Stephanie Jane recenzis Tom Boy de Shelley Blanton-Stroud
A gripping murder mystery
5 steloj
It's been two years since I read Shelley Blanton-Stroud's first Jane Benjamin novel, Copy Boy, which I very much enjoyed and I am delighted to be able to say that I think this new sequel, Tomboy, is even better. Although Mother, my favourite character from the first book, is now only spoken about rather than putting in an appearance herself, it was fascinating to see how Jane's remembrances of her are informed by the struggles of a poverty-stricken childhood. Jane really comes into her own in Tomboy. Still not exactly comfortable in her own skin, she has a greater maturity and a confidence in her own abilities which is great to see - even though it does result in her putting herself into some rather precarious situations. A female character, Jane nonetheless behaves in ways that I would more expect to see from a fictional male of the time. For …
It's been two years since I read Shelley Blanton-Stroud's first Jane Benjamin novel, Copy Boy, which I very much enjoyed and I am delighted to be able to say that I think this new sequel, Tomboy, is even better. Although Mother, my favourite character from the first book, is now only spoken about rather than putting in an appearance herself, it was fascinating to see how Jane's remembrances of her are informed by the struggles of a poverty-stricken childhood. Jane really comes into her own in Tomboy. Still not exactly comfortable in her own skin, she has a greater maturity and a confidence in her own abilities which is great to see - even though it does result in her putting herself into some rather precarious situations. A female character, Jane nonetheless behaves in ways that I would more expect to see from a fictional male of the time. For example, Jane seems to barely think of the consequences of leaving her toddler sister in another woman's care when her job necessitates several weeks of travel. For someone in a father's role, putting work first would be obvious, for a substitute mother however the action feels shockingly selfish. Blanton-Stroud deftly overturns conventional gender expectations throughout Tomboy, other examples being the dazzling young tennis player, Tommie, and force-of-nature Coach. I was thrilled to discover that versions of those two formidable women did genuinely exist in the 1930s tennis world which demonstrates how our expectations can just as easily be shaped by what we are told about our history as by what actually happened. I love that Blanton-Stroud has opened my eyes through the Tomboy story as well as writing an exciting and gripping murder mystery.