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Ivy #2
Hazel
Sweet but dull - that's how life has always been for Hazel Louise Mull-Dare. With money pouring in from the family's Caribbean sugar plantation, a father who spoils her rotten, and no pressure to excel in anything whatsoever, her future is looking as prim and proper as one of her hats. But on the day of the Epsom Derby - June 4th, 1913 - everything changes. A woman in a dark coat steps out in front of the King's horse, dying days later from her injuries. Who was she and why did she do it? Hazel is determined to find out. But finding out leads her into worse trouble than she could ever have imagined. It leads to banishment. To secrets that have festered, and a shame that lingers on. To madness and misunderstanding in the place where sugar cane grows. Sweet but dull - that's how life used to be for Hazel Louise Mull-Dare. Not any more.
389 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
October 6, 2011
Meh. This book was one big "meh". It felt like the author had read a bunch of other books about suffragettes, London, and sugar cane slavery....and wrote her own book without doing any further research. None of the pieces to this book felt real and fleshed out. The first half of the book was largely about Hazel being fascinated by the suffragettes in London after seeing one get trampled by a horse....but that whole story line gets dumped when she is sent to live with her grandparents on their Caribbean sugar plantation. What follows is a cliche filled, half attempt to make a statement about slavery or something. It was like the author couldn't decide what this book was going to be about. Coming of age? Womens' rights? Family secrets? Racial inequality?
The author might have had better luck with the exploration of racial issues if her black characters hadn't been so 2-D and stereotypical. In once scene, Hazel meets one of the black workers sitting on a porch and eating a big ol' slice o' melon. Seriously?
The author might have had better luck with the exploration of racial issues if her black characters hadn't been so 2-D and stereotypical. In once scene, Hazel meets one of the black workers sitting on a porch and eating a big ol' slice o' melon. Seriously?
January 14, 2011
Loved it! Especially the first half, set in 1913 London. 13-year-old Hazel becomes very interested in the suffragettes, as well as in her classmate Gloria, I thought. Which ends in disaster and her being sent to her grandparents' sugar plantation in the Caribbean... the book here felt a bit bi-polar I thought, as much as I did love it. The two halves were two very different stories for a lot of the time! And as interesting as it was to suddenly be on the other side of the world, in the wilds, with the issue of slavery in the recent past, my interests lie much more with the suffragette half.
I was also glad to finally read this, having read both Ivy and Rowan the Strange. The three fit together as a trilogy - Ivy is Hazel's mother, and Rowan's grandmother - though you don't have to read them in order, or to have read the others at all. It's just like a little bonus if you HAVE. And having read RtS before this one, I had an OMG moment because I suddenly knew what Hazel's father had done, that she didn't know about.
I was also glad to finally read this, having read both Ivy and Rowan the Strange. The three fit together as a trilogy - Ivy is Hazel's mother, and Rowan's grandmother - though you don't have to read them in order, or to have read the others at all. It's just like a little bonus if you HAVE. And having read RtS before this one, I had an OMG moment because I suddenly knew what Hazel's father had done, that she didn't know about.
July 23, 2012
Hazel’s life is not perfect.
Her father had a breakdown.
Her mother is infatuated with dogs.
And Hazel’s teachers are trying to teach her Shakespeare—with all the interesting bits blocked out.
Salvation must be somewhere.
Perhaps in the American girl who drew the scandalous picture during the class trip to Kensington Gardens. Or in the suffragette martyr—trampled at the racetrack. Or in the Caribbean—which, apparently, is where young ladies who fail to behave as young ladies are exiled.
Hazel is historical fiction set in both London and the Caribbean during the year 1913. I liked the historical details and the way Julie Hearn manages to slip in absolutely shocking information as subtly as though she is introducing a cup of tea.
Her father had a breakdown.
Her mother is infatuated with dogs.
And Hazel’s teachers are trying to teach her Shakespeare—with all the interesting bits blocked out.
Salvation must be somewhere.
Perhaps in the American girl who drew the scandalous picture during the class trip to Kensington Gardens. Or in the suffragette martyr—trampled at the racetrack. Or in the Caribbean—which, apparently, is where young ladies who fail to behave as young ladies are exiled.
Hazel is historical fiction set in both London and the Caribbean during the year 1913. I liked the historical details and the way Julie Hearn manages to slip in absolutely shocking information as subtly as though she is introducing a cup of tea.
May 18, 2010
This book seemed like it should be two different stories to me. In the first half, spoiled, rich Hazel witnesses a suffragette jump in front of a race horse and around the same time she befriends a brash, new girl at her school - both give her new ideas and questions. In the second half, after her father attempts suicide, she is sent to stay with her grandparents on the family sugar cane farm in the Caribbean where deep family secrets are revealed. The linking thread in both stories is that Hazel matures and questions assumptions about her life and what she thinks she knows.
June 3, 2011
I think I've discovered a pattern in the Julie Hearn books that I've read: They are all easy to read, and they all develop rather slowly.
I loved Ivy and was glad that she made a reappearance here, but she was the only part of this book that I really liked. Hazel herself was irritatingly naive, the plot moved as quickly as molasses in January, and the subplots just didn't feel as expertly executed as in Ms. Hearn's other novels. The first half of the book is all about the suffragette movement, yet never really delves into the issues involved. The second half is dedicated to a family secret that's not too hard to unravel. The ending came so abruptly I was left with the impression that I'd somehow missed something.
For me, Hazel just didn't have the charm of Ivy, or the subtle tension of The Minister's Daughter. It was just too vague to leave more that a hazy impression; a disappointment, considering I've come to enjoy Ms. Hearn's work.
I loved Ivy and was glad that she made a reappearance here, but she was the only part of this book that I really liked. Hazel herself was irritatingly naive, the plot moved as quickly as molasses in January, and the subplots just didn't feel as expertly executed as in Ms. Hearn's other novels. The first half of the book is all about the suffragette movement, yet never really delves into the issues involved. The second half is dedicated to a family secret that's not too hard to unravel. The ending came so abruptly I was left with the impression that I'd somehow missed something.
For me, Hazel just didn't have the charm of Ivy, or the subtle tension of The Minister's Daughter. It was just too vague to leave more that a hazy impression; a disappointment, considering I've come to enjoy Ms. Hearn's work.
March 15, 2014
Forget the sweet part, this book was dull. And dissapointing. And weird. It's like there's this weird girl who lies to Hazel, and she's trying to get Heather (whoops, Hazel) in trouble like a child, but it's a lot of trouble? It doesn't even cover why the girl is against Hazel in the first place. It's just like she sees her and is like "Oh, I'm going to make her life miserable by pretending to make her life better." It was really weird.
And the summary was completely decieveing. It talks about Hazel being banished to an island and learning more about her family history, but I was like 3/4ths through the book and she still hadn't been banished. It's like, the summary is what the book is supposed to be about not what the last 1/4th is about. And I don't even know if the last fourth is about that, because I didn't finish the book. It was so boring.
Another thing was Ivy. I read the book about Ivy, and I loved Ivy's spunky and snippy personality. But here, she is Hazel's mother, and she's very, very dissapointing. She's just this shy, awkward, strange lady with an obsession of dogs that overpowers even the love for her own daughter. It just totally ruined Ivy's character in the book, Ivy.
And the summary was completely decieveing. It talks about Hazel being banished to an island and learning more about her family history, but I was like 3/4ths through the book and she still hadn't been banished. It's like, the summary is what the book is supposed to be about not what the last 1/4th is about. And I don't even know if the last fourth is about that, because I didn't finish the book. It was so boring.
Another thing was Ivy. I read the book about Ivy, and I loved Ivy's spunky and snippy personality. But here, she is Hazel's mother, and she's very, very dissapointing. She's just this shy, awkward, strange lady with an obsession of dogs that overpowers even the love for her own daughter. It just totally ruined Ivy's character in the book, Ivy.
January 18, 2011
I really really enjoyed this book.The plot might have been lacking at times but overall the novel was very enjoyable.
Hazel is a girl that I would say feels like she knows herself & where she stands in her life,but when she is sent to live with her Grandparents while her Father is recovering from a breakdown,she discovers a world of secrets & maybe also disappiontment.
I really liked the ending & how things were left;With her Father not knowing about Tommy John or his daughter.It gave the novel a bitter sweet feel to it.
Hazel is a girl that I would say feels like she knows herself & where she stands in her life,but when she is sent to live with her Grandparents while her Father is recovering from a breakdown,she discovers a world of secrets & maybe also disappiontment.
I really liked the ending & how things were left;With her Father not knowing about Tommy John or his daughter.It gave the novel a bitter sweet feel to it.
September 13, 2010
Another great Julie Hearn book :)
December 11, 2019
Wow I did not expect to end up so thoroughly disappointed.
The premise sounded so interesting, but the writing was . just . ALL OVER THE PLACE.
Do not recommend.
The premise sounded so interesting, but the writing was . just . ALL OVER THE PLACE.
Do not recommend.
April 3, 2024
I enjoyed this book! I wish there was more time in the Caribbean, as the blurb entails. While I was able to see the connection between the suffragette angle of the first half with the second half on the island ("wild oats"), the root of the family's secret, in many ways, didn't feel deeply connected to the earlier part of the book. It felt like two different plots. And, I found myself getting anxious to get to the Caribbean—wondering when Hazel would finally be sent abroad. It took a while to get there.
Still, it was a quick read overall, and I enjoyed the Victorian melodrama and wittiness of the writing. I read "Ivy" a long time ago, but I hope to pick that up again soon so I can spend more time with the Mull-Dares.
Still, it was a quick read overall, and I enjoyed the Victorian melodrama and wittiness of the writing. I read "Ivy" a long time ago, but I hope to pick that up again soon so I can spend more time with the Mull-Dares.
June 26, 2024
This book was an enjoyable reading experience, however, it did feel like the book was trying to handle multiple issues at once. So by the end of the book, I felt like it lacked closure.
When I finished the book it felt more like two books instead of one. The first half having no connection to the remainder of the events in the book.
When I finished the book it felt more like two books instead of one. The first half having no connection to the remainder of the events in the book.
July 18, 2018
I liked it a little more than the first book, but where I liked the main character in the previous book, I hated Hazel and quite a few of the other characters. I did like her in the last few chapters, and the end of the book does circle back to Ivy's story. Another 2.5 stars.
March 1, 2019
The jacket copy made this book sound so much more adventurous and exciting than it was. The context most of the events occur in makes them much lower-stakes than I was expecting, and that kind of took the wind out of it for me.
June 19, 2020
It was an entertaining read. There was just something missing towards the end. I liked the storyline for the most part, though the England and Carribean parts almost feel too separate. Overall I did enjoy the story though.
December 27, 2019
Caring, sensitive to time and place. Beautifully written with great insight.
May 1, 2022
The book randomly switched storylines in the middle of it. It was definitely a YA book, but weird.
July 10, 2022
Felt like reading two different books
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2024
Everything Julie Hearn crafts is a treasure to read.
April 19, 2025
I feel like the author over explained a lot and didn’t give much for interpretation. Overall not bad, was mildly entertaining but not gonna lie I had to force myself to finish.
April 25, 2025
It was alright for the most part but far too fast-paced, with the work of the suffragettes at the beginning not tying into the later story despite a rather unique ending. The ending seems more chance than anything, with money eventually magically appearing rather than being any of Hazel's own doing - that being said, the themes covered in the book are right up my alley and therefore I would somewhat recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2013
Originally published at: http://muggle-born.net/hazel-by-julie...
Sweet and dull is not only how I would describe the protagonist’s life, but also how I would describe the entirety of HAZEL by Julie Hearn. The novel as a whole felt too disjointed – the first and the second halves of HAZEL by Julie Hearn are so different that it felt like two separate books.
HAZEL by Julie Hearn is technically a sequel to Ivy by Julie Hearn. In HAZEL, the protagonist is Ivy’s daughter. HAZEL by Julie Hearn is more like a companion novel than a direct sequel because it can stand alone on its own. The only advantage of reading Ivy beforehand is a better understanding of Hazel’s mother.
Nothing bothers me more than a naive protagonist. I love my characters to be intelligent and independent. They don’t have to be a know-it-all (ahem, Hermione), but I’d like them to have a decent head on her shoulders. Hazel is unfortunately not one of those heroines. Admittedly, she is barely thirteen at the beginning of the novel, and she has very much to learn. She lives a sheltered life and her education as a gentleman’s daughter is pretty limited. Hazel’s naivete causes her to be easily manipulated by others.
My problem with HAZEL by Julie Hearn is also the lack of suspense. Hearn has the habit oftelling readers what is about to happen instead of just letting the reader figure it out themselves. This becomes even more problematic for me, because the things that Hearn tells readers are quite blatantly obvious to begin with.
The build-up of the plot in HAZEL by Julie Hearn is a slow build. Hazel won’t be sailing for the Caribbean until more than halfway through the novel. If historical novels aren’t your thing (and even if they are…) this probably won’t be the book for you if you cannot take a slow plot.
Furthermore, HAZEL by Julie Hearn felt too disjointed. When I was reaching the conclusion of HAZEL by Julie Hearn, it was almost hard for me to believe that the first and second parts of the novel are all from the same book. It was as if there were too separate plots, and it just wasn’t threaded well together seamlessly. HAZEL by Julie Hearn does pick up in the second half of the book with the introduction of the family mystery
Upon further contemplation of the novel, it seems like the most important issue at hand, women’s rights, were simply brushed aside once more. Hazel doesn’t really ever get to learn the importance of women’s votes. Her “fight” for the suffragettes only caused her banishment from her home and humiliation. She still has a limited understanding of what it means for a woman to be able to vote due to the fact that her information came from someone who intended to betray her.
Overall, HAZEL by Julie Hearn was just not the book for me. I would probably only recommend this to those who like historical novels. If historical is definitely not your tea, then give this one a pass.
Sweet and dull is not only how I would describe the protagonist’s life, but also how I would describe the entirety of HAZEL by Julie Hearn. The novel as a whole felt too disjointed – the first and the second halves of HAZEL by Julie Hearn are so different that it felt like two separate books.
HAZEL by Julie Hearn is technically a sequel to Ivy by Julie Hearn. In HAZEL, the protagonist is Ivy’s daughter. HAZEL by Julie Hearn is more like a companion novel than a direct sequel because it can stand alone on its own. The only advantage of reading Ivy beforehand is a better understanding of Hazel’s mother.
Nothing bothers me more than a naive protagonist. I love my characters to be intelligent and independent. They don’t have to be a know-it-all (ahem, Hermione), but I’d like them to have a decent head on her shoulders. Hazel is unfortunately not one of those heroines. Admittedly, she is barely thirteen at the beginning of the novel, and she has very much to learn. She lives a sheltered life and her education as a gentleman’s daughter is pretty limited. Hazel’s naivete causes her to be easily manipulated by others.
My problem with HAZEL by Julie Hearn is also the lack of suspense. Hearn has the habit oftelling readers what is about to happen instead of just letting the reader figure it out themselves. This becomes even more problematic for me, because the things that Hearn tells readers are quite blatantly obvious to begin with.
The build-up of the plot in HAZEL by Julie Hearn is a slow build. Hazel won’t be sailing for the Caribbean until more than halfway through the novel. If historical novels aren’t your thing (and even if they are…) this probably won’t be the book for you if you cannot take a slow plot.
Furthermore, HAZEL by Julie Hearn felt too disjointed. When I was reaching the conclusion of HAZEL by Julie Hearn, it was almost hard for me to believe that the first and second parts of the novel are all from the same book. It was as if there were too separate plots, and it just wasn’t threaded well together seamlessly. HAZEL by Julie Hearn does pick up in the second half of the book with the introduction of the family mystery
Upon further contemplation of the novel, it seems like the most important issue at hand, women’s rights, were simply brushed aside once more. Hazel doesn’t really ever get to learn the importance of women’s votes. Her “fight” for the suffragettes only caused her banishment from her home and humiliation. She still has a limited understanding of what it means for a woman to be able to vote due to the fact that her information came from someone who intended to betray her.
Overall, HAZEL by Julie Hearn was just not the book for me. I would probably only recommend this to those who like historical novels. If historical is definitely not your tea, then give this one a pass.
November 9, 2013
Hazel is 13 in 1913 and is privileged to be the daughter of a gentleman In Sugar. She adores her Daddy, who tells her stories about how he met her beautiful, former artist's model mother at the Battersea dog shelter and fell instantly in love. Hazel is sheltered and comfortable in her world but on June 4, she tumbles into young adulthood when she witnesses a woman being trampled by the King's horse at the Epsom Derby. The woman was a suffragist, something had never heard about or thought of until that moment. Another crack in Hazel's easy existence comes soon after, when her beloved father suffers financial reversal and a nervous breakdown. Hazel is kept in ignorance of the true facts and carries on as if her father will return home shortly and everything will be the same. She continues to attend the Kensington School for the Daughters of Gentlemen, where her teachers censor Shakespeare and collect nature specimens. The new girl at school, Gloria, stirs things up and introduces Hazel to thoughts and feelings Hazel has never experienced before. Hazel's crush on Gloria and her new-found interest in women's suffrage cause Hazel to create a scandal which results in her being shipped off to her grandparents' sugar plantation in the Caribbean where mysterious and uncomfortable events of long ago resurface and Hazel makes the final transition into young adulthood. This is an unusual coming-of-age novel about a little girl who seems much older than 13. Hazel is very young and naive and her actions reflect that, but she seems rather young to be the heroine of the plot. I kept thinking she was 16 or older. Gloria, especially seems too old to be in school. I also didn't understand why the teachers didn't use the Bowlderized editions of Shakespeare, which would of course take away some of the incidents that transition Hazel from girlhood to young adulthood. Her family secrets can be easily guessed by any reader who knows enough about the history of African peoples transplanted to European societies. Hazel matures rather quickly and the ending is rather rushed and abrupt. I have mixed feelings about this book. I didn't really care for it and most of Hazel's coming-of-age seemed unrealistic and over-the-top. The proper young miss shedding the confines of her stuffy society plot has been done so many times before and it's a plot I normally like but I just couldn't find Hazel sympathetic or interesting. This is a sequel to Hearn's previous novel, Ivy, but enough background information is given for this book to stand on it's own. If you liked In The Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson, you will probably like Hazel, though it's not a romance.
December 16, 2014
Synopsis
It is early in the 20th Century and the times are changing. For Hazel Louise Mull-Dare the changes are having a massive impact. She was there the day that Emily Davison was knocked down by a horse at the Epsom Derby and from that moment on she becomes obsessed with the rights and wrongs of the world.
Having lived an extremely sheltered life, Hazel – the daughter of a gentleman – looks at the world with wide eyed optimism and ends up landing herself in a spot of bother when she befriends the wrong sort of girl. Her life is further awash with turmoil when her father loses all of their money (and potentially their social status through gambling. It is these outside factors (among plenty of others) that force Hazel Louise Mull-Dare to grow up and to take stock of what is really happening in the world.
Review
Hazel is the second book that I have read by Julie Hearn and I have to say I liked it more than Rowan the Strange. It pains me to say that because I really enjoyed Rowan the Strange; as did the KS3 students that I read it with two years ago. Once again, Hearn has come up trumps. She has a brilliant ability to create believable and likeable historical fiction for children.
What is marvellous about Hearn’s style is that she uses history and the social changes to mirror the protagonist. In this case, the protagonist Hazel is growing up and becoming a young woman in a time when women were coming into their own. They were fighting for the vote and trying to gain independence; Hazel’s life has been so very sheltered that she gains independence through knowledge. As she learns the secrets of her family, the truth about so-called “friends” and the realities of what is expected of young women she becomes more and more incensed to have control.
It is this sort of fiction that is vital for young adults. Exposing young adults to fiction with a factual base is key to peaking curiosity and helping them realise the “what” and “when” of how modern day society was created and the sacrifices that people made; in this particular case, the fight for votes by the Suffragettes.
Hazel by Julie Hearn is available now.
It is early in the 20th Century and the times are changing. For Hazel Louise Mull-Dare the changes are having a massive impact. She was there the day that Emily Davison was knocked down by a horse at the Epsom Derby and from that moment on she becomes obsessed with the rights and wrongs of the world.
Having lived an extremely sheltered life, Hazel – the daughter of a gentleman – looks at the world with wide eyed optimism and ends up landing herself in a spot of bother when she befriends the wrong sort of girl. Her life is further awash with turmoil when her father loses all of their money (and potentially their social status through gambling. It is these outside factors (among plenty of others) that force Hazel Louise Mull-Dare to grow up and to take stock of what is really happening in the world.
Review
Hazel is the second book that I have read by Julie Hearn and I have to say I liked it more than Rowan the Strange. It pains me to say that because I really enjoyed Rowan the Strange; as did the KS3 students that I read it with two years ago. Once again, Hearn has come up trumps. She has a brilliant ability to create believable and likeable historical fiction for children.
What is marvellous about Hearn’s style is that she uses history and the social changes to mirror the protagonist. In this case, the protagonist Hazel is growing up and becoming a young woman in a time when women were coming into their own. They were fighting for the vote and trying to gain independence; Hazel’s life has been so very sheltered that she gains independence through knowledge. As she learns the secrets of her family, the truth about so-called “friends” and the realities of what is expected of young women she becomes more and more incensed to have control.
It is this sort of fiction that is vital for young adults. Exposing young adults to fiction with a factual base is key to peaking curiosity and helping them realise the “what” and “when” of how modern day society was created and the sacrifices that people made; in this particular case, the fight for votes by the Suffragettes.
Hazel by Julie Hearn is available now.
May 16, 2010
It's weird to me that even though this is a sequel and was published a few years ago it only has 3 or 4 reviews whereas the first book, Ivy, has numerous. Interesting. Anyway, I'm going to give it a go.
FINISHED: Wow, this was not my cup of tea. The protagonist is a baby. The first and second halves have nothing in common and seem like two different books.
The first half is an ode to Sufferagette's .... but in a bad way. The second half is an ode to slavery... also done poorly but at least with a hint of mystery and interest behind it. Not enough... but some. I kept getting little hints of the edginess of some of the author's other works but it never surfaces. It's a very vanilla book.
I'm was surprised by that.. the author's Julie Hearn other works: Ivy Ivy and The Minister's Daughter were gritty, mature, edgy, and really good. This one is supposed to be the daughter of Ivy from the first book but it butchers it's connection to Ivy making me wonder what the heck happened to the her that made her such a wussy. Ew.
OK OK OK.. I'm a harsh old woman, fine. I read other people's reviews and realize that they have a point. For a young kid 12-16, which this book is for, the book is probably great. Hazel does have alot of experiences and the author explores plenty of "in the time period" conflict and coming of age angst..... it just feels so naive and babyish. For my tastes (as previously mentioned, I am an old woman of 40) it did not work. For theirs....it definitely deserves a higher mark.
FINISHED: Wow, this was not my cup of tea. The protagonist is a baby. The first and second halves have nothing in common and seem like two different books.
The first half is an ode to Sufferagette's .... but in a bad way. The second half is an ode to slavery... also done poorly but at least with a hint of mystery and interest behind it. Not enough... but some. I kept getting little hints of the edginess of some of the author's other works but it never surfaces. It's a very vanilla book.
I'm was surprised by that.. the author's Julie Hearn other works: Ivy Ivy and The Minister's Daughter were gritty, mature, edgy, and really good. This one is supposed to be the daughter of Ivy from the first book but it butchers it's connection to Ivy making me wonder what the heck happened to the her that made her such a wussy. Ew.
OK OK OK.. I'm a harsh old woman, fine. I read other people's reviews and realize that they have a point. For a young kid 12-16, which this book is for, the book is probably great. Hazel does have alot of experiences and the author explores plenty of "in the time period" conflict and coming of age angst..... it just feels so naive and babyish. For my tastes (as previously mentioned, I am an old woman of 40) it did not work. For theirs....it definitely deserves a higher mark.
March 14, 2015
I really liked Hazel, although I was not too pleased with the ending which seemed to put everything in a tidy box and call it a day. The first 300+ pages were wonderful. The last three, pretty meh.
What I enjoyed most about Hazel though, is that Hazel is a 13 year old in the first half of the twentieth century just learning about race and women's rights and she acts like it. Too often historical fiction that hits on the "tough issues" puts a modern, twenty-first century girl in the body of a girl from another age. A teenager in 1850 is a firm abolitionist even though she's never interacted with anyone of another race and she's a proud liberal feminist even though she's only met simple-minded, conservative women. NOPE. Hazel wants to understand these issues and she knows that things are not right, but she is still ignorant. Even at the book's close, she remains just obtuse enough to make her a very believable character for not just the time period, but her age.
Gloria, he antagonist for the first half though... UGH. Listen, I wasn't alive in 1913 (big shocker) but they way she spoke seemed so... 2014. She was a great foil for Hazel in that Hazel seemed time period appropriate and Gloria seemed like a time traveler with a facebook.
This book seemed to hit on a lot of Big Issues. So we've got suicide, women's rights, martyrs, race, slavery, venereal diseases, alcoholism, and I'm sure there's more, but that's all I've got off the top of my head. So although I greatly enjoyed this book, I'm not sure for whom it is intended. I would be very wary of passing it off to most of the readers in my library in the target age group (upper elementary-middle school) and I have little hope of getting a teenager to read it as it is housed in our juvenile fiction category. This is a great book, but perhaps not perfect for a conservative community.
What I enjoyed most about Hazel though, is that Hazel is a 13 year old in the first half of the twentieth century just learning about race and women's rights and she acts like it. Too often historical fiction that hits on the "tough issues" puts a modern, twenty-first century girl in the body of a girl from another age. A teenager in 1850 is a firm abolitionist even though she's never interacted with anyone of another race and she's a proud liberal feminist even though she's only met simple-minded, conservative women. NOPE. Hazel wants to understand these issues and she knows that things are not right, but she is still ignorant. Even at the book's close, she remains just obtuse enough to make her a very believable character for not just the time period, but her age.
Gloria, he antagonist for the first half though... UGH. Listen, I wasn't alive in 1913 (big shocker) but they way she spoke seemed so... 2014. She was a great foil for Hazel in that Hazel seemed time period appropriate and Gloria seemed like a time traveler with a facebook.
This book seemed to hit on a lot of Big Issues. So we've got suicide, women's rights, martyrs, race, slavery, venereal diseases, alcoholism, and I'm sure there's more, but that's all I've got off the top of my head. So although I greatly enjoyed this book, I'm not sure for whom it is intended. I would be very wary of passing it off to most of the readers in my library in the target age group (upper elementary-middle school) and I have little hope of getting a teenager to read it as it is housed in our juvenile fiction category. This is a great book, but perhaps not perfect for a conservative community.
August 18, 2011
Hazel--who turns 13 on Friday, June 13, 1913--has led a privileged and extremely sheltered life at the Kensington School for Daughters of Gentlemen in London, but she loses her naivete over the course of this story. First is a woman who marches in front of the horses at the racetrack, allowing herself to be trampled to draw attention to her suffragist cause. Soon after, a rebellious schoolmate points out that their teacher is skipping words as they read Shakespeare, words like "womb" and "bosom" and "amorous," then draws an entirely inappropriate picture in art. Hazel finds herself more intrigued and excited by these exposures than scandalized. But then something bad happens to her father--something that everyone insists on hiding from her--and she's shipped off to her grandparents' sugar plantation in the Caribbean for a stay while she's taught what she'll need to know to "marry up." There, however, she discovers even darker secrets in her family's past, and she changes much more than anyone ever expected.
I have to say I was disappointed with this book after how much I liked Hearn's The Minister's Daughter and it took me forever to get through (always a bad sign), but it was a decent period piece that grappled with some significant issues.
I have to say I was disappointed with this book after how much I liked Hearn's The Minister's Daughter and it took me forever to get through (always a bad sign), but it was a decent period piece that grappled with some significant issues.
December 29, 2015
Hazel is an enjoyable coming of age story that seems a bit fractured at first, but comes together wonderfully in the end.
Hazel has two different sorts of adventures in two different parts of the world. In the beginning Hazel lives an incredibly sheltered life and is very naive. After unknowingly making a nemesis of Gloria Gilbert she begins the first half of her journey, which is based in London. This half of the book gets a little long, especially considering the protagonist has yet to learn and develop. The second part of the book takes place in the Caribbean and is (in my opinion) more enjoyable. She learns and she grows. She leaves and the reader leave her a wiser and more enjoyable protagonist. The two parts of the story seems a bit fragmented because they take different directions of looking at repression and the cast of characters did take a rather extensive change. I found that it handled race and privilege fairly well and was not terribly awkward. Though admittedly, I found the seeming lack of support for the suffrage movement among the women a little unbelievable.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel rather a lot, it was an excellent coming of age story with good historical context, and didn't even know it was sequel to Ivy. I will keep my eye open for it.
Hazel has two different sorts of adventures in two different parts of the world. In the beginning Hazel lives an incredibly sheltered life and is very naive. After unknowingly making a nemesis of Gloria Gilbert she begins the first half of her journey, which is based in London. This half of the book gets a little long, especially considering the protagonist has yet to learn and develop. The second part of the book takes place in the Caribbean and is (in my opinion) more enjoyable. She learns and she grows. She leaves and the reader leave her a wiser and more enjoyable protagonist. The two parts of the story seems a bit fragmented because they take different directions of looking at repression and the cast of characters did take a rather extensive change. I found that it handled race and privilege fairly well and was not terribly awkward. Though admittedly, I found the seeming lack of support for the suffrage movement among the women a little unbelievable.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel rather a lot, it was an excellent coming of age story with good historical context, and didn't even know it was sequel to Ivy. I will keep my eye open for it.
December 11, 2010
I might have liked Hazel or at least given it another star if it had a different title,(Why does every book with a main character with an interesting name have to use this name as a title?!)I didn't have to trudge through 200 pages of boring text punctuated by the aforementioned inspiration for the title making incredibly stupid mistake after stupid mistake(nobody's perfect, but seriously, I'm starting to think there's somthing wrong with her brain)before reaching the very short climax, if the incredibly stupid Hazel was not also an ignorant brat,(Sometimes it's fun to have a sassy character, but this was just the product of really bad parenting, in my opinion.)and if there had been any really interesting characters. Hazel's mother, th subject of another of Hearn's novels, was interesting(I appreciate fellow vegetarians) but was not a main character, and if the book weren't so uneven in detail. Some parts of the book are superflously detailed and foreshadowed, and others are almost completely bare of any important detail. I did like the time period, and the novel had good potential, and I will try to read Ivy, Hearn's first novel.(Her writing can't have gotten any worse, after all)
March 15, 2013
This book didn't really stand out to me. Don't get me wrong, it's enjoyable but it really didn't hook me like 'Ivy' did.
That said, there seemed to be something very authentic about it. Hazel's life in London, which wasn't the largest chunk of the book, was well described.
On the island, there were some neat characters and interesting developments. There's this thing about a ghost or something which goes nowhere.
I honestly didn't think it should have been a sequel. Ivy was only featured in it once or twice and her daughter didn't need to be her daughter. In fact, the father had a much larger role to play.
In The Fault in our Stars by John Green, there's a quote that goes something like 'the story ends when you read the last page'. By that I mean Ivy's story already came to an end. She isn't need in this book. That's the difference between real characters and made-up ones: with made-up ones the reader can make up their own mind about what happens next.
For people who liked 'Ivy', you should definitely consider reading this book, but don't expect to hear Ivy's story continued.
For others, feel free!
That said, there seemed to be something very authentic about it. Hazel's life in London, which wasn't the largest chunk of the book, was well described.
On the island, there were some neat characters and interesting developments. There's this thing about a ghost or something which goes nowhere.
I honestly didn't think it should have been a sequel. Ivy was only featured in it once or twice and her daughter didn't need to be her daughter. In fact, the father had a much larger role to play.
In The Fault in our Stars by John Green, there's a quote that goes something like 'the story ends when you read the last page'. By that I mean Ivy's story already came to an end. She isn't need in this book. That's the difference between real characters and made-up ones: with made-up ones the reader can make up their own mind about what happens next.
For people who liked 'Ivy', you should definitely consider reading this book, but don't expect to hear Ivy's story continued.
For others, feel free!
September 11, 2012
The sequel to Ivy (actually it's Ivy: the Next Generation) It's an interesting story set in 1913, just before the war and England is a fairly Victorian world. Hazel is in a small school for young ladies and she's being taught to be a wife, to expect that she should marry well. She knows little about her mother's past.
Her world changes when a sufragette steps out in front of the King's horse, dying later from her injuries. Hazel's father had a lot of money riding on that horse and now things have to change. She will have to get married to a wealthy man, particularly as her father is broken by the events. She gets sucked into action by one of her classmates that means that she's sent to her father's parents in the Caribbean to learn to be a proper "lady". There she finds truths that's she not prepared for and this changes her again.
It's an interesting coming-of-age story with some very interesting subtexts that make it quite complex on one level and somewhat over-stated on others.
Her world changes when a sufragette steps out in front of the King's horse, dying later from her injuries. Hazel's father had a lot of money riding on that horse and now things have to change. She will have to get married to a wealthy man, particularly as her father is broken by the events. She gets sucked into action by one of her classmates that means that she's sent to her father's parents in the Caribbean to learn to be a proper "lady". There she finds truths that's she not prepared for and this changes her again.
It's an interesting coming-of-age story with some very interesting subtexts that make it quite complex on one level and somewhat over-stated on others.
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