What do you think?
Rate this book
Frozen
Frozen by Casanova, Mary [Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2012] Hardcover [Hardcover...
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
28 people are currently reading
1506 people want to read
About the author
Mary Casanova
49 books204 followersMary Casanova is an award-winning children's author of novels and picture books. Many of her books stem from her life on the Minnesota-Canadian border; yet some of her stories have taken her as far away as France, Norway, and Belize for research. Whatever the setting for her books, Casanova writes stories that matter--and stories that kids can't put down.
Her book awards include: American Library Association "Notable," Aesop Accolades by the American Folklore Society, Parents' Choice "Gold" Award, Booklist Editor Choice, and two Minnesota Book Awards. Her books frequently land on state children's choice book master lists across the country. "The greatest reward for me," Casanova states, "is when a young reader tells me she or he loves one of my books. For me, it's all about communicating writer-to-reader through a character and story."
Casanova grew up in a family of ten children in St. Paul, Minnesota. In a bustling camp-like atmosphere, Casanova found that writing became her voice. "Words are my paintbrush," she explains, "my way of exploring the world around me."
Now, with 19 books published and many more under contract and forthcoming, she divides her time between writing and traveling. Nationally and internationally, at schools and conferences, Casanova shares her love of writing and reading with children and adults.
Her newest novel, The Klipfish Code, makes use of Mary's on-site research in Norway. The story explores an important facet of Norwegian history through the experiences of Marit, a 12-year-old Norwegian girl who finds a way to fight against the 5-year Nazi occupation of Norway. Marit and her brother Lars are separated from their parents (who are working for the Resistance) and sent to live on an island with their gruff grandfather and school teacher aunt. During the course of the story, Marit's aunt is one of the Norwegian school teachers that gets sent to a concentration camp for refusing to integrate Nazi propaganda into her classroom. With potential danger waiting every turn, Marit finds a way to help the Resistance and eventually reunite her family.
Mary's series, Dog Watch (Simon and Schuster) is based on her northern Minnesota village where dogs are allowed to roam free—as long as they don't get in trouble. If they get in trouble, they earn a sticker on their page at the village clerk's office; too many stickers and a trouble-making dog must remain at home. "I never know where the next story will come from. It’s a delight when the stories come right from this corner of the world I call home." She makes her home in a 100-year old house on Rainy Lake with her husband, Charles, and their three "above average" dogs and spends free time with their horses, Jay and Midnight.
Her book awards include: American Library Association "Notable," Aesop Accolades by the American Folklore Society, Parents' Choice "Gold" Award, Booklist Editor Choice, and two Minnesota Book Awards. Her books frequently land on state children's choice book master lists across the country. "The greatest reward for me," Casanova states, "is when a young reader tells me she or he loves one of my books. For me, it's all about communicating writer-to-reader through a character and story."
Casanova grew up in a family of ten children in St. Paul, Minnesota. In a bustling camp-like atmosphere, Casanova found that writing became her voice. "Words are my paintbrush," she explains, "my way of exploring the world around me."
Now, with 19 books published and many more under contract and forthcoming, she divides her time between writing and traveling. Nationally and internationally, at schools and conferences, Casanova shares her love of writing and reading with children and adults.
Her newest novel, The Klipfish Code, makes use of Mary's on-site research in Norway. The story explores an important facet of Norwegian history through the experiences of Marit, a 12-year-old Norwegian girl who finds a way to fight against the 5-year Nazi occupation of Norway. Marit and her brother Lars are separated from their parents (who are working for the Resistance) and sent to live on an island with their gruff grandfather and school teacher aunt. During the course of the story, Marit's aunt is one of the Norwegian school teachers that gets sent to a concentration camp for refusing to integrate Nazi propaganda into her classroom. With potential danger waiting every turn, Marit finds a way to help the Resistance and eventually reunite her family.
Mary's series, Dog Watch (Simon and Schuster) is based on her northern Minnesota village where dogs are allowed to roam free—as long as they don't get in trouble. If they get in trouble, they earn a sticker on their page at the village clerk's office; too many stickers and a trouble-making dog must remain at home. "I never know where the next story will come from. It’s a delight when the stories come right from this corner of the world I call home." She makes her home in a 100-year old house on Rainy Lake with her husband, Charles, and their three "above average" dogs and spends free time with their horses, Jay and Midnight.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
December 30, 2017
Mary Casanova’s Frozen, not in any way connected to the popular animated Disney movie of the same name, takes place in the deep wilderness of the Minnesota-Canada border, 1922. The Twenties are roaring on the coasts and in the cities, but this region has barely found its voice.
Speaking of voices, Sadie Rose, ward of the respectable Worthington family, hasn’t had one since she was five years old. Now sixteen, she discovers some photos of a saucy young lady (showing her ankles, for goodness’ sakes!) in the family barn and immediately notices that she herself looks a lot like the woman in the photographs.
Sadie Rose is a bright girl, and it takes her all of a few seconds to conclude that this is her mother. Horrifying memories come flooding back.
Sadie Rose’s mama was a prostitute in a frontier town, who saved desperately to give her daughter a better life and tried her best (it wasn’t enough, but what else could she do?) to shield the child from the horrors of the brothel. One night Sadie Rose was hiding behind the stove in the reception room and saw a man dragging her mother’s lifeless body out of the building. Not understanding what had happened, the little girl ran to where her mother’s corpse had been shamefully dumped, frozen solid in the deep snow.
In fact, the corpse was so stiff with cold that a calloused townsman propped her up in a corner of the town hall. It was his idea of a joke.
Restless and hungry for answers, Sadie Rose finds her voice. Her path tangles with those of Victor, a young conservationist; Trinity, a manic-depressive debutante; and Owen, the handsome son of the general store owner who gets tangled in the bootlegging trade.
Every question will be answered, and every answer is in plain sight.
Content Advisory for Schools and Libraries
Violence:
When Sadie Rose works as a waitress on the frontier, a man jumps her while she sleeps and attempts to rape her, but does not succeed.
Trinity brandishes a knife and threatens to kill herself. We learn later that she has also attempted suicide by drowning.
A prostitute is found murdered in the woods near a hotel.
Sex: For a book with prostitution as a major theme, the sexual content is thankfully mild. Trinity tries to seduce Victor by disrobing in front of him, but he is both a gentleman and married to his job, so it doesn’t work.
Owen and Sadie Rose kiss twice, and she describes how exciting this was.
At one point, Sadie Rose examines herself naked before the mirror, afraid that she might wind up penniless and forced into prostitution as her mother was.
Language: Nothing to worry about.
Substance Abuse: Many characters are mentioned as drinking themselves to death to cope with their miserable circumstances.
This is a great, if depressing, historical mystery for mature teens. Warmly recommended, especially as an alternative to a similar read, the needlessly graphic A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly.
Speaking of voices, Sadie Rose, ward of the respectable Worthington family, hasn’t had one since she was five years old. Now sixteen, she discovers some photos of a saucy young lady (showing her ankles, for goodness’ sakes!) in the family barn and immediately notices that she herself looks a lot like the woman in the photographs.
Sadie Rose is a bright girl, and it takes her all of a few seconds to conclude that this is her mother. Horrifying memories come flooding back.
Sadie Rose’s mama was a prostitute in a frontier town, who saved desperately to give her daughter a better life and tried her best (it wasn’t enough, but what else could she do?) to shield the child from the horrors of the brothel. One night Sadie Rose was hiding behind the stove in the reception room and saw a man dragging her mother’s lifeless body out of the building. Not understanding what had happened, the little girl ran to where her mother’s corpse had been shamefully dumped, frozen solid in the deep snow.
In fact, the corpse was so stiff with cold that a calloused townsman propped her up in a corner of the town hall. It was his idea of a joke.
Restless and hungry for answers, Sadie Rose finds her voice. Her path tangles with those of Victor, a young conservationist; Trinity, a manic-depressive debutante; and Owen, the handsome son of the general store owner who gets tangled in the bootlegging trade.
Every question will be answered, and every answer is in plain sight.
Content Advisory for Schools and Libraries
Violence:
When Sadie Rose works as a waitress on the frontier, a man jumps her while she sleeps and attempts to rape her, but does not succeed.
Trinity brandishes a knife and threatens to kill herself. We learn later that she has also attempted suicide by drowning.
A prostitute is found murdered in the woods near a hotel.
Sex: For a book with prostitution as a major theme, the sexual content is thankfully mild. Trinity tries to seduce Victor by disrobing in front of him, but he is both a gentleman and married to his job, so it doesn’t work.
Owen and Sadie Rose kiss twice, and she describes how exciting this was.
At one point, Sadie Rose examines herself naked before the mirror, afraid that she might wind up penniless and forced into prostitution as her mother was.
Language: Nothing to worry about.
Substance Abuse: Many characters are mentioned as drinking themselves to death to cope with their miserable circumstances.
This is a great, if depressing, historical mystery for mature teens. Warmly recommended, especially as an alternative to a similar read, the needlessly graphic A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly.
August 17, 2012
It's interesting, but as I was reading Frozen I kept thinking how similar in style this book was (with a few minor differences) to an American Girls book I'd read recently. Then.. in the back of the book as I finished it up, I noticed that MarY Casanova is responsible for McKenna of the American Girls. Hah!
In Frozen, Sadie Rose is introduced as a teenager who is simply unable to speak, due to a traumatic event in her past. She is an orphan, her father's death ruled a suicide, and her mother found frozen in the forest near Ranier, Minnesota. Taken in by the Worthington's, she remains with them as Mr. Worthington goes from Mayor of Ranier to a government political position. But a stack of photographs challenges Sadie Rose and pushes her from being the quiet, obedient charge into a girl who needs answers.
So here's what I did enjoy about Frozen. Sadie Rose is a spunky little thing. In spite of years of learning how to be a proper young woman, and obeying without any other otherwise, she takes her life into her own hands numerous times in Frozen. This could be a good/bad thing, as it's such a change of character from who Sadie Rose was to who she became, but I like to think that finding the photos she found could have been the catalyst for such a change without making it too drastic.
I loved the portrayal of Minnesota. I haven't read many books about the area, and also found helpful the list of additional reading Mary Casanova includes at the end of the book (and even marked a few of them down as possible future reads). There isn't a lot of deeper writing about critical issues such as wildlife preservation and the feminist movement, but it was nice to see these things making enough of an appearance to give Frozen the overall feeling that it was, indeed, a historical novel and that means that history is happening all around Sadie Rose.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
What I didn't like was the ease in which Sadie Rose regains her voice - especially as it happens so quickly. I mean, part of the reason I picked up the book was because her silence called to me. I needed to see a book written about this event, and grow with Sadie Rose as she struggled to overcome what has happened to her for the last 11 years. I just don't buy it though. I don't think someone who hasn't uttered a word in 11 years could be speaking fairly normally right off the bat. I defer to the experts out there, but as a reader of fiction (who likes it to be fairly realistic, unless I'm reading fantasy or something), it didn't work for me and jarred me out of the story more than once.
END SPOILER!!!
I think Frozen would be a good young adult novel for those interested in exploring historical fiction about the area. Frozen is entertaining, and a fairly quick read, and in spite of that one issue, I did enjoy the book.
In Frozen, Sadie Rose is introduced as a teenager who is simply unable to speak, due to a traumatic event in her past. She is an orphan, her father's death ruled a suicide, and her mother found frozen in the forest near Ranier, Minnesota. Taken in by the Worthington's, she remains with them as Mr. Worthington goes from Mayor of Ranier to a government political position. But a stack of photographs challenges Sadie Rose and pushes her from being the quiet, obedient charge into a girl who needs answers.
So here's what I did enjoy about Frozen. Sadie Rose is a spunky little thing. In spite of years of learning how to be a proper young woman, and obeying without any other otherwise, she takes her life into her own hands numerous times in Frozen. This could be a good/bad thing, as it's such a change of character from who Sadie Rose was to who she became, but I like to think that finding the photos she found could have been the catalyst for such a change without making it too drastic.
I loved the portrayal of Minnesota. I haven't read many books about the area, and also found helpful the list of additional reading Mary Casanova includes at the end of the book (and even marked a few of them down as possible future reads). There isn't a lot of deeper writing about critical issues such as wildlife preservation and the feminist movement, but it was nice to see these things making enough of an appearance to give Frozen the overall feeling that it was, indeed, a historical novel and that means that history is happening all around Sadie Rose.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
What I didn't like was the ease in which Sadie Rose regains her voice - especially as it happens so quickly. I mean, part of the reason I picked up the book was because her silence called to me. I needed to see a book written about this event, and grow with Sadie Rose as she struggled to overcome what has happened to her for the last 11 years. I just don't buy it though. I don't think someone who hasn't uttered a word in 11 years could be speaking fairly normally right off the bat. I defer to the experts out there, but as a reader of fiction (who likes it to be fairly realistic, unless I'm reading fantasy or something), it didn't work for me and jarred me out of the story more than once.
END SPOILER!!!
I think Frozen would be a good young adult novel for those interested in exploring historical fiction about the area. Frozen is entertaining, and a fairly quick read, and in spite of that one issue, I did enjoy the book.
August 18, 2012
Frozen is a mix of historical fiction, coming-of-age and mystery, set in 1920s Minnesota. The setting, the characters and the story make for a haunting, lyrical story as Sadie Rose's past is gradually revealed through the return of her memories from childhood.
Dotted throughout the book there are also references to the early wilderness preservation movement, prohibition and the suffragette movement, all of which Sadie finds herself part of. Although the pacing of Frozen is quite slow, it is steady and allows the characters and their relationships to intimately develop.
I liked Sadie as a character - she was tenacious without being overbearing, curious and clever, and I really wanted her to find what she was looking for. The secondary characters, Hans and Aasta, Owen, Trinity play an important part in Sadie's story and give her the strength and courage to move forward in her life.
I did enjoy reading Frozen, and the gradual revealing of Sadie's story, her interactions with the variety of characters that came into her life, but I did find the ending a little fast, in comparison with the rest of the book.
Frozen fed my historical fiction craving, and I learnt a little bit along the way too.
Dotted throughout the book there are also references to the early wilderness preservation movement, prohibition and the suffragette movement, all of which Sadie finds herself part of. Although the pacing of Frozen is quite slow, it is steady and allows the characters and their relationships to intimately develop.
I liked Sadie as a character - she was tenacious without being overbearing, curious and clever, and I really wanted her to find what she was looking for. The secondary characters, Hans and Aasta, Owen, Trinity play an important part in Sadie's story and give her the strength and courage to move forward in her life.
I did enjoy reading Frozen, and the gradual revealing of Sadie's story, her interactions with the variety of characters that came into her life, but I did find the ending a little fast, in comparison with the rest of the book.
Frozen fed my historical fiction craving, and I learnt a little bit along the way too.
July 8, 2025
A good book to learn about northern Minnesota in the early 1900s.
August 15, 2012
I really, really enjoyed Frozen. More than I thought I would. It tells Sadie’s coming of age story extremely well, and even though the mystery wasn’t really much of a mystery for me, I still found myself reading as quickly as I could, wanting to know the next chapter of the story.
Sadie Rose has been the unofficial daughter of the Worthingtons for 11 years, after the death of her mother and nearly freezing to death herself. She’s been mute since then, finding other ways to communicate. When she stumbles across pictures of her mother, something starts to change. She finds her voice, and learns that words can make her powerful.
She starts to fight against the confines she’s been held in for 11 years. She wants to think and be her own person, not held back by who her mother was, who the Worthingtons want her to be. She wants to find out where she comes from, and use that to decide who she wants to be. It makes for a compelling story about finding your own power and knowing who you are.
The relationship I loved most in this novel was the one between Sadie Rose, Aasta and Hans. Aasta and Hans give Sadie the loving relationship she needs and wants, and they give her the care the Worthingtons don’t. Their interactions always gave me a smile.
Frozen is a novel different than what I’ve been reading lately. It’s 1920′s setting gives it an interesting backdrop that really works with the underlying mystery. It’s a good read and definitely one I’ll be recommending to people.
Sadie Rose has been the unofficial daughter of the Worthingtons for 11 years, after the death of her mother and nearly freezing to death herself. She’s been mute since then, finding other ways to communicate. When she stumbles across pictures of her mother, something starts to change. She finds her voice, and learns that words can make her powerful.
She starts to fight against the confines she’s been held in for 11 years. She wants to think and be her own person, not held back by who her mother was, who the Worthingtons want her to be. She wants to find out where she comes from, and use that to decide who she wants to be. It makes for a compelling story about finding your own power and knowing who you are.
The relationship I loved most in this novel was the one between Sadie Rose, Aasta and Hans. Aasta and Hans give Sadie the loving relationship she needs and wants, and they give her the care the Worthingtons don’t. Their interactions always gave me a smile.
Frozen is a novel different than what I’ve been reading lately. It’s 1920′s setting gives it an interesting backdrop that really works with the underlying mystery. It’s a good read and definitely one I’ll be recommending to people.
September 1, 2012
Review also posted at: www.theowlreview.blogspot.com, www.netgalley.com, www.amazon.com
I was immediately drawn into this story. It begins with a girl who has witnessed something traumatic, but as readers, we don't quite know yet what it was exactly. As the story builds, it's very easy to figure out what happened, but it's the why that is yet to unfold. What she saw, precisely, that left her unable to speak.
This story really did get me interested in the beginning. It's very easy to read and I read nearly half of it in one sitting. Around the halfway mark, I felt that it slowed down. There wasn't too much happening with Sadie Rose and her story other than descriptions of what she was doing on a day-to-day basis. I still wanted to know what happened, but not enough to keep reading for too long at a time. The pacing did pick up again, and that kept me going to the end. I wanted to really love this book, because the premise was there, but it only ended up being warm to me.
Overall, it is an interesting and somewhat of a unique read. The story takes place in the 20's, which is what first piqued my interest, and then of course, wondering what happens to make this little girl unable to speak. It is a fairly fast-read, and a good story/concept. The mystery of all of this, and her coming-of-age, not only in typical fashion, but in coming out of a childhood trauma, is a great aspect of this book.
I was immediately drawn into this story. It begins with a girl who has witnessed something traumatic, but as readers, we don't quite know yet what it was exactly. As the story builds, it's very easy to figure out what happened, but it's the why that is yet to unfold. What she saw, precisely, that left her unable to speak.
This story really did get me interested in the beginning. It's very easy to read and I read nearly half of it in one sitting. Around the halfway mark, I felt that it slowed down. There wasn't too much happening with Sadie Rose and her story other than descriptions of what she was doing on a day-to-day basis. I still wanted to know what happened, but not enough to keep reading for too long at a time. The pacing did pick up again, and that kept me going to the end. I wanted to really love this book, because the premise was there, but it only ended up being warm to me.
Overall, it is an interesting and somewhat of a unique read. The story takes place in the 20's, which is what first piqued my interest, and then of course, wondering what happens to make this little girl unable to speak. It is a fairly fast-read, and a good story/concept. The mystery of all of this, and her coming-of-age, not only in typical fashion, but in coming out of a childhood trauma, is a great aspect of this book.
July 1, 2017
A story set in the 1920's in Minnesota may sound a bit simple, but not in the hands of Mary Casanova. The complexity of the times (manifest destiny/destruction of resources, prohibition, emerging women's rights-but-not-without-resistance) contributes multi-layered drama to an already intense and absorbing plot. This story unfolds with urgency and anxiety as the the sixteen-year-old Sadie Rose launches herself into her personal mystery and history, only to find answers that may be more frightening and life-changing than she could have imagined.
Must read.
Must read.
August 1, 2016
Book club continues with it's super neato them of Decade Books, aka books written during or set in a certain decade. When we pulled our decades out of a hat, I got the 1920s. So I immediately set out to try and find a YA book that took place in the 1920s, preferably one I had not read and wasn't long (which made THE DIVINERS by Libba Bray right out of the running, sadly). But on one list I found a contender: FROZEN by Mary Casanova. Not only is it set in the 1920s, it is also a mystery AND is set in Northern Minnesota! Boom! Winner.
Sadie Rose doesn't remember her early years. She was found in a snowbank as a young girl, her mother's body nearby. All that Sadie remembers from this time is that her mother was a prostitute. Rendered unable to speak, Sadie Rose was taken in by a senator and his wife. But now as a teenager she has found some photographs of her mother that raise questions for her. And when her memories come back, she has to wonder what exactly happened to her mother that night she was found in a snowbank, and Sadie lost her voice?
Well the big positive of this book is that I love history, and I love Minnesota history especially. The setting was familiar, and having a working knowledge of the time period and what was going on in this state made it kind of fun to see what Casanova did with this book and this story. There were definitely lots of shady and corrupt dealings going on in this state during the Prohibition Era, as was there a push for conservation efforts up in the North woods. This book touches on both of these issues, and that was fun to read. It is also loosely based on true events, from a dead prostitute to a conservation fight between an environmentalist and a timber baron. So that was fun. But overall the book wasn't as strong as I'd hoped it would be. Sadie Rose was a fine protagonist, but there wasn't that much to her. Her personality didn't really stand out, and while I appreciated that Casanova made her realistically of her time, there wasn't too much interesting about her. I figured out a few of the twists pretty early on in the book, but there were others that I didn't see coming (one of which because it just seemed like too much of a coincidence to feel like it was realistic). I was far more interested in the environmental storyline than the mystery of Sadie's mother and her demise, to be quite honest. I am sure that this book will bolster a lot of good discussion about book club regarding women's rights and Minnesota history, but overall I was kind of disappointed in it.
The history buff in me gives this more of a pass than other books may get. FROZEN is interesting in it's background, but it's main storyline just didn't really grab me. It's fun to read just as a Minnesota History person, though.
Sadie Rose doesn't remember her early years. She was found in a snowbank as a young girl, her mother's body nearby. All that Sadie remembers from this time is that her mother was a prostitute. Rendered unable to speak, Sadie Rose was taken in by a senator and his wife. But now as a teenager she has found some photographs of her mother that raise questions for her. And when her memories come back, she has to wonder what exactly happened to her mother that night she was found in a snowbank, and Sadie lost her voice?
Well the big positive of this book is that I love history, and I love Minnesota history especially. The setting was familiar, and having a working knowledge of the time period and what was going on in this state made it kind of fun to see what Casanova did with this book and this story. There were definitely lots of shady and corrupt dealings going on in this state during the Prohibition Era, as was there a push for conservation efforts up in the North woods. This book touches on both of these issues, and that was fun to read. It is also loosely based on true events, from a dead prostitute to a conservation fight between an environmentalist and a timber baron. So that was fun. But overall the book wasn't as strong as I'd hoped it would be. Sadie Rose was a fine protagonist, but there wasn't that much to her. Her personality didn't really stand out, and while I appreciated that Casanova made her realistically of her time, there wasn't too much interesting about her. I figured out a few of the twists pretty early on in the book, but there were others that I didn't see coming (one of which because it just seemed like too much of a coincidence to feel like it was realistic). I was far more interested in the environmental storyline than the mystery of Sadie's mother and her demise, to be quite honest. I am sure that this book will bolster a lot of good discussion about book club regarding women's rights and Minnesota history, but overall I was kind of disappointed in it.
The history buff in me gives this more of a pass than other books may get. FROZEN is interesting in it's background, but it's main storyline just didn't really grab me. It's fun to read just as a Minnesota History person, though.
January 23, 2013
Disclaimer: Received this as an ARC from NetGalley and the book's publishers in return for a unbiased, honest review!
Frozen is a story about a young girl who witnesses something traumatic, the death of her mother and those that tried to cover it up, and loses her capability of speech for more than a decade afterwards. Sadie Rose is now 16, on the cusp of womanhood, and finding a bunch of provocative (given the time period) photos of a woman, her memories of that long ago night open and trigger her capability of speech.
This is a historical fiction novel, set during prohibition.
I liked this book. That sounds so lukewarm, and it is, but I did. I liked it. I thought it was going to be a kind of horror story, focusing on Sadie Rose's mother's death and Sadie's life, etc. but it wasn't. It was more of a coming of age story, but there were so many tangents that I felt as if I didn't have a complete story...to ANY of the tangents. There's prohibition, a blossoming young woman who is mute and comes from bad circumstances, local politics focusing on environmental issues, corrupt bigwig corporate person funneling money to get what he wants politically, a whole history of the mother, Bella Rose, that is just barely touched upon, a young love story, mental illness and how it is handled, etc. SO MUCH COMMENTARY in such a short book. And when you have that much to explore, you don't really get into the depths of any of it. It's impossible.
I liked the characters, although I think Sadie goes from being a complacent mute to a rule-breaking rebel incredibly fast and it makes it a bit offputting to the reader. You hear her inner dialogue about wanting freedom, but then her first taste of it, she's walking and being heckled by coarse men. I can't see a woman who can't scream wanting to take that walk into town. Trinity and Owen and Vic and Hans and Aasta are all appealing and vibrant.
When you focus on Sadie Rose, you come away from this book happy and liking it. She goes from being a mute orphan whose future depends on the good graces of her "benefactors" to a more confident young woman who realizes that Mrs. Worthington and Hans and Aasta are her family. She gets her dream of a college education, friends of her own choosing, and a local sweetheart to boot.
The writing is sound and pulls you in, the pace is fluid with only a few bubbles that burst quickly and allow you to get back on track. It's a world well-described and easy to picture.
Frozen is already out on shelves, so go pick up a copy for a good read!
Frozen is a story about a young girl who witnesses something traumatic, the death of her mother and those that tried to cover it up, and loses her capability of speech for more than a decade afterwards. Sadie Rose is now 16, on the cusp of womanhood, and finding a bunch of provocative (given the time period) photos of a woman, her memories of that long ago night open and trigger her capability of speech.
This is a historical fiction novel, set during prohibition.
I liked this book. That sounds so lukewarm, and it is, but I did. I liked it. I thought it was going to be a kind of horror story, focusing on Sadie Rose's mother's death and Sadie's life, etc. but it wasn't. It was more of a coming of age story, but there were so many tangents that I felt as if I didn't have a complete story...to ANY of the tangents. There's prohibition, a blossoming young woman who is mute and comes from bad circumstances, local politics focusing on environmental issues, corrupt bigwig corporate person funneling money to get what he wants politically, a whole history of the mother, Bella Rose, that is just barely touched upon, a young love story, mental illness and how it is handled, etc. SO MUCH COMMENTARY in such a short book. And when you have that much to explore, you don't really get into the depths of any of it. It's impossible.
I liked the characters, although I think Sadie goes from being a complacent mute to a rule-breaking rebel incredibly fast and it makes it a bit offputting to the reader. You hear her inner dialogue about wanting freedom, but then her first taste of it, she's walking and being heckled by coarse men. I can't see a woman who can't scream wanting to take that walk into town. Trinity and Owen and Vic and Hans and Aasta are all appealing and vibrant.
When you focus on Sadie Rose, you come away from this book happy and liking it. She goes from being a mute orphan whose future depends on the good graces of her "benefactors" to a more confident young woman who realizes that Mrs. Worthington and Hans and Aasta are her family. She gets her dream of a college education, friends of her own choosing, and a local sweetheart to boot.
The writing is sound and pulls you in, the pace is fluid with only a few bubbles that burst quickly and allow you to get back on track. It's a world well-described and easy to picture.
Frozen is already out on shelves, so go pick up a copy for a good read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2012
3.33 stars out of 5
It took me a long time to get into this book. To tell the truth, I was bored with it up to the midway point, at which time some action finally happens. Having finished it now, I'm still lukewarm toward it; while there aren't a lot of bad points against it, there's nothing really exceptional either. The author draws up her plot like she's cooking a stew - some mystery meat in the form of a young mute girl searching for the truth behind her past, the greens of an enviromental aesop, the spice of feminism, some chunks of fragrant adventure in the wilderness, and a sprinkle of romance, all in a broth of a historical setting. (Bear with me and my food analogies, please. Reading about hunger makes me hungry.)
Anyway, back to the obligatory serious review. I can't say much about the plot in terms of events. The description or blurb or whatever you call it tells you pretty much the whole story; what you see there is exactly what you get.
Now, the ending. Throughout the course of this book, Sadie does a round-trip of sorts around the islands and lakes of the setting, essentially ending up back where she started, with the difference being the new information in her head and strength in her heart (or wherever strength is stored). She uses these two things to pull together a conclusion for her story and start paving the path for her future.
This is where my major gripe with this book comes in. I don't like how the author decided to "resolve" Sadie's issues. Countering deceit with blackmail is a little contradictory, if you ask me, no matter which you believe is the lesser evil.
My second, more minor gripe is, like some other reviewers have stated, about how quickly and easily Sadie found her voice again after more than a decade of silence. If that was meant to be a plot device, it was discarded too quickly and added nothing to the overall story.
I would recommend this girls in the 9-12 age group, especially those who like historical fiction or who are budding feminists, as it will probably satisfy a preteen more than it would an older teen, i.e. me, or an adult. Thanks to Netgalley.com and the University of Minnisota Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.
It took me a long time to get into this book. To tell the truth, I was bored with it up to the midway point, at which time some action finally happens. Having finished it now, I'm still lukewarm toward it; while there aren't a lot of bad points against it, there's nothing really exceptional either. The author draws up her plot like she's cooking a stew - some mystery meat in the form of a young mute girl searching for the truth behind her past, the greens of an enviromental aesop, the spice of feminism, some chunks of fragrant adventure in the wilderness, and a sprinkle of romance, all in a broth of a historical setting. (Bear with me and my food analogies, please. Reading about hunger makes me hungry.)
Anyway, back to the obligatory serious review. I can't say much about the plot in terms of events. The description or blurb or whatever you call it tells you pretty much the whole story; what you see there is exactly what you get.
Now, the ending. Throughout the course of this book, Sadie does a round-trip of sorts around the islands and lakes of the setting, essentially ending up back where she started, with the difference being the new information in her head and strength in her heart (or wherever strength is stored). She uses these two things to pull together a conclusion for her story and start paving the path for her future.
This is where my major gripe with this book comes in. I don't like how the author decided to "resolve" Sadie's issues. Countering deceit with blackmail is a little contradictory, if you ask me, no matter which you believe is the lesser evil.
My second, more minor gripe is, like some other reviewers have stated, about how quickly and easily Sadie found her voice again after more than a decade of silence. If that was meant to be a plot device, it was discarded too quickly and added nothing to the overall story.
I would recommend this girls in the 9-12 age group, especially those who like historical fiction or who are budding feminists, as it will probably satisfy a preteen more than it would an older teen, i.e. me, or an adult. Thanks to Netgalley.com and the University of Minnisota Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.
August 31, 2012
The synopsis pretty much says it all, but Frozen is a gorgeously written historical fiction novel. One that quickly drew me in and kept me immersed. It takes a lot for me to really get into historical fiction normally. I'm the girl who adores quick moving plots and witty heroines. However Mary Casanova's story drew me in for much different reasons, and it was utterly refreshing.
Sadie Rose is quite the protagonist. My favorite part about her was her spirit. When the book starts, Sadie Rose is just finding her voice. This sets in motion a series of events that lead her towards finding out who she truly is. What the reader finds is a girl who has been stifled in her growth. Missing part of her past, and constantly being told what her future will be, Sadie Rose feels like her life is going nowhere. I loved watching her grow into her own, slowly discovering how to be independent. She is a pretty brave girl, especially in the 1920's!
That being said, the rich setting of this book is also one of the reasons that I enjoyed it so much. To Sadie Rose, Rainy Lake is a small and pretty drab town. However to me, the reader, it was a place of possibility. It was fascinating to see people going about their daily lives in this time period. The divide between rich and poor. The political issues of the day. This isn't just a story about a girl finding herself, it's also an opportunity to see the beginning of a great era.
My one qualm with this book, and honestly it's a small one, is that it is rather slow at parts. The mystery surrounding Rainy Lake and Sadie Rose's past keeps things flowing pretty well. However there were points where the descriptions were a bit lengthy, and slowed things down. It didn't hamper my overall enjoyment of the story however. Those who read historical fiction often will know that descriptive writing is part and parcel to the genre.
I sincerely enjoyed Frozen as a whole, and am very glad that I took the time to read it! As I said, this isn't usually my genre of choice. That's what I'm all the more ecstatic to be able to say that I truly enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of historical fiction, give Frozen a place on your reading list.
Sadie Rose is quite the protagonist. My favorite part about her was her spirit. When the book starts, Sadie Rose is just finding her voice. This sets in motion a series of events that lead her towards finding out who she truly is. What the reader finds is a girl who has been stifled in her growth. Missing part of her past, and constantly being told what her future will be, Sadie Rose feels like her life is going nowhere. I loved watching her grow into her own, slowly discovering how to be independent. She is a pretty brave girl, especially in the 1920's!
That being said, the rich setting of this book is also one of the reasons that I enjoyed it so much. To Sadie Rose, Rainy Lake is a small and pretty drab town. However to me, the reader, it was a place of possibility. It was fascinating to see people going about their daily lives in this time period. The divide between rich and poor. The political issues of the day. This isn't just a story about a girl finding herself, it's also an opportunity to see the beginning of a great era.
My one qualm with this book, and honestly it's a small one, is that it is rather slow at parts. The mystery surrounding Rainy Lake and Sadie Rose's past keeps things flowing pretty well. However there were points where the descriptions were a bit lengthy, and slowed things down. It didn't hamper my overall enjoyment of the story however. Those who read historical fiction often will know that descriptive writing is part and parcel to the genre.
I sincerely enjoyed Frozen as a whole, and am very glad that I took the time to read it! As I said, this isn't usually my genre of choice. That's what I'm all the more ecstatic to be able to say that I truly enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of historical fiction, give Frozen a place on your reading list.
October 13, 2012
Frozen by Mary Casanova is set in northern Minnesota during the 1920's. Sixteen year old Sadie Rose has been unable to speak since her mother's death over 11 years ago. At that time, she was taken in and has been raised by the Worthington's. Mr. Worthington is now a senator and Sadie Rose feels the pressure placed on her to behave and act like a well-mannered daughter, although they never have adopted her. When Sadie Rose finds pictures of her mother it unlocks memories she didn't realize she had and helps Sadie find her voice again.
Frozen is a historical fiction YA novel. Casanova does a nice job with the setting and the incorporation of historical and social details of that time. Interestingly, the author, Mary Casanova, wrote the McKenna stories for the American Girls series. Obviously, this helps explain part of the care she has taken with establishing the historical time and place.
The plot itself wobbles a bit. Amid a myriad of social issues, Sadie Rose finds her voice with surprising quickness and ease before she asserts her individuality and sets off in a surprisingly bold, self-assured manner. Beyond Sadie Rose, all the other characters in the novel are not fully realized figures and they end up being reduced to caricatures.
It is written to target 13-17 year old girls, although I would say it hits the mark closer to the younger 13 or 14 year old reader. This age group may accept and appreciate Sadie Rose's sudden transformation to a talkative, adventurous young woman more easily than a more sophisticated teen. Older teens and adults are surely going to feel as I did - Sadie Rose's abrupt transformation and the rapid recovery of her ability to speak, after not speaking for 11 years, was too sudden and came too easily to be believable.
This is a quick read and basically enjoyable. Recommended
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes.
Frozen is a historical fiction YA novel. Casanova does a nice job with the setting and the incorporation of historical and social details of that time. Interestingly, the author, Mary Casanova, wrote the McKenna stories for the American Girls series. Obviously, this helps explain part of the care she has taken with establishing the historical time and place.
The plot itself wobbles a bit. Amid a myriad of social issues, Sadie Rose finds her voice with surprising quickness and ease before she asserts her individuality and sets off in a surprisingly bold, self-assured manner. Beyond Sadie Rose, all the other characters in the novel are not fully realized figures and they end up being reduced to caricatures.
It is written to target 13-17 year old girls, although I would say it hits the mark closer to the younger 13 or 14 year old reader. This age group may accept and appreciate Sadie Rose's sudden transformation to a talkative, adventurous young woman more easily than a more sophisticated teen. Older teens and adults are surely going to feel as I did - Sadie Rose's abrupt transformation and the rapid recovery of her ability to speak, after not speaking for 11 years, was too sudden and came too easily to be believable.
This is a quick read and basically enjoyable. Recommended
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes.
August 13, 2012
Sadie Rose is just sixteen and is learning very fast that she has been sheltered from the outside girl, but even so she is strong, has her own mind in a time when women were not supposed to. She is a lovable character and from the beginning you are left wondering exactly what is going to happen to her. The entire time I read this book I wanted only the best for her, protection from so many who seemed to hurt her and from so many that were hiding their true agendas! But Sadie keeps her wits about her and is remarkably outspoken for the times which is lovely! The few friends she finds are true friends and the little bit of family that she has she realizes are never to be replaced.
My favorite characters are the servants. Aasta is absolutely wonderful to Sadie and she gives great advice like the quote below after Sadie fails a math test.
Life rewards cat who catches mice, not those that count them.
Little tid bits like that from her and her husband make them so fabulous. I wanted to write them all down for myself as well as for Sadie! And then there are the things that Sadie knows even as a sixteen year old that nobody should and if my heart was not yet melted to her, it would be.
Sometimes life seemed more about starting again, no matter how hard, no matter how deep the wounds.
Sadie just simply shows that she knows things beyond her years and she has struggled no matter how soft her life looks. But she also realizes that even when you think your life is horrible, someone out there has it worse than you do! Fabulous thinking!
Fabulous book! My first from Mary Casanova but it will definitely not be my last.
** Thank you to University Of Minnesota Press for letting me review this as an ARC. **
My favorite characters are the servants. Aasta is absolutely wonderful to Sadie and she gives great advice like the quote below after Sadie fails a math test.
Life rewards cat who catches mice, not those that count them.
Little tid bits like that from her and her husband make them so fabulous. I wanted to write them all down for myself as well as for Sadie! And then there are the things that Sadie knows even as a sixteen year old that nobody should and if my heart was not yet melted to her, it would be.
Sometimes life seemed more about starting again, no matter how hard, no matter how deep the wounds.
Sadie just simply shows that she knows things beyond her years and she has struggled no matter how soft her life looks. But she also realizes that even when you think your life is horrible, someone out there has it worse than you do! Fabulous thinking!
Fabulous book! My first from Mary Casanova but it will definitely not be my last.
** Thank you to University Of Minnesota Press for letting me review this as an ARC. **
August 12, 2012
Sadie Rose lost her voice and her memories the night her mother died. Now, at 16 she is living with a pleasant couple, but she is feeling a little trapped. One day, she finds scandalous photographs of her mother, and begins to remember what her early life was like with her mother, a prostitute, including the night her mother died. She also begins to regain her voice, but getting her voice back may prove more dangerous than she could imagine. When she was silent and missing her memories, no one in town was worried. Now that she’s asking questions, people aren’t as happy.
Will Sadie Rose remember her mother and her mother’s death clearly enough to gain closure? Or will she remember just enough to jeopardize her own life?
My Thoughts: This story takes place in Minnesota during the 1920’s. Lumber was king and big lumber barons controlled everything—and guess who Sadie Rose’s adoptive family is involved with? I liked the setting and time period of the story, but I found the writing a little bland at times. It was slow-going as I traveled through the start of the story.
However, the plot line was a great coming-of-age journey for Sadie Rose. I guess I just struggled with the lack of action (I’ve been reading too many dystopians, maybe? :)
I thought it was interesting that as Sadie Rose gets her voice back she also becomes more empowered as a person (nice piece of symbolism:) I liked Sadie Rose as a character because she was calm and focused about remembering her past and finding out the answer to what happened to her mother. I will tell you that I was happy I stuck with it because the ending is very satisfying—I smiled as I closed the book.
Will Sadie Rose remember her mother and her mother’s death clearly enough to gain closure? Or will she remember just enough to jeopardize her own life?
My Thoughts: This story takes place in Minnesota during the 1920’s. Lumber was king and big lumber barons controlled everything—and guess who Sadie Rose’s adoptive family is involved with? I liked the setting and time period of the story, but I found the writing a little bland at times. It was slow-going as I traveled through the start of the story.
However, the plot line was a great coming-of-age journey for Sadie Rose. I guess I just struggled with the lack of action (I’ve been reading too many dystopians, maybe? :)
I thought it was interesting that as Sadie Rose gets her voice back she also becomes more empowered as a person (nice piece of symbolism:) I liked Sadie Rose as a character because she was calm and focused about remembering her past and finding out the answer to what happened to her mother. I will tell you that I was happy I stuck with it because the ending is very satisfying—I smiled as I closed the book.
October 18, 2012
A flashback into the time when women had not the right to vote in the United States, when men reigned in supremacy.
By starting this novel, the reader is immersed in a certain torpor. You are overwhelmed by the same feelings as when you entered a house that had not been opened and occupied for a while. Once the sheets are removed from the furnitures and you will let in the light enter, the house is breathing again …
Besides, I'm not sure that staying put knitting in a corner or talking about mundane things while drinking tea would have been in my character ... that why I was wholeheartedly with Sadie Rose when she tried to escape her condition and decided to fight for her freedom.
The fact that the young woman has lost her voice after a traumatic event occurring in her childhood and the unforeseen circumstances in which the teenager agrees to find her identity and her past touched me deeply.
However, I admit I was puzzled by the choice of Sadie Rose not to pursue the murderers of her mother and the character of Victor. As it appears to be a major player in the life of the girl, I expected more interaction between the two central figures .
But the adventures piqued my curiosity and I followed the heroine with ease and pleasure during her travels. Politics, murder, intrigue ... It is well written!
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...
By starting this novel, the reader is immersed in a certain torpor. You are overwhelmed by the same feelings as when you entered a house that had not been opened and occupied for a while. Once the sheets are removed from the furnitures and you will let in the light enter, the house is breathing again …
Besides, I'm not sure that staying put knitting in a corner or talking about mundane things while drinking tea would have been in my character ... that why I was wholeheartedly with Sadie Rose when she tried to escape her condition and decided to fight for her freedom.
The fact that the young woman has lost her voice after a traumatic event occurring in her childhood and the unforeseen circumstances in which the teenager agrees to find her identity and her past touched me deeply.
However, I admit I was puzzled by the choice of Sadie Rose not to pursue the murderers of her mother and the character of Victor. As it appears to be a major player in the life of the girl, I expected more interaction between the two central figures .
But the adventures piqued my curiosity and I followed the heroine with ease and pleasure during her travels. Politics, murder, intrigue ... It is well written!
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...
August 20, 2012
Set in the 1920s in northern Minnesota, Frozen incorporates historical fiction with mystery and coming-of-age. Throughout the book are references to the early wilderness preservation movement, prohibition and the suffragette movement. Sadie Rose comes in contact with them all through the people she encounters and befriends. Having lost her voice in a childhood trauma she regains it again after the discovery of some photographs that trigger her memories. As she finds her voice she also finds herself, with the help of these friends who unconsciously guide her by their own lives. Little by little she pieces together her past and finds the way to begin to build her future. The pacing of the story is slow to begin but proceeds steadily, letting us get to know the story and characters before it tumbles to the ending.
ISSUES: A little more development of the relationships between the characters would make the transition from “just met” to “best friends” a little more believable. Fleshing out the characters would help as well, especially Owen Jensen who comes and goes throughout the book despite being someone of importance to Sadie in the long run.
Thank you to University Of Minnesota Press for letting me review this as an ARC.
ISSUES: A little more development of the relationships between the characters would make the transition from “just met” to “best friends” a little more believable. Fleshing out the characters would help as well, especially Owen Jensen who comes and goes throughout the book despite being someone of importance to Sadie in the long run.
Thank you to University Of Minnesota Press for letting me review this as an ARC.
December 29, 2012
Another Minnesota author who takes on a worthy cause in writing, Mary Cassanova, offers Frozen a solid piece of historical fiction that avoids the easy path of sticking kids in the middle of world-changing events, in order to offer both a story and a history lesson. Instead Frozen commits to a quiet, unobtrusive time and place in history (the upper midwest in the early 1920s) and lets the setting help to hone the characters' personalities.
Early in the book, the long mute Sadie Rose breaks her silence as she begins to search for reasons behind her mother's murder. In doing so, she helps make the setting increasingly complex, offering a typical American Girl style novel and refracting it through less "kid-friendly" experiences (orphanages, bordellos, political patronage, corruption through wealth, mental disorders, etc.) Trained readers can easily guess at who killed Sadie's mother and how the various romantic entanglements will play out; at times that self-apparent plotting makes it feel like an overly long story, but by-and-large it inspires curiosity about the people and places that surround the events, creating a sincerely pleasurable piece of historical fiction.
Early in the book, the long mute Sadie Rose breaks her silence as she begins to search for reasons behind her mother's murder. In doing so, she helps make the setting increasingly complex, offering a typical American Girl style novel and refracting it through less "kid-friendly" experiences (orphanages, bordellos, political patronage, corruption through wealth, mental disorders, etc.) Trained readers can easily guess at who killed Sadie's mother and how the various romantic entanglements will play out; at times that self-apparent plotting makes it feel like an overly long story, but by-and-large it inspires curiosity about the people and places that surround the events, creating a sincerely pleasurable piece of historical fiction.
August 31, 2012
I read this ARC via NetGalley.com
Sadie Rose hasn't spoken a word since she was found at age 5, nearly frozen in the snow, after the murder of her prostitute mother. But now Sadie is finally speaking again. She meets Victor, a young photographer, who her foster father, a senator, believes is out to ruin him. She meets Trinity, a flapper, and Owen, who Sadie likes a lot. Sadie wants to find out more about her mother as her memories begin to return to her, and she must strike out on her own to find clues.
I wasn't totally enthralled with this tale. Sadie goes from being so traumatized she doesn't speak to breaking all the rules a bit too quickly. The issues over the environment - clear-cutting in the region of the Great Lakes - was apparently the factual basis for the story, and so I didn't really understand why the murder of a prostitute was so important until the end, yet even then it didn't seem like enough of a reason for murder. The relationship between Sadie and Owen seemed a bit thrown in. It was an okay mystery, but nothing that really drew me in.
Sadie Rose hasn't spoken a word since she was found at age 5, nearly frozen in the snow, after the murder of her prostitute mother. But now Sadie is finally speaking again. She meets Victor, a young photographer, who her foster father, a senator, believes is out to ruin him. She meets Trinity, a flapper, and Owen, who Sadie likes a lot. Sadie wants to find out more about her mother as her memories begin to return to her, and she must strike out on her own to find clues.
I wasn't totally enthralled with this tale. Sadie goes from being so traumatized she doesn't speak to breaking all the rules a bit too quickly. The issues over the environment - clear-cutting in the region of the Great Lakes - was apparently the factual basis for the story, and so I didn't really understand why the murder of a prostitute was so important until the end, yet even then it didn't seem like enough of a reason for murder. The relationship between Sadie and Owen seemed a bit thrown in. It was an okay mystery, but nothing that really drew me in.
January 7, 2015
An engrossing tale of sixteen-year-old Sadie Rose who has not spoken since she was found frozen in a snow bank. Taken in by a powerful politician and his wife, she spends summers in the remote and pristine wilderness on Rainy Lake in Northern Minnesota. Sadie is protected and doted on by the family’s housekeeper Aasta and handyman Hans, a loving couple who provide Sadie with the loving the Worthington’s fail to provide.
Not only has Sadie lost her voice, she has lost her memories. One day, she uncovers six faded photos that were hidden in Hans’s work shed, that hold clues to her identity. The mysteries these photo hold fill Sadie with a sense of purpose and with a courage she didn't know she possessed, she searches for the key that will unlock their meaning. She is certain the photos are of her mother whom she learns worked in a brothel and slowly uncovers the real reason her mother died.
While I found it difficult to imagine a mute, extremely shy child suddenly emerging as a courageous young teen, Casanova tells an engrossing and beautifully written story.
August 9, 2012
Okay... maybe not quite a 4, but pretty good after I got into it a little further. I always love a mystery, and Sadie's uncovering of who she is was intriguing. The premise of the book and how a photograph (I think) sparked the story was interesting, too. Enjoyed the ending better than the start. Historical time period that is always good for me to read further about. Love that I'm learning my history through children's and YA books. (Read the ARC from BEA.)
September 19, 2012
I had many connections...Northern Minnesota and Gustavus Adolphus College among them, that I really enjoyed reading this book. Some of the book elements seemed to resolve themselves too simply for my taste, but it was also interesting to read using the lens of a writer and thinking about the choices that a writer can make about their work.
June 7, 2014
I thought this book was great. I thought it was really slow in the beginning her not being able to talk. soon after she got her voice back she fell in love. With a boy she was not supposed to talk to. soon in the middle of the book it was a book I didn't want top set down. The book Frozen is defiantly a book you have to read.
December 5, 2016
I really liked this! I had the opportunity to meet Mary Casanova like three years ago and I only just read it. I liked that I waited though, because 13 year old me wouldnt really understand the Lady of the Night. I also just went to see her again and I got the second book which is about another character in the book!!! I am so excited to read it!!
June 5, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. I had to do a presentation on it in school and honestly I wish I could have talked about it for hours. Although there were intances where it lost its momentum and Sadie Rose didn't react in the way I wish she would have, but I still thoroughly loved coming back to reading this and wish to buy a copy of my own.
August 9, 2012
Thank you to University Of Minnesota Press for letting me review this as an ARC.
Just finished the book, loved it! My full review will be up soon.
Just finished the book, loved it! My full review will be up soon.
August 25, 2012
A fabulous read!!! I couldn't put it down. I read an advance reader copy and was thrilled. Through a past of trauma can come great things. :)
October 14, 2012
Could not stop reading this wonderful story which is well told
January 20, 2021
I love stories with a stunning setting. I also happen to love northern Minnesota! The boat rides between islands, skirting the border of Canada, with its lush wildlife and serene beauty was captivating. I definitely am going to be planning a trip soon!
This story is a young girl's struggle to find her voice, literally and figurative, in a rapidly changing world influenced by suffragettes and environmentalists. Sadie Rose has been sheltered for most of her life, raised by a senator and his demur wife. After finding photographs hidden away of her mother, memories begin crashing over her. From that moment, she begins a journey of self discovery and independence. I enjoyed Sadie Rose's development and how her view of the world is completely overturned.
As a native Minnesotan, this book already an edge going into this review. However, Casanova captured the wonder of the north woods, lakes, and wildlife along with the power of finding one's voice in a world where women's voices were rarely heard.
This story is a young girl's struggle to find her voice, literally and figurative, in a rapidly changing world influenced by suffragettes and environmentalists. Sadie Rose has been sheltered for most of her life, raised by a senator and his demur wife. After finding photographs hidden away of her mother, memories begin crashing over her. From that moment, she begins a journey of self discovery and independence. I enjoyed Sadie Rose's development and how her view of the world is completely overturned.
As a native Minnesotan, this book already an edge going into this review. However, Casanova captured the wonder of the north woods, lakes, and wildlife along with the power of finding one's voice in a world where women's voices were rarely heard.
May 3, 2018
I really wanted to like this book... Minnesota author, set way up North, female protagonist... This should have been right up my alley.
Casanova's writing style is beautiful and engaging. I have another book of hers (ICE OUT, the follow up to this) and I'm looking forward to reading it.
However, I found the pacing of this book really off (the first half was too slow, the ending was too fast). I didn't think the friend's storyline was realistic at all, and I got confused at one point because there was a reference to the night sky having the northern lights, but it was summertime.
I know this is a YA book, and if I were a YA, I would have loved the ending. As an adult reader, the ending felt like it used really convenient (unrealistic) plot twists to wrap up the story.
Finally, I wished there was a map for those of us unfamiliar with the area.
So it's a mixed bag for me, but I'll still read ICE OUT.
Casanova's writing style is beautiful and engaging. I have another book of hers (ICE OUT, the follow up to this) and I'm looking forward to reading it.
However, I found the pacing of this book really off (the first half was too slow, the ending was too fast). I didn't think the friend's storyline was realistic at all, and I got confused at one point because there was a reference to the night sky having the northern lights, but it was summertime.
I know this is a YA book, and if I were a YA, I would have loved the ending. As an adult reader, the ending felt like it used really convenient (unrealistic) plot twists to wrap up the story.
Finally, I wished there was a map for those of us unfamiliar with the area.
So it's a mixed bag for me, but I'll still read ICE OUT.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews