Maggie

by Marie Maxwell, Unknown Author

A gripping saga, richly evocative of the period, featuring the gutsy and determined Maggie, who struggles to deal with her lot in life… As the only child of loving, affluent parents, Maggie Wheaton's life is near perfect. Well brought up in the close-knit village of Melton in Cambridgeshire, she had grown into a beautiful young woman who is confident, bright and popular. But in 1962, days after her sixteenth birthday her idyllic life is shattered when a disastrous car accident kills both her parents. Already engulfed in grief Maggie then suffers the ultimate betrayal when she learns a life-changing family secret. Maggie has no choice but to go and live with her appointed guardian, Ruby Riordan and her family in the seaside town of Southend. Struggling with the loss of her parents she sets out on a deliberate path of self-destruction and goes increasingly off the rails. She pushes Ruby to the brink and when she finally snaps, Maggie runs away to London to seek fame and fortune as a singer. But life in the city is not what Maggie thought it would be and she quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy and dangerous world of deception. Can she extract herself from the situation or will she have to depend on Ruby and Johnnie to find her in time? A hard-hitting and heartbreaking new novel from the author who bought you Ruby and Gracie. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Dilly Court.

Unknown Binding

First published April 10, 2014

Reviews

[Waheed Rabbani · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1962, in Cambridgeshire, England, sixteen-year-old Maggie is driving with her parents, from their country manor, to go shopping in London. The spoiled and only child of her affluent parents, she has another heated argument with her mother about Ruby, her mother’s best friend. When her mother, who is driving, rubber-necks to admonish Maggie, the car leaves the road and rolls over. While Maggie survives, her parents die in the accident. It’s no surprise to Maggie that her parents’ will appoints Ruby and her husband, Johnnie, as Maggie’s guardians. She’s removed from her comfortable home and friends to Southend. Maggie is perplexed that Ruby is also a beneficiary to half of her parents’ fortune; Maggie would receive her share only when she is twenty-one. Although informed about a family secret, Maggie doesn’t quite believe it and thinks Ruby is snatching her inheritance. Maggie, wanting to be a singer, is lured to London by her boyfriend’s father, a music agent, who promises to help her recover all her parents’ riches. But he has ulterior motives for assisting the attractive teenager. Learning of Maggie’s disappearance places Ruby and Johnnie in a quandary, hoping they aren’t too late to save her.

While this novel is a follow-up to Marie Maxwell’s two earlier books (Gracie and Ruby), it doesn’t read like a sequel. Maggie is determined to follow her mind, and that includes snaring the boy of her dreams. While that might not be unusual, when she also desires and takes extraordinary steps to recoup her inaccessible wealth, and to become a vocalist, she seems older than just sixteen. However, Maxwell has penned an appealing story of a rebellious, self-destructive teenager in an unusual situation. The novel is a “gripping saga,” true to its subtitle, with wonderful dialogue, taking place in the evocative settings of London and its environs. Recommended.

Waheed Rabbani is a historical fiction author, whose books are available on Amazon and elsewhere.

This review first appeared in the Historical Novels Review Issue 72 (May 2015).

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really easy and quick read. Over too quickly for my liking. Follows on from the story about Ruby by the same author. We read about Maggie's feelings of estrangement after discovering she had been adopted and also her guilty feelings after thinking she caused her adoptive parents death. it's a journey that shows the mixed up feelings of a teenage girl but her true parents take a back role in the story as Maggie in her mixed up state goes on to make what could have been a dreadful mistake. Luckily it all ends well.

[Kaitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. I would probably put this more in the Young Adult category as I was a bit disappointed at the lack of historical details of this book (the reason I had chosen this read.) It was set in the 60's, but other than a few references to record players, it could have really been set anywhere at anytime.

It's a story about a young girl, Maggie Wheaton, who loses everything she knows and loves and discovers secrets about her past. It makes me dread having a 16-year-old someday! The reader sways back and forth between feeling sympathy for Maggie and wanting to slap some sense into her. It was also very predictable.

It includes many issues facing teenagers, both now and I'm guessing in the 60's too. Wanting independence, to be heard, and to decide things for themselves. But ultimately realizing that grown-ups may have a bit more wisdom than they want to admit and there is a reason 16-year-olds shouldn't be making decisions for themselves.

Not a bad read, just not what I was expecting and it left me wanting more. A common theme for me these days! So I'll leave it at that, a short story that maybe would be good for teenagers and their parents alike to open up communication.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for allowing me to preview.

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