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Unnoticed
Plain Jane O'Reilly is good at being unnoticed. Detested by her stepmother and teased by her stepsisters, Jane has learned the art of avoiding attention. That is until Price Moreland, an American with big dreams, arrives in her small town. Does she dare to hope someone might notice her? However, Price Moreland may not be the prince that the whole town thinks him to be. Was his desire to be a missionary a God-given call, or just a good excuse to run from his past? Complete with an evil stepmother, a missing shoe and a grand ball, Unnoticed takes the time-old Cinderella fairy tale and gives it an Australian twist.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2017
26 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Deed
17 books30 followersAmanda Deed grew up in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne in a Christian home, and found faith at an early age. She has followed her passion to serve the Lord through music and literature since her teen years. Now married, with three children, Amanda enjoys the variety of being a mother, administrator/book-keeper, musician and fiction writer.
Amanda’s debut novel, The Game, was awarded the 2010 CALEB Prize for fiction.
Amanda’s debut novel, The Game, was awarded the 2010 CALEB Prize for fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 10, 2017
My review
This is a sweet retelling of the Cinderella story set in 1877 Australia and with Christian overtones. As one who is not normally into stories that retell fairy tales, I found this an enjoyable read. I liked Jane and Price, the two main characters, even though at times I found their decisions a little mystifying. The scenes set in the dentist’s chair made me glad for progress made by modern day dentistry. The stepsisters and stepmothers are suitably nasty and uncaring but it was Jane’s father that I found myself getting most annoyed with.
I liked the way the old story is woven into a new setting and the way the story evolves. Needless to say, just as in the original story not all runs smoothly or according to plan. I also found it a little hard to comprehend that people could not see past Jane’s clothes since she was, according to Price, her father and Aunt Ruby, beautiful. But then it is a fairy tale, so sometimes you just have to go along with the story and not get caught up in all the details. The majority of the story works extremely well and it is a lot of fun. The Christian message comes through clearly and romance is always on the agenda. Setting and characters are well drawn. An enjoyable read, I did think it was a shame that the letters scattered through the story were written in such faint type. That might make it harder for some older people to read. But as it is probably intended for a younger audience, I guess this shouldn’t present too much of a problem. As usual a lovely cover on this charming Rhiza Press book.
This is a sweet retelling of the Cinderella story set in 1877 Australia and with Christian overtones. As one who is not normally into stories that retell fairy tales, I found this an enjoyable read. I liked Jane and Price, the two main characters, even though at times I found their decisions a little mystifying. The scenes set in the dentist’s chair made me glad for progress made by modern day dentistry. The stepsisters and stepmothers are suitably nasty and uncaring but it was Jane’s father that I found myself getting most annoyed with.
I liked the way the old story is woven into a new setting and the way the story evolves. Needless to say, just as in the original story not all runs smoothly or according to plan. I also found it a little hard to comprehend that people could not see past Jane’s clothes since she was, according to Price, her father and Aunt Ruby, beautiful. But then it is a fairy tale, so sometimes you just have to go along with the story and not get caught up in all the details. The majority of the story works extremely well and it is a lot of fun. The Christian message comes through clearly and romance is always on the agenda. Setting and characters are well drawn. An enjoyable read, I did think it was a shame that the letters scattered through the story were written in such faint type. That might make it harder for some older people to read. But as it is probably intended for a younger audience, I guess this shouldn’t present too much of a problem. As usual a lovely cover on this charming Rhiza Press book.
November 8, 2017
A clever and enjoyable story. As an animal lover I thoroughly enjoyed Jane’s pets as added personalities. I appreciated the unique Australian characters, scenery, animals and history. As always, Amanda Deed has interwoven spiritual depth into the plot and characters which makes it more than just a story – it is also a challenge to the heart and soul. Although I didn’t enjoy this novel quite as much as some of Deed’s others as I got frustrated by the misunderstandings between characters at times, I still thought it was well written and definitely worth reading!
May 27, 2017
Unnoticed by Amanda Deed is a Cinderella retelling set in New South Wales in the 19th century.
Jane O'Reilly, or plain Jane, as the townsfolk of Hay call her, is convinced she is unlovely and is mistreated by her step-mother and step-sisters. She finds happiness in the love and care of her animals, including Moses the cockatoo, and also in the warm concern of her Stepmother's sister, Ruby. Jane's world is turned upside down with the arrival of the handsome and winsome American Price Moreland, the new barber and dentist in town. In fact many of the town's eligible young women swoon over this eligible match, at least at first.
Unnoticed is a delightful romance as Jane and Price navigate the obstacles to finding happiness together. Deed does a masterful job of evoking the setting of rural Australia in the 1860s. The relationship between Jane and Price, and the obstacles that set to derail their budding romance are believable and satisfying. And all the traditional elements of the Cinderella story - from stepmother, stepsisters, fairy godmother (Ruby), to ball and discarded shoe are included in an unforced and original way. The book has a strong faith element which explores deep spiritual issues without been preachy. And the conclusion is satisfying.
I greatly enjoyed reading Amanda Deed's Unnoticed and look forward to reading her next Australian based fairy-tale retelling.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
Jane O'Reilly, or plain Jane, as the townsfolk of Hay call her, is convinced she is unlovely and is mistreated by her step-mother and step-sisters. She finds happiness in the love and care of her animals, including Moses the cockatoo, and also in the warm concern of her Stepmother's sister, Ruby. Jane's world is turned upside down with the arrival of the handsome and winsome American Price Moreland, the new barber and dentist in town. In fact many of the town's eligible young women swoon over this eligible match, at least at first.
Unnoticed is a delightful romance as Jane and Price navigate the obstacles to finding happiness together. Deed does a masterful job of evoking the setting of rural Australia in the 1860s. The relationship between Jane and Price, and the obstacles that set to derail their budding romance are believable and satisfying. And all the traditional elements of the Cinderella story - from stepmother, stepsisters, fairy godmother (Ruby), to ball and discarded shoe are included in an unforced and original way. The book has a strong faith element which explores deep spiritual issues without been preachy. And the conclusion is satisfying.
I greatly enjoyed reading Amanda Deed's Unnoticed and look forward to reading her next Australian based fairy-tale retelling.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
May 19, 2017
The author is one of my friends and co-authors of a novel I worked on, The Greenfield Legacy, so I was keen to start this new story.
I saved it to read as a treat, because that's what fairy tale adaptations are. Not many authors have attempted to set them in colonial Australia (well, as far as I know), but it's the perfect spot to see a familiar plot play out. Poor Miss Jane O'Reilly has lost her mother. She is shy and retiring, partly because her stepmother and stepsisters boss her around and pay her out, but mostly because she truly feels herself to be inferior. I'm sure you can guess the tale from that description.
There are all sorts of role reversals to make us smile. The 'ugly sisters' are actually quite pretty, while the poor heroine knows very well that her own nickname is 'Plain Jane.' She has such a fixed opinion about her own deficiencies, it never occurs to her that fresh eyes might regard her differently. My favourite detail is her embarrassingly huge feet, since the real Cinderella's always sounded ridiculously tiny. This version seems far more down to earth and real.
Price Moreland is the handsome American newcomer, who has set himself up as the town barber and dentist. It's reasonable that he'd attract the single women, but instead of taking the town's opinions on board, he has his own standards of what makes a girl beautiful. I'm glad he was a decent guy, because someone in his position needs lots of good character. He doesn't realise the depth of what he's taking on, since the person he falls for has such messy hang-ups after the way she's always been treated, yet it's all new to him.
In other words, Jane has baggage, and Price needs the maturity to understand and help her find a different way of seeing herself, all at the tender age of 26 (I figured out how old he was from clues in the story). Since traditional handsome princes don't always come across as sensitive, and willing to take someone else's load upon their shoulders I liked the depth it added to this story. He's more than just a dazzling smile and handsome face.
There's also some personal background of his own, since he left America to escape the racial tension of the Civil War, but finds out that it's everywhere, even on the Hay Plains. And he reflects himself on the impossible choice that faces him to either change his deepest principles or lose what he loves the most. The serious undercurrent this gives the novel seems to suit the Cinderella story.
It is quite lighthearted overall though, and I admit I sometimes begin adaptations of well known stories with a bit of trepidation. They can lose their suspense since we know what's coming. In this case though, I was interested to see how all elements could possibly come together, including the shoe, the fairy godmother, and the animal entourage. Jane's pets are actually quite a highlight of this story, headed by Moses the sulfur crested cockatoo. It's full of anticipation rather than predictability, and I'm sure anyone who appreciates the romance of fairy tales will love how it all comes together.
Finally, it's interesting to see what a visit to the dentist was like in colonial times, since I had a toothache of my own recently.
Thanks to Rhiza Press and NetGalley for my review copy.
For more reviews and book chat, visit my blog, http://vincereview.blogspot.com.au/
I saved it to read as a treat, because that's what fairy tale adaptations are. Not many authors have attempted to set them in colonial Australia (well, as far as I know), but it's the perfect spot to see a familiar plot play out. Poor Miss Jane O'Reilly has lost her mother. She is shy and retiring, partly because her stepmother and stepsisters boss her around and pay her out, but mostly because she truly feels herself to be inferior. I'm sure you can guess the tale from that description.
There are all sorts of role reversals to make us smile. The 'ugly sisters' are actually quite pretty, while the poor heroine knows very well that her own nickname is 'Plain Jane.' She has such a fixed opinion about her own deficiencies, it never occurs to her that fresh eyes might regard her differently. My favourite detail is her embarrassingly huge feet, since the real Cinderella's always sounded ridiculously tiny. This version seems far more down to earth and real.
Price Moreland is the handsome American newcomer, who has set himself up as the town barber and dentist. It's reasonable that he'd attract the single women, but instead of taking the town's opinions on board, he has his own standards of what makes a girl beautiful. I'm glad he was a decent guy, because someone in his position needs lots of good character. He doesn't realise the depth of what he's taking on, since the person he falls for has such messy hang-ups after the way she's always been treated, yet it's all new to him.
In other words, Jane has baggage, and Price needs the maturity to understand and help her find a different way of seeing herself, all at the tender age of 26 (I figured out how old he was from clues in the story). Since traditional handsome princes don't always come across as sensitive, and willing to take someone else's load upon their shoulders I liked the depth it added to this story. He's more than just a dazzling smile and handsome face.
There's also some personal background of his own, since he left America to escape the racial tension of the Civil War, but finds out that it's everywhere, even on the Hay Plains. And he reflects himself on the impossible choice that faces him to either change his deepest principles or lose what he loves the most. The serious undercurrent this gives the novel seems to suit the Cinderella story.
It is quite lighthearted overall though, and I admit I sometimes begin adaptations of well known stories with a bit of trepidation. They can lose their suspense since we know what's coming. In this case though, I was interested to see how all elements could possibly come together, including the shoe, the fairy godmother, and the animal entourage. Jane's pets are actually quite a highlight of this story, headed by Moses the sulfur crested cockatoo. It's full of anticipation rather than predictability, and I'm sure anyone who appreciates the romance of fairy tales will love how it all comes together.
Finally, it's interesting to see what a visit to the dentist was like in colonial times, since I had a toothache of my own recently.
Thanks to Rhiza Press and NetGalley for my review copy.
For more reviews and book chat, visit my blog, http://vincereview.blogspot.com.au/
April 2, 2017
Unnoticed by Amanda Deed is a completely different take on the classic Cinderella story. This story is based in Australia and makes the story take on a different charm. I really like how Deed creates a unique plot line, settings, and character list that takes this Cinderella type story to the next level. We all have read that classic story and know how she always get her prince. However, this story is based in the Aussie outback with wildlife and interesting characters that help make this a really great love story. The prince does not have a castle and a royal court, instead he is the town dentist and barber. Little does the town know that the family he left in America owns a major railroad empire. If you love a happy ending, this is the book for you.
October 27, 2018
Amanda Deed Can write a page turner. Quick write another!
April 6, 2017
Plain Jane O’Reilly wants nothing more than to go about her business ‘unnoticed’. Not much chance of that, seeing she’s tall, has an abundance of unruly red hair, and big feet ‘that poke out like a dead tree on a barren landscape’. (I loved that line!)
Her mother died when she was a little girl, her stepmother is nasty, and so are Jane’s two stepsisters who swan around the homestead and get Jane to do everything for them. Sound familiar?
If you’ve guessed ‘Unnoticed’ is based on the story of Cinderella, you’re right. I really enjoyed the parallel, not just because it’s different to any other I’ve read, but because it’s set in Australia. In the town of Hay, New South Wales, in 1877, to be precise. And while Jane is obviously Cinderella, there’s a lot more to her than a fairy tale character. She grabbed me from the first page.
Jane comes across as vulnerable yet strong, hopeful even though she’s been continually let down, and, like us all, she simply wants to be loved. She doesn’t think she deserves it though, and the reasons for her misbelief made me want to slap some sense into a few people on her behalf.
Prince Charming, a.k.a. Price Moreland, is a barber-surgeon – interesting combination – and has come from America because … well, I’ll let you find that out for yourself. Whilst I found him interesting, I didn’t feel there was as much depth to him as there was to Jane. However, Jane finds him tall, dark and gorgeous, and he thinks the tree-climbing Jane is tall, beautiful and intriguing, so that’s all that matters.
The rest of the story takes them both on a spiritual as well as romantic journey. I particularly enjoyed the following passage:
“Aunt Ruby, why would God love me?”
Without hesitation, her aunt’s face it up with a broad smile. “Because you breathe, lovey. He don’t need any more reason than that. Because you breathe.”
Beautiful, isn’t it?
In my opinion, Jane and her idiosyncrasies make the story sing. (Wait until you find out the names she’s given her beloved animals.) As I read, I envisaged her played by a young Judy Davis. (Anyone remember My Brilliant Career?) Or, going back even further, Katherine Hepburn.
So. ‘Unnoticed’. A beloved fairy tale with quirky characters and an Australian twist … what’s not to love?
4.5 stars from me :)
Please note: Amanda Deed is a fellow author
Her mother died when she was a little girl, her stepmother is nasty, and so are Jane’s two stepsisters who swan around the homestead and get Jane to do everything for them. Sound familiar?
If you’ve guessed ‘Unnoticed’ is based on the story of Cinderella, you’re right. I really enjoyed the parallel, not just because it’s different to any other I’ve read, but because it’s set in Australia. In the town of Hay, New South Wales, in 1877, to be precise. And while Jane is obviously Cinderella, there’s a lot more to her than a fairy tale character. She grabbed me from the first page.
Jane comes across as vulnerable yet strong, hopeful even though she’s been continually let down, and, like us all, she simply wants to be loved. She doesn’t think she deserves it though, and the reasons for her misbelief made me want to slap some sense into a few people on her behalf.
Prince Charming, a.k.a. Price Moreland, is a barber-surgeon – interesting combination – and has come from America because … well, I’ll let you find that out for yourself. Whilst I found him interesting, I didn’t feel there was as much depth to him as there was to Jane. However, Jane finds him tall, dark and gorgeous, and he thinks the tree-climbing Jane is tall, beautiful and intriguing, so that’s all that matters.
The rest of the story takes them both on a spiritual as well as romantic journey. I particularly enjoyed the following passage:
“Aunt Ruby, why would God love me?”
Without hesitation, her aunt’s face it up with a broad smile. “Because you breathe, lovey. He don’t need any more reason than that. Because you breathe.”
Beautiful, isn’t it?
In my opinion, Jane and her idiosyncrasies make the story sing. (Wait until you find out the names she’s given her beloved animals.) As I read, I envisaged her played by a young Judy Davis. (Anyone remember My Brilliant Career?) Or, going back even further, Katherine Hepburn.
So. ‘Unnoticed’. A beloved fairy tale with quirky characters and an Australian twist … what’s not to love?
4.5 stars from me :)
Please note: Amanda Deed is a fellow author
June 24, 2017
Unnoticed is a Cinderella story, although there were also hints of Pride and Prejudice in the characterisation of Mr and Mrs O’Reilly—at times, Mrs O’Reilly made Mrs Bennett seem astute and intelligent, and Mr O’Reilly made Mr Bennett seem like an attentive father.
Jane O’Reilly is our Cinderella figure, the unloved daughter forced to take second place to her stepmother and stepsisters—all ugly in attitude if not in looks. The description of Jane brings to mind a young Nicole Kidman, so she’s far from the Plain Jane people call her. But she doesn’t see that. She also doesn’t see that beauty is as much about who we are on the inside as on the outside, nor does she understand that God sees her and loves her for who she is. She doesn’t have to be beautiful.
Prince Charming is Price Moreland, an American who has left the country of his birth with noble intentions to bring the gospel to Australia. At least, that’s what he tells himself. But he’s soon distracted by Jane, who he thinks of as anything but plain. It’s good to see a romance where the hero and heroine both have personal faith journeys.
What raised Unnoticed above other fairytale retellings was the way the character histories were woven in. Not just for Jane and Price, but for Mrs O’Reilly (and her sister, the family cook), and Mr O’Reilly. It showed their neglect and mistreatment of Jane wasn’t because of any wrongdoing by Jane, but was a product of their own backgrounds. I especially liked the way I didn’t feel manipulated into feeling sorry for Jane’s parents.
The writing was solid, although there were a few places where it wasn’t as strong. But these are insignificant in the face of an excellent fairytale retelling with a unique historical Australian setting.
Thanks to ACRBA and Rhiza Press for providing a free ebook for review.
Jane O’Reilly is our Cinderella figure, the unloved daughter forced to take second place to her stepmother and stepsisters—all ugly in attitude if not in looks. The description of Jane brings to mind a young Nicole Kidman, so she’s far from the Plain Jane people call her. But she doesn’t see that. She also doesn’t see that beauty is as much about who we are on the inside as on the outside, nor does she understand that God sees her and loves her for who she is. She doesn’t have to be beautiful.
Prince Charming is Price Moreland, an American who has left the country of his birth with noble intentions to bring the gospel to Australia. At least, that’s what he tells himself. But he’s soon distracted by Jane, who he thinks of as anything but plain. It’s good to see a romance where the hero and heroine both have personal faith journeys.
What raised Unnoticed above other fairytale retellings was the way the character histories were woven in. Not just for Jane and Price, but for Mrs O’Reilly (and her sister, the family cook), and Mr O’Reilly. It showed their neglect and mistreatment of Jane wasn’t because of any wrongdoing by Jane, but was a product of their own backgrounds. I especially liked the way I didn’t feel manipulated into feeling sorry for Jane’s parents.
The writing was solid, although there were a few places where it wasn’t as strong. But these are insignificant in the face of an excellent fairytale retelling with a unique historical Australian setting.
Thanks to ACRBA and Rhiza Press for providing a free ebook for review.
July 7, 2017
Unnoticed is an enjoyable story about Jane O’Reilly and the new bachelor in town, Price Moreland. It is very loosely based on Cinderella with a nasty step mother, a grand ball and a missing shoe. However, this similarity is hardly noticeable.
I liked the way, the author Amanda Deed, was able to weave some important spiritual truths into the story. For example, we can’t completely depend on someone else to meet our needs for acceptance, belonging and love. It is easy to spiritualize our reasons for the choices we make, and our sense of worth needs to come from being a child of God.
There were times, I found it wearying that Jane kept jumping to the wrong conclusions about Price and his intentions. Though, when I thought about it, this is exactly the way a person in Jane’s position behaves, since she had such poor self-worth. So regardless of the connection to a fairy tale, there was a sense of reality about the story, and the characters were believable.
I found the book well-written and easy to read. I agree with Andrea Grigg, who comments that ‘Unnoticed is Amanda’s best work’ yet.
An enjoyable read.
Thanks to Rhiza Press for providing a free book for review.
I liked the way, the author Amanda Deed, was able to weave some important spiritual truths into the story. For example, we can’t completely depend on someone else to meet our needs for acceptance, belonging and love. It is easy to spiritualize our reasons for the choices we make, and our sense of worth needs to come from being a child of God.
There were times, I found it wearying that Jane kept jumping to the wrong conclusions about Price and his intentions. Though, when I thought about it, this is exactly the way a person in Jane’s position behaves, since she had such poor self-worth. So regardless of the connection to a fairy tale, there was a sense of reality about the story, and the characters were believable.
I found the book well-written and easy to read. I agree with Andrea Grigg, who comments that ‘Unnoticed is Amanda’s best work’ yet.
An enjoyable read.
Thanks to Rhiza Press for providing a free book for review.
May 1, 2017
Very clever and sweet romance.
May 13, 2017
Review copy received from publisher*
DNF
DNF
May 20, 2017
Review can also be found at https://wp.me/p7bgOg-up
Received an ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Cinderella has so many different interpretations that sometimes it is difficult to keep track of which one is which. Well, this one is in its own category of christian romance. Now I am not against anything Christian based. This one was focused on a young women finding love within herself and God, instead of seeking love and validation through others. The overall plot and concept were great. I think the evil step-mother and step-sisters were well portrayed and still seen as human. The father was not dead in this story, he was more neglectful and absent emotional towards Jane. Our Cinderella, also known as, Jane (Plain Jane) was an independent red-head that seek solace. Her pets were peculiar. She had a pet bird that would sit on her shoulder everywhere she went. She also had a horse that didn't like anyone in a white hat. Her god-mother figure (ironically) her step-mothers sister.
The author did a great job with bring life and compassion from the readers towards Jane's step-mother. We learn about her history and struggles that she went through at a younger age. The questions about the choices she made and the motivation behind her actions was address by the aunt. That was helpful. It was one thing I truly liked about the book.
Our Prince Charming was Price Moreland. He moves to Australia to help move God’s work forward, but earns his living by being a dentist/barber. He is like a missionary, but not a full-time type. He works and seeks for opportunities to talk and share about God’s work. He runs into prejudice and discrimination from the town folks, when he brings an 'Asian' man to church service. He tries to show compassion, but his own personal struggles get in the way. When things become to difficult for him to deal with, he rather avoid confrontation. He, for lack of a better phrase, runs-away. He did it with his family in the Americas and he does it again with his relationship with Jane.
So there were a few positive things I liked about the book. The characterization was written well. The personal growth and development of our two main characters was well paced. I liked the relationship that Jane had with her aunt and the spiritual strength she would give her.
Now there were some parts of the book I just skipped over, because I couldn’t keep reading pages and pages of internal struggle with spiritual matters. I just couldn’t do it. You can call me a heathen if you must, but it just felt redundant.
However, the book is good for anyone that once a clean family friendly story.
I give the book 3 hearts. Not bad, but I will most likely not read again.
March 21, 2017
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'll start by saying that I got a little over-excited when I seen that this was a retelling of Cinderella (I'm a sucker for reimagining of fairytales) and I didn't really read the entire description. I'm not a religious person, this was a pretty religious book (once I realized this I went back and sure enough one of its genres was "Christian fiction"). I read it anyway though and found it wasn't too preachy until close to the end.
Second, this was listed as a young adult book. It isn't. I would call it Christian and historical fiction. I guess Jane is 18, but I have no clue how old Price is (old enough to have gone to dentistry school and become a barber/dentist then sail from America to Australia). If you can gauge how accurate and well-written historical fiction is by how much it ticks off a feminist, then this is very well written!
Also, Jane has some pretty significant mental health issues. But she also comes off as kind of selfish and shallow. She never considered her father's issues after her mother's passing and doesn't show any empathy after learning of her step-mother's past. I feel like even when Jane got her "happily ever after" (not a spoiler guys, it's a retelling of Cinderella) she still doesn't take a new perspective and empathize with her stepmother (you'd think if she had discovered God and all of his love, she'd be able to forgive, especially once removed from her situation?). In conclusion, Jane is always pretty "poor me" even though I feel like she was supposed to be this fierce, independent (for the time period), kind girl.
To conclude, I didn't like Jane. This was not a YA novel. But it was well written and if you like historical fiction then you will probably like this book. Three stars because it was well written (though if I'm honest I would've given it 2.5 if it was an option).
I'll start by saying that I got a little over-excited when I seen that this was a retelling of Cinderella (I'm a sucker for reimagining of fairytales) and I didn't really read the entire description. I'm not a religious person, this was a pretty religious book (once I realized this I went back and sure enough one of its genres was "Christian fiction"). I read it anyway though and found it wasn't too preachy until close to the end.
Second, this was listed as a young adult book. It isn't. I would call it Christian and historical fiction. I guess Jane is 18, but I have no clue how old Price is (old enough to have gone to dentistry school and become a barber/dentist then sail from America to Australia). If you can gauge how accurate and well-written historical fiction is by how much it ticks off a feminist, then this is very well written!
Also, Jane has some pretty significant mental health issues. But she also comes off as kind of selfish and shallow. She never considered her father's issues after her mother's passing and doesn't show any empathy after learning of her step-mother's past. I feel like even when Jane got her "happily ever after" (not a spoiler guys, it's a retelling of Cinderella) she still doesn't take a new perspective and empathize with her stepmother (you'd think if she had discovered God and all of his love, she'd be able to forgive, especially once removed from her situation?). In conclusion, Jane is always pretty "poor me" even though I feel like she was supposed to be this fierce, independent (for the time period), kind girl.
To conclude, I didn't like Jane. This was not a YA novel. But it was well written and if you like historical fiction then you will probably like this book. Three stars because it was well written (though if I'm honest I would've given it 2.5 if it was an option).
January 13, 2020
Intertextuality is one of my favourite things, so I loved this version of Cinderella, set in a gold mining town in rural NSW in the 1800's.
Author Amanda Deed writes realistic characters in a beautifully recognisable rural Australian setting.
Great story, brilliant setting, very satisfying finish. Loved it.
Author Amanda Deed writes realistic characters in a beautifully recognisable rural Australian setting.
Great story, brilliant setting, very satisfying finish. Loved it.
May 16, 2017
~3.75 stars~
March 30, 2017
(This review can also be found here: https://beautifulilies.wordpress.com/2017/03/30/unnoticed-by-amanda-deed/)
A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve read a lot of Christian fiction novels in my time – they’re quite enjoyable in a historical context – but this is definitely the most Christian one I’ve read so far. This is by no means a criticism as it can still be enjoyed by anyone, but more a heads up if it’s not really your thing.
Something I wasn’t sure I could get with was the author’s continuous use of description. You could probably go pages without any real action or dialogue, just the characters reflecting on themselves, which is important but also could happen in other ways. Additionally, miscommunication as a plot line can only be used so many times – and this novel certainly exceeded this.
Aside from this, the characters were pleasantly enjoyable. They were all written in-depth, a far cry from the original telling of Cinderella where people are evil because they just are. Deed certainly displays her deep understanding of human nature in this novel which makes it such a good read. My favourite parts included Deed exploring issues with the Christian community, and when the characters you thought were wicked turned out not to be so wicked after all.
A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve read a lot of Christian fiction novels in my time – they’re quite enjoyable in a historical context – but this is definitely the most Christian one I’ve read so far. This is by no means a criticism as it can still be enjoyed by anyone, but more a heads up if it’s not really your thing.
Something I wasn’t sure I could get with was the author’s continuous use of description. You could probably go pages without any real action or dialogue, just the characters reflecting on themselves, which is important but also could happen in other ways. Additionally, miscommunication as a plot line can only be used so many times – and this novel certainly exceeded this.
Aside from this, the characters were pleasantly enjoyable. They were all written in-depth, a far cry from the original telling of Cinderella where people are evil because they just are. Deed certainly displays her deep understanding of human nature in this novel which makes it such a good read. My favourite parts included Deed exploring issues with the Christian community, and when the characters you thought were wicked turned out not to be so wicked after all.
April 7, 2017
It was fun to read from the Australian perspective. I enjoyed the storyline but felt the ending was off. I didn't think the turn at the end was very believable but it does go along with the Cinderella theme.
November 29, 2017
This is a hard book to review because I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. Unfortunately it was a DNF for me as I struggled to stay captivated by the story...even though I tried several times to re-attempt to read it. While I loved the concept of a historic Cinderella retelling, set in a rural 1860s Australia, I just really struggled to connect to the characters. The story didn't really feel like a YA read either...which is perhaps why I struggled to enjoy it. That being said, the story is really well written and I know that there are many others who would thoroughly enjoy Unnoticed.
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