What do you think?
Rate this book
Sunfire #30
Renee
Number 30 in the currently out of print Sunfire series by Scholastic books. Set in 1888, Renee faces a deadly blizzard.
215 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
1 person is currently reading
189 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 29, 2008
(See my review of Amanda for my general series review.)
I'm finding the shorter-format Sunfires to be extremely hit-or-miss, the hits consisting more of anyone who isn't Vivian Schurfranz, and the misses unfortunately including Renee.
Has anyone else noticed that as this series progressed, more and more information was included in the back cover blurbs until they just started giving away the entire plot? But just in case you didn't read the back cover blurb and learn everything that would ever happen to Renee down to which boy she's going to choose, let me recap for you.
Renee Conti aspires to be a star reporter, and even to (gasp) have a career, but naturally, her family is against it or we wouldn't have a story. They want her to settle down and marry Nick DiLeo, and there is even talk of a "marriage alliance" between the families. Then Steven Morison walks into the Contis' bicycle shop and turns Renee's head. Also, his mother owns the (fictional) New York Gazette.
Of *course* Renee gets a job at the newspaper. Of *course* there is a gruff male authority figure who doesn't want her there. Of *course* a situation is going to conveniently pop up that will allow Renee to prove her amazing reporterliness.
That situation is the Great Blizzard of 1888, and of *course* Renee is the only one who makes it in to work. The gruff authority figure gives her a chance to write up the blizzard. Renee walks past every human interest story in New York City on the way home. And incidentally, she discovers that perfect Steven is not so perfect, because he wants her to give up work when she marries him.
My ultimate problem is that Schurfranz is more "formula" than the other Sunfire writers. And as a result, her books aren't very different from one another. Her heroines are all misfits in some way, one potential hero is the flashy, blingy type, while the other is the sure-and-steady type who's just waiting for the heroine to stop being flighty and realize that he's been the one all along. And that is *exactly* what happens here. The last half of the book is especially rife with inauthentic shifts in Renee's affections. Nick's not so bad. No wait, never let it be said that I obliged my parents! Steven's kind of condescending and clingy... sorry Nick, I am very serious about Steven... who keeps pissing me off... but is the one for me!
Argh. I honestly would have preferred to see Renee end up with *neither* of them! She's on her way to being a full-fledged reporter, and even though Nick supports her career, all of Renee's sensible protestations that she wants to work for a while and not rush into marriage are wiped away in the last line of the story. Annoying.
Schurfranz researches well, as is her custom, but she still can't stand to leave out the slightest scrap of information she's gleaned in her academic travails. And she drops them into the story in the most awkward ways. In the midst of a congratulatory conversation about Renee's big story, Mrs. Morison mentions that Mark Twain, whom she has just interviewed, gave her an extract from a letter to his wife. Here, Renee, why don't you read it? Though it's funny, it doesn't really add to anything else having to do with the plot. If there's a celebrity within historical sniffing distance, Schurfranz has to find a way to include them in her story. It is past "eye-rolling" for me and on into "nervous twitch because I KNOW IT'S COMING!!!"
Also, allow me the luxury of complaining about stuff like this: "How many more tragedies like that had happened the day before? She wondered, not knowing then that the storm which raged from Maryland to Maine would take four hundred lives." *Precisely.* Renee *doesn't* know it then. I don't care about what Renee knows LATER. That is sloppy and clumsy and throws me out of the narrative entirely. And this is a novel, not a history text. There are ways to work in the historical facts without force-feeding them.
The verdict: It's not the worst that Sunfire or Schurfranz has to offer. But due to the predictable sameness of her stories, and the sloppiness of her writing, I can't give more than two stars. Don't seek it out unless you're a completist.
I'm finding the shorter-format Sunfires to be extremely hit-or-miss, the hits consisting more of anyone who isn't Vivian Schurfranz, and the misses unfortunately including Renee.
Has anyone else noticed that as this series progressed, more and more information was included in the back cover blurbs until they just started giving away the entire plot? But just in case you didn't read the back cover blurb and learn everything that would ever happen to Renee down to which boy she's going to choose, let me recap for you.
Renee Conti aspires to be a star reporter, and even to (gasp) have a career, but naturally, her family is against it or we wouldn't have a story. They want her to settle down and marry Nick DiLeo, and there is even talk of a "marriage alliance" between the families. Then Steven Morison walks into the Contis' bicycle shop and turns Renee's head. Also, his mother owns the (fictional) New York Gazette.
Of *course* Renee gets a job at the newspaper. Of *course* there is a gruff male authority figure who doesn't want her there. Of *course* a situation is going to conveniently pop up that will allow Renee to prove her amazing reporterliness.
That situation is the Great Blizzard of 1888, and of *course* Renee is the only one who makes it in to work. The gruff authority figure gives her a chance to write up the blizzard. Renee walks past every human interest story in New York City on the way home. And incidentally, she discovers that perfect Steven is not so perfect, because he wants her to give up work when she marries him.
My ultimate problem is that Schurfranz is more "formula" than the other Sunfire writers. And as a result, her books aren't very different from one another. Her heroines are all misfits in some way, one potential hero is the flashy, blingy type, while the other is the sure-and-steady type who's just waiting for the heroine to stop being flighty and realize that he's been the one all along. And that is *exactly* what happens here. The last half of the book is especially rife with inauthentic shifts in Renee's affections. Nick's not so bad. No wait, never let it be said that I obliged my parents! Steven's kind of condescending and clingy... sorry Nick, I am very serious about Steven... who keeps pissing me off... but is the one for me!
Argh. I honestly would have preferred to see Renee end up with *neither* of them! She's on her way to being a full-fledged reporter, and even though Nick supports her career, all of Renee's sensible protestations that she wants to work for a while and not rush into marriage are wiped away in the last line of the story. Annoying.
Schurfranz researches well, as is her custom, but she still can't stand to leave out the slightest scrap of information she's gleaned in her academic travails. And she drops them into the story in the most awkward ways. In the midst of a congratulatory conversation about Renee's big story, Mrs. Morison mentions that Mark Twain, whom she has just interviewed, gave her an extract from a letter to his wife. Here, Renee, why don't you read it? Though it's funny, it doesn't really add to anything else having to do with the plot. If there's a celebrity within historical sniffing distance, Schurfranz has to find a way to include them in her story. It is past "eye-rolling" for me and on into "nervous twitch because I KNOW IT'S COMING!!!"
Also, allow me the luxury of complaining about stuff like this: "How many more tragedies like that had happened the day before? She wondered, not knowing then that the storm which raged from Maryland to Maine would take four hundred lives." *Precisely.* Renee *doesn't* know it then. I don't care about what Renee knows LATER. That is sloppy and clumsy and throws me out of the narrative entirely. And this is a novel, not a history text. There are ways to work in the historical facts without force-feeding them.
The verdict: It's not the worst that Sunfire or Schurfranz has to offer. But due to the predictable sameness of her stories, and the sloppiness of her writing, I can't give more than two stars. Don't seek it out unless you're a completist.
November 16, 2014
Started skimming when one of the suitors tells Renee "I've never known anyone like you before." Ugh. Stupid novel.
Renee pointlessly vacillates between cardboard cutout rich guy Steven (who spouts inanities such as "Your eyes are like blue, blue crystals...gag) and mostly absent Nick (who isn't in the story enough to spout anything). The ending is abrupt and stupid with Renee quickly dropping Steven and proclaiming her undying love for Nick (whom she's interacted with a total of twice in over 200 pages). It's a *marriage alliance* you see.
Dumb, dumb, dumb. Thank the sweet baby Jesus that this is the last Schurfranz I have to slog through.
Renee pointlessly vacillates between cardboard cutout rich guy Steven (who spouts inanities such as "Your eyes are like blue, blue crystals...gag) and mostly absent Nick (who isn't in the story enough to spout anything). The ending is abrupt and stupid with Renee quickly dropping Steven and proclaiming her undying love for Nick (whom she's interacted with a total of twice in over 200 pages). It's a *marriage alliance* you see.
Dumb, dumb, dumb. Thank the sweet baby Jesus that this is the last Schurfranz I have to slog through.
August 9, 2007
This Sunfire romance is so much better than Jennie, the other I reviewed. It still had the elements of women's roles in the 1800's, but the issue of gender roles was addressed the book. This was set in NYC, which was fun, and dealt with a girl who wanted to be a reporter...and got her chance during the Blizzard of 1888. The details of the storm weren't as vivid as those of the flood in the other novel, but overall this one was better and makes me feel better about my childhood memories of the series.
September 7, 2015
Waxing Nostalgic #5- Renee is about a girl in the Blizzard of 1888 in New York City. She is independent and determined to break into the newspaper business as a reporter. There are few women reporters so she has to prove that she needs to be taken seriously. She spends most of her time with her beau Steven so we don't get to know Nick very well. He is in the background for most of the book. I wish they were both equally represented so that the reader is convinced of her final choice in beaus. I do like Renee's spirit though.
June 12, 2011
2011 is turning into the year of re-reading all the books I loved when I was about 11-13. This one was part of a series of "young adult" historical romances my sister and I absolutely devoured as kids. It not going to win any literary prizes, but it's fun. The description of the blizzard is pretty vivid as well.
August 22, 2012
Renee is the next book in my reading /reading of the Sunfire series. It had some interesting parts to it, but the author is so awkward at time. When and how she delves out info is not timed well and it takes away from the story.
September 9, 2015
Felt like Renée was hasty in the end but enjoyed the rest of the story.
March 20, 2008
I read this when I was in middle school and loved it. But it's probably quite juvenile.
March 6, 2025
I'm writing this review several years after I read this book, so forgive me if I have a few details incorrect; I just needed to come back and say something.
This book is about a young woman, Renee, who is budding journalist living in New York, 1880. The book follows her as she tries to make a living in a male-dominated profession. She aspires to be an amazing journalist, and become a career woman.
She is pursued by two suitors, childhood best friend Nick Dileo, who is a baker, and dashing Steven Morrison who shows up at the family bike shop one day. Both men become madly in love with her, but have completely different expectations of what their marriage would look like, and what Renee would ultimately be. Here's where I start cringing. Steven wants her to stay home and be a loving wife and mother, while Nick is okay with not having a family so that she can follow her dreams. (By the way, the two biggest reasons why she even wants Nick at all is because she wants to have a career and "be an independent woman"--and poor Steven doesn't align with her feminist standards-- and because both of their parents believe it would make a great "marriage alliance" between the families. Yeah, because they are living in 18th century Europe, right?)
Spoiler alert: She ends up choosing Nick (who has driven me nuts throughout the entire book), because, like I've said before, she wants her career! Yay!! Ugh. I mean, Steven was so sweet and loving to her, and he treated her as best as he could, which is quite well considering he comes from a rich family. He even proposed to her and she refused. Now, refusing a proposal from this gentleman just goes too far in my book.
So, go ahead Renee, live your lovely life with flour-covered Nick (people who read the book will understand that reference). I'm gonna go over here and rewrite the last half of the book so that my conscious is clear. I'm also not even going to try another book by Vivian Schurfranz, because I'm betting it would merit another review like this one. Just saying.
This book is about a young woman, Renee, who is budding journalist living in New York, 1880. The book follows her as she tries to make a living in a male-dominated profession. She aspires to be an amazing journalist, and become a career woman.
She is pursued by two suitors, childhood best friend Nick Dileo, who is a baker, and dashing Steven Morrison who shows up at the family bike shop one day. Both men become madly in love with her, but have completely different expectations of what their marriage would look like, and what Renee would ultimately be. Here's where I start cringing. Steven wants her to stay home and be a loving wife and mother, while Nick is okay with not having a family so that she can follow her dreams. (By the way, the two biggest reasons why she even wants Nick at all is because she wants to have a career and "be an independent woman"--and poor Steven doesn't align with her feminist standards-- and because both of their parents believe it would make a great "marriage alliance" between the families. Yeah, because they are living in 18th century Europe, right?)
Spoiler alert: She ends up choosing Nick (who has driven me nuts throughout the entire book), because, like I've said before, she wants her career! Yay!! Ugh. I mean, Steven was so sweet and loving to her, and he treated her as best as he could, which is quite well considering he comes from a rich family. He even proposed to her and she refused. Now, refusing a proposal from this gentleman just goes too far in my book.
So, go ahead Renee, live your lovely life with flour-covered Nick (people who read the book will understand that reference). I'm gonna go over here and rewrite the last half of the book so that my conscious is clear. I'm also not even going to try another book by Vivian Schurfranz, because I'm betting it would merit another review like this one. Just saying.
June 1, 2018
Light and fluffy read. It’s a feel good, coming of age story, every middle school girls favorite. I read this book when I was in middle school and loved it. Plus it had my name on it, literally.
July 3, 2017
I originally read this series back in the 80s, checking them out from my elementary school library. Having re-read them as an adult I think they stand the test of time and are still relevant as far as historical fiction is concerned.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews