvation arrives in an unlikely form: Bridget O'Connell, an Irish maid working for a wealthy Boston family. The catch? Bridget lives only in the pages of a dusty old 1920s diary Natalie unearthed in her mother's basement. But the life she describes is as troubling - and mysterious - as the one Natalie is trying to navigate herself, almost a century later.
I am writing this down because this is my story. There were only ever two people who knew my secret, and both are gone before me.
Who was Bridget, and what became of her?
Natalie escapes into the diary, eager to unlock its secrets, and reluctantly accepts the help of library archivist Kathleen Lynch, a widow with her own painful secret: she's estranged from her only daughter. Kathleen sees in Natalie traces of the daughter she has lost, and in Bridget, another spirited young woman at risk. What could an Irish immigrant domestic servant from the 1920s teach them both? As the troubles of a very modern world close in around them, and Natalie's torments at school escalate, the faded pages of Bridget's journal unite the lonely girl and the unhappy widow, and might even change their lives forever.
About the Author: Meg Mitchell Moore worked for several years as a journalist. Her work has been published in Yankee, Continental, Women's Health, Advertising Age and many other business and consumer magazines. She received a B.A. from Providence College and a master's degree in English Literature from New York University. Meg lives in northern Massachusetts with her husband, their three children and a beloved border collie. Read more on her website!
Review: I finished this book in 2 settings, only because I didn't have enough time to finish it in one! I loved the contrast of modern day and the 1920s. Like Kathleen, I wanted to read ahead and see what happened to Bridget, and then go back and read her and Natalie's stories! But i didn't, and I am glad I didn't. Meg does an excellent job in handling the bullying and cyberbulling, and what parents/school/police can and can not do, in those situations. In fact, i highly recommend having your female teens read the book, as it would be a great read to help start a needed conversation (for every household!). You will LOVE this book as much as I did, I know! It's a perfect Summer read, and I can'thelp think, a perfect movie as well!
Ready to win this great new novel?
*
a Rafflecopter giveaway *
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I was offered this book, free of charge, from Bookspark PR, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told what to say about it.
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Natalie Gallagher is trying to escape: from her parents’ ugly divorce, and from the vicious cyber-bullying of her former best friend. Adrift, confused, she is a girl trying to find her way in a world that seems to either neglect or despise her. Her salvation arrives in an unlikely form: Bridget O'Connell, an Irish maid working for a wealthy Boston family. The catch? Bridget lives only in the pages of a dusty old 1920s diary Natalie unearthed in her mother's basement. But the life she describes is as troubling - and mysterious - as the one Natalie is trying to navigate herself, almost a century later.
I am writing this down because this is my story. There were only ever two people who knew my secret, and both are gone before me.
Who was Bridget, and what became of her?
Natalie escapes into the diary, eager to unlock its secrets, and reluctantly accepts the help of library archivist Kathleen Lynch, a widow with her own painful secret: she's estranged from her only daughter. Kathleen sees in Natalie traces of the daughter she has lost, and in Bridget, another spirited young woman at risk. What could an Irish immigrant domestic servant from the 1920s teach them both? As the troubles of a very modern world close in around them, and Natalie's torments at school escalate, the faded pages of Bridget's journal unite the lonely girl and the unhappy widow, and might even change their lives forever.
About the Author: Meg Mitchell Moore worked for several years as a journalist. Her work has been published in Yankee, Continental, Women's Health, Advertising Age and many other business and consumer magazines. She received a B.A. from Providence College and a master's degree in English Literature from New York University. Meg lives in northern Massachusetts with her husband, their three children and a beloved border collie. Read more on her website!
Review: I finished this book in 2 settings, only because I didn't have enough time to finish it in one! I loved the contrast of modern day and the 1920s. Like Kathleen, I wanted to read ahead and see what happened to Bridget, and then go back and read her and Natalie's stories! But i didn't, and I am glad I didn't. Meg does an excellent job in handling the bullying and cyberbulling, and what parents/school/police can and can not do, in those situations. In fact, i highly recommend having your female teens read the book, as it would be a great read to help start a needed conversation (for every household!). You will LOVE this book as much as I did, I know! It's a perfect Summer read, and I can'thelp think, a perfect movie as well!
Ready to win this great new novel?
*
a Rafflecopter giveaway *
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I was offered this book, free of charge, from Bookspark PR, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told what to say about it.
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