MY STORY: 1800s Part 2

I took a break from my My Story reread awhile back and did American Diaries in its place. Now with those books finished, it's time to return to the UK's answer to Dear America.

I started Crystal Palace before the break, got a few entries in and was done. I reread the early entries, then made myself finish the book this time. I don't care for this one, because it's not very historical. There are some details about the building of the Crystal Palace in there, but most of it is drama amongst one household of a wealthy family and their staff. I could only take so much of the son being a complete douche.

Crimea is interesting as the war books go, because it goes into the training for a drummer/bugler and it doesn't actually spend too much time on the details of fighting. Everything is seen more at a distance and a good chunk is devoted to just how shitty conditions were for these poor guys. I liked the bit about the Charge of the Light Brigade. I mean, the poem's better, of course, but it was nice to see the historical context behind it in more detail.

I think this is one of the best boys' books. It's so nice to get out of Europe for a change! Lots of action in this one, lots of spying and lots of politics. It's a really interesting read and I recommend it. The Rani of Jhansi was badass and amazing.

I feel like Sweep's Boy is a deceptive title, because he works as a chimney sweep for like three chapters. Then he's a thief. Then he escapes from prison. Then he's with a band of kids living on their own on a rooftop. Then he's a Barnardo boy. It's a good exciting story, but another title would have been better for the story.

The diary of an upper class girl going with her mother to the local workhouse, because her mom's on the Board of Guardians. Edith's a bit naive and spoiled, but she's still very likeable. The other characters are good, too. I like Rosie a lot. Well-written and a nice change of pace from the very fast-paced, action-packed previous two.

MY STORY: 1700s

The '45 Rising takes place during the Jacobite rising of 1745. While I like the language of the book, the story reads like a bad romance novel. The diary author is all about clothes and parties and men and blah blah blah. Politics of course are a major topic, too.

Then it takes a turn when instead of one of her other proposals, Euphemia and her cousin decide they're in love.

No mention of their being first cousins. Guess this was okay in 1745 Scotland. 

So he goes to fight on the opposite side as the rest of the family and ends up changing his mind after he gets wounded. She sleeps with him unmarried at age 15 and gets knocked up, then he gets shot and she has to marry someone else to cover up the baby scandal.

Not exactly appropriate for a children's historical fiction series.

No Way Back is actually part of a series within the My Story series called My True Story. I will not be buying the others in the series, because I've just got so many of these books as it is and I don't need to buy more! I still need two more to complete this set. Plus, several are war and suffrage. Blech.

Anyway, this one is about Mary Wade, who was a young convict transported to Australia. She came in with the Second Fleet and ended up having so many kids that her descendants today number in the tens of thousands.

This story of transportation focuses on her life before the theft, her trial and time in jail, and her life aboard the ship. The book basically ends once she hits Australia.

It was pretty good and I knew her name sounded familiar, but it wasn't til I reached the end that I was like "Oh, yeah, she was real."

Elizabeth's book is set entirely in Australia with her telling her story to her newest master and his son and daughter. She doesn't dwell on prison or ship life, so combined, these two books paint a decent picture of early transportation. Elizabeth's is basically about starvation. It's a good read though. The only flaw is that My Story doesn't do epilogues and there are some characters that you really want an ending for. She was one of those.

Fall of the Blade is about a young French girl from an aristocratic family and the turmoil of the French Revolution. The beginning is decent, then she and her parents begin travelling from prison to prison, culminating in her being alone in Paris. She manages to escape rather too easily, conveniently meets up with the guy she rescued at the beginning, and they run off to England together.

No epilogue. No telling what happened to her brother or parents or dog. That's it. Just in England and safe. Nothing else. Yuk. I remember not liking this one the first time I read it and the poor ending is exactly why.