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Restoring Harmony
The year is 2041. Sixteen-year-old Molly McClure has lived a relatively quiet life on an isolated farming island in Canada, but when her family fears the worst may have happened to her grandparents in the US, Molly must brave the dangerous, chaotic world left after global economic collapse. One of massive oil shortages, rampant crime, and abandoned cities. Molly is relieved to find her grandparents alive in their Portland suburb, but they are financially ruined and practically starving. What should have been a quick trip turns into a full-fledged rescue mission. And when Molly witnesses something the local crime bosses wishes she hadn't, Molly's only way home may be to beat them at their own game. Luckily, there's a handsome stranger who's willing to help.
Restoring Harmony is a riveting, fast-paced dystopian tale complete with adventure and romance that readers will devour.
Restoring Harmony is a riveting, fast-paced dystopian tale complete with adventure and romance that readers will devour.
307 pages, Hardcover
First published May 8, 2010
28 people are currently reading
6084 people want to read
About the author
Joelle Anthony
4 books84 followersI was born in Portland, Oregon and went to school with the same kids from kindergarten through high school. I always wondered why kids in books were depressed about having to move. That sounded so exciting to me. So as an adult, I packed up my husband and cats and moved all the way to a new country! I now live on a small island in BC, Canada. It was definitely an adventure to love.
I'm the author of four published novels and have taught writing at conferences, festivals, and in schools across the US and Canada. I'm also a regular contributor to The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrator's bulletin, and a member of the Canadian Writer's Union. Speed of Life is my most recent YA (writing as J. M. Kelly). It's a 2018 White Pine nominee and a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award shortlisted book. I'm also the author of the Violet Downey Award nominated and Voya Top Shelf Award winning MG, A Month of Mondays, along with the YAs Restoring Harmony and The Right & the Real. Currently, I'm working on an historical novel for adults set in 1962 Vancouver during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
In addition to writing, I am a freelance editor/story development and professional writing mentor at www.thewritepotential.com
I'm the author of four published novels and have taught writing at conferences, festivals, and in schools across the US and Canada. I'm also a regular contributor to The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrator's bulletin, and a member of the Canadian Writer's Union. Speed of Life is my most recent YA (writing as J. M. Kelly). It's a 2018 White Pine nominee and a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award shortlisted book. I'm also the author of the Violet Downey Award nominated and Voya Top Shelf Award winning MG, A Month of Mondays, along with the YAs Restoring Harmony and The Right & the Real. Currently, I'm working on an historical novel for adults set in 1962 Vancouver during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
In addition to writing, I am a freelance editor/story development and professional writing mentor at www.thewritepotential.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews
August 11, 2011
For a book set in a bleak dystopian future where the world has run out of oil and society has all but totally disintegrated, this is a surprisingly light-hearted, sweet little story. It has a different feel from many other YA dystopian novels, probably because it focuses more on family, the importance of compassion, and the joy of music rather than fast-paced action, violence, and dark mystery. Instead of a futuristic society where a questionable new set of mores have settled into place, we're simply left with the crumbled remains of our current rules and customs.
Molly McClure, our musically talented young heroine from Canada, is the heart and soul of the book. She is saddled with the duty of [illegally] jumping the border to the US, tracking down her estranged grandparents, convincing them to return to Canda with her, and then making the arduous journey home. The most exciting sequences in the novel take place during the trips out of and back to Canada, and between them is a pleasant lull. While Molly is stranded at her grandparents' house in the USA, she befriends her neighbor's orphaned children, revitalizes his vegetable garden, forms a friendship with her elusive crush "Spill," and clings to the hope that she will soon return home. She also plays her fiddle, Jewels, to pass the time and stay optimistic. A love of music enriches the entire novel and is probably one of the book's best features. Just as poetry as an important facet of Matched, music plays a vital role in Restoring Harmony. Jewels the fiddle, personified both by her name and by Molly's love for her, actually seems like a legitimate character.
The writing style is easy and fluid; I read the entire thing in a day. It wasn't the action or intrigue that kept me hooked, it was the pleasant way the story was written and the characters were developed. Readers looking for the mind-blowing, bone-rattling shocks and injustices found in books like 1984, This Perfect Day, and even The Hunger Games might be disappointed by this calm little adventure. Restoring Harmony's aim is not to reveal a horrifying vision of a hellish future or to run your heart through a paper shredder, as far as I can tell. But I don't think every book has to pack a teeth-chattering punch in order to be worthwhile. It's more about the importance of family, friendship, hard work, and faith. This book reminds me of an American Girl novella written for a slightly older crowd. With that being said, I prefer something with a little more grit, badassery, and danger.
Molly McClure, our musically talented young heroine from Canada, is the heart and soul of the book. She is saddled with the duty of [illegally] jumping the border to the US, tracking down her estranged grandparents, convincing them to return to Canda with her, and then making the arduous journey home. The most exciting sequences in the novel take place during the trips out of and back to Canada, and between them is a pleasant lull. While Molly is stranded at her grandparents' house in the USA, she befriends her neighbor's orphaned children, revitalizes his vegetable garden, forms a friendship with her elusive crush "Spill," and clings to the hope that she will soon return home. She also plays her fiddle, Jewels, to pass the time and stay optimistic. A love of music enriches the entire novel and is probably one of the book's best features. Just as poetry as an important facet of Matched, music plays a vital role in Restoring Harmony. Jewels the fiddle, personified both by her name and by Molly's love for her, actually seems like a legitimate character.
The writing style is easy and fluid; I read the entire thing in a day. It wasn't the action or intrigue that kept me hooked, it was the pleasant way the story was written and the characters were developed. Readers looking for the mind-blowing, bone-rattling shocks and injustices found in books like 1984, This Perfect Day, and even The Hunger Games might be disappointed by this calm little adventure. Restoring Harmony's aim is not to reveal a horrifying vision of a hellish future or to run your heart through a paper shredder, as far as I can tell. But I don't think every book has to pack a teeth-chattering punch in order to be worthwhile. It's more about the importance of family, friendship, hard work, and faith. This book reminds me of an American Girl novella written for a slightly older crowd. With that being said, I prefer something with a little more grit, badassery, and danger.
March 5, 2010
Molly lives in a world very different from the one you and I have come to know. And that is not because she lives it Canada. It’s because she lives in 2041 and after the Collapse, which left the entire world in financial peril.
Molly and her family live on a small island, an island that was able to recover quite well after the Collapse, one that’s small and quaint; one where family is the most important thing you’ve got. When the island doctor is killed in a freak accident and Molly’s grandmother in the United States is feared to be dead, it’s up to the 16-year-old Molly to make back to the U.S., find her ex-doctor grandfather and bring him back to the island before her pregnant mother gives birth.
The way the world is described, I would be terrified! It’s a totally different kind of world than we live in today. The economy has totally collapsed, there’s no oil, the government is in ruins, and most of the large cities are ran by The Organization (basically, the mob). There’s little actual money anymore, the economy is mostly made up of the barter system, and occasionally gold. That is all so very odd to me, but that’s also a very different world than the one I live in, and the one you live in.
Technology has of course advanced…A LOT. Like there’s CyberSpeak (an advanced version of Skype), most cars that are left are electric, and there’s a number of other kind of awesome contraptions that would be totally useful (weightless trailers that can be pulled on a bicycle, anyone?). At times it doesn't really feel like technology is all that advanced because transportation has gone back to trains and bicycles, but the downfall of cars and the like really didn't have anything to do with technology as much as it was because the government had taken over the oil supply.
Armed with only her fiddle, feisty attitude, and a good sense of the land, Molly heads to America. With the help of a few friendly strangers, Molly’s adventure takes her right where she needs to be, but can she make it home alive?
There’s some really strong character in Joëlle Anthony’s debut novel. I found Molly to be an adoring sort of person; she’s smart and relatable in a sense. Spill is that sweet guy with the tough outer shell that I was dying to see more of. Grandpa, while rough at first, had the warmest heart and was absolutely hilarious at times. They were all strong, well developed characters, and I totally adore that.
But I did have a few concerns. Molly has got to be the luckiest character in dystopian literature history! Every predicament she got into, she got out of generally unscathed and in about two seconds, talk about unlikely and after a while, very predictable. The bad guys weren’t bad enough. There were plenty of bad guys, but they were either seriously stupid or way too soft, and this should have been a story where the bad guys were really bad. I really wanted more action too. Molly spent so much time doing ordinary, mundane things and I was hoping for more adventure and action in this excitingly, dangerous world.
While it did have its flaws, there were things I thoroughly enjoyed. I love how Molly risks it all, including her life, for the attempt to save her family. I love how caring she is; even towards those she barely knows (i.e. Brandy and Michael). Watching her relationships with those around her grow is also a major treat, and totally refreshing to see, since a lot of what we see are broken families and unhealthy relationships. It was nice and moving to see a different kind of relationship between characters, after a while seeing nothing but dysfunctional people can get tiring.
Despite the setting, I didn’t really find Restoring Harmony to be as much a dystopian novel, as I saw it to be more about family and relationships. And that’s not completely a bad thing, although I was disappointed since I was expecting something more of a dystopian adventure. At its roots, Restoring Harmony was a fairly enjoyable story, but don’t go into it expecting to be shocked and scared by their dystopia
Molly and her family live on a small island, an island that was able to recover quite well after the Collapse, one that’s small and quaint; one where family is the most important thing you’ve got. When the island doctor is killed in a freak accident and Molly’s grandmother in the United States is feared to be dead, it’s up to the 16-year-old Molly to make back to the U.S., find her ex-doctor grandfather and bring him back to the island before her pregnant mother gives birth.
The way the world is described, I would be terrified! It’s a totally different kind of world than we live in today. The economy has totally collapsed, there’s no oil, the government is in ruins, and most of the large cities are ran by The Organization (basically, the mob). There’s little actual money anymore, the economy is mostly made up of the barter system, and occasionally gold. That is all so very odd to me, but that’s also a very different world than the one I live in, and the one you live in.
Technology has of course advanced…A LOT. Like there’s CyberSpeak (an advanced version of Skype), most cars that are left are electric, and there’s a number of other kind of awesome contraptions that would be totally useful (weightless trailers that can be pulled on a bicycle, anyone?). At times it doesn't really feel like technology is all that advanced because transportation has gone back to trains and bicycles, but the downfall of cars and the like really didn't have anything to do with technology as much as it was because the government had taken over the oil supply.
Armed with only her fiddle, feisty attitude, and a good sense of the land, Molly heads to America. With the help of a few friendly strangers, Molly’s adventure takes her right where she needs to be, but can she make it home alive?
There’s some really strong character in Joëlle Anthony’s debut novel. I found Molly to be an adoring sort of person; she’s smart and relatable in a sense. Spill is that sweet guy with the tough outer shell that I was dying to see more of. Grandpa, while rough at first, had the warmest heart and was absolutely hilarious at times. They were all strong, well developed characters, and I totally adore that.
But I did have a few concerns. Molly has got to be the luckiest character in dystopian literature history! Every predicament she got into, she got out of generally unscathed and in about two seconds, talk about unlikely and after a while, very predictable. The bad guys weren’t bad enough. There were plenty of bad guys, but they were either seriously stupid or way too soft, and this should have been a story where the bad guys were really bad. I really wanted more action too. Molly spent so much time doing ordinary, mundane things and I was hoping for more adventure and action in this excitingly, dangerous world.
While it did have its flaws, there were things I thoroughly enjoyed. I love how Molly risks it all, including her life, for the attempt to save her family. I love how caring she is; even towards those she barely knows (i.e. Brandy and Michael). Watching her relationships with those around her grow is also a major treat, and totally refreshing to see, since a lot of what we see are broken families and unhealthy relationships. It was nice and moving to see a different kind of relationship between characters, after a while seeing nothing but dysfunctional people can get tiring.
Despite the setting, I didn’t really find Restoring Harmony to be as much a dystopian novel, as I saw it to be more about family and relationships. And that’s not completely a bad thing, although I was disappointed since I was expecting something more of a dystopian adventure. At its roots, Restoring Harmony was a fairly enjoyable story, but don’t go into it expecting to be shocked and scared by their dystopia
July 13, 2010
After the Collapse in 2031 the world is a very different place, one with food shortages and high crime rates. 16 year old Molly has been brought up on an isolated farming island in Canada but when her family hear world that her grandmother is very ill she must venture into the world to find out what has happened & to bring her grandparents back to the island with her. Travel is made difficult by the lack of oil and poor public transport but Molly is the only one who can make the dangerous trip to help her grandparents. When she arrives she finds them in a desperate situation with no money for food let alone enough to pay for their trip back to Canada. It is up to Molly to help them survive and find a way to get them all home.
Joelle Anthony has created a very realistic word in Restoring Harmony - it is so easy to picture the Collapse actually happening, possibly even in our lifetime which is quite a scary though. The Collapse was brought on by oil shortages and had a massive effect on the economy. Living in a country that imports a lot of food it is very easy to picture how hard life would be if travel made importing food practically impossible. You can easily picture yourself living in Molly's world and it isn't something I would particularly look forward to.
I really liked Molly but I did find it hard to believe that someone so young and with such an isolated upbringing would cope as well as she did on the journey to find her grandparents. I can't picture myself doing as well as she did in her situation, especially if I was as naive as she is. Although Molly faces problems on her journey I found that the solution always seemed to come about a little too easily - I'd have liked things to be just a bit harder for her to make for a more realistic read. Having said that I still found myself really enjoying the story.
I loved Molly's grandparents - particularly her grandfather - and the handsome young man she met (Spill) was fab. He was that great combination of someone who always seemed to be helping her but who you could tell had his secrets & you could never be quite sure if he was trustworthy or not. The relationships between Molly and her family were well developed & I wanted to see them make it back to Canada safely.
Overall this was an enjoyable story that I would recommend to fans of young adult dystopian stories. The book includes some action and a little romance but the emphasis is on the importance of family and community which I think gives an important message. I thought this was a great debut and I'm looking forward to seeing what Joelle Anthony comes up with next.
Joelle Anthony has created a very realistic word in Restoring Harmony - it is so easy to picture the Collapse actually happening, possibly even in our lifetime which is quite a scary though. The Collapse was brought on by oil shortages and had a massive effect on the economy. Living in a country that imports a lot of food it is very easy to picture how hard life would be if travel made importing food practically impossible. You can easily picture yourself living in Molly's world and it isn't something I would particularly look forward to.
I really liked Molly but I did find it hard to believe that someone so young and with such an isolated upbringing would cope as well as she did on the journey to find her grandparents. I can't picture myself doing as well as she did in her situation, especially if I was as naive as she is. Although Molly faces problems on her journey I found that the solution always seemed to come about a little too easily - I'd have liked things to be just a bit harder for her to make for a more realistic read. Having said that I still found myself really enjoying the story.
I loved Molly's grandparents - particularly her grandfather - and the handsome young man she met (Spill) was fab. He was that great combination of someone who always seemed to be helping her but who you could tell had his secrets & you could never be quite sure if he was trustworthy or not. The relationships between Molly and her family were well developed & I wanted to see them make it back to Canada safely.
Overall this was an enjoyable story that I would recommend to fans of young adult dystopian stories. The book includes some action and a little romance but the emphasis is on the importance of family and community which I think gives an important message. I thought this was a great debut and I'm looking forward to seeing what Joelle Anthony comes up with next.
May 14, 2011
I’m not going to write a synopsis of Restoring Harmony because enough other reviewers have done that, but I am going to voice my praise.
Mixing music with the dangers of a dystopian world is a stroke of genius and in writing Restoring Harmony Joëlle Anthony has created a wonderful story for middle grade students and young adults.
Her Canadian heroine, Molly McClure, is a talented musician but more importantly she is a sweet and loving person. Filled with generous gestures and kindnesses, Restoring Harmony reminds us that these things are desperately needed in our world today.
In any story labeled dystopian the reader can be certain something very bad is going to happen. We start to worry when Molly loses her shoes and our brows furrow further when her Grandmother is slow to recognize her when she shows up at her grandparents’ house after her grueling journey through the broken urban landscape of Seattle. In Restoring Harmony civilization has all but disintegrated and when Molly realizes her friend is involved in a mob like organization, the story becomes truly scary.
But by using gardening to symbolize nurturing and music to symbolize hope and connection, Ms. Anthony paints the future not only with the dark colors of despair, but with the light hues of goodness. In doing so she reminds us that darkness may very well descend on our real world if we don’t wake up and show more support and love for one another.
Family is one of the main themes of Restoring Harmony, which makes the book ideal for parents to share with older children as a read aloud.
This story is an inspiration to live the way Ms. Anthony writes, that is, to lead with the heart. In an era where cynicism and sarcasm often rule the day, I’m happy to find a writer like Joëlle Anthony who values innocence, hope and love. Like fiddler Molly McClure’s music, Ms. Anthony’s writing is capable of restoring a bit of harmony to us all.
Mixing music with the dangers of a dystopian world is a stroke of genius and in writing Restoring Harmony Joëlle Anthony has created a wonderful story for middle grade students and young adults.
Her Canadian heroine, Molly McClure, is a talented musician but more importantly she is a sweet and loving person. Filled with generous gestures and kindnesses, Restoring Harmony reminds us that these things are desperately needed in our world today.
In any story labeled dystopian the reader can be certain something very bad is going to happen. We start to worry when Molly loses her shoes and our brows furrow further when her Grandmother is slow to recognize her when she shows up at her grandparents’ house after her grueling journey through the broken urban landscape of Seattle. In Restoring Harmony civilization has all but disintegrated and when Molly realizes her friend is involved in a mob like organization, the story becomes truly scary.
But by using gardening to symbolize nurturing and music to symbolize hope and connection, Ms. Anthony paints the future not only with the dark colors of despair, but with the light hues of goodness. In doing so she reminds us that darkness may very well descend on our real world if we don’t wake up and show more support and love for one another.
Family is one of the main themes of Restoring Harmony, which makes the book ideal for parents to share with older children as a read aloud.
This story is an inspiration to live the way Ms. Anthony writes, that is, to lead with the heart. In an era where cynicism and sarcasm often rule the day, I’m happy to find a writer like Joëlle Anthony who values innocence, hope and love. Like fiddler Molly McClure’s music, Ms. Anthony’s writing is capable of restoring a bit of harmony to us all.
December 10, 2009
I found Restoring Harmony to be a quick and interesting read. I love dystopian novels, so I was intrigued by this 2010 novel. While I liked it, I found some aspects to be lacking and the dialogue awkward at times.
The portrayed world of 2041 is definitely a different world than that of today's 2010. I liked that Anthony focused on oil one of the main contributors to the Collapse, as that is a definite possibility. I found the story that much more believable because of that detail.
I really liked Spill, the boy that Molly meets in America. I felt a stronger bond to his character than to Molly's actually. I found Molly somewhat one-dimensional and found Spill to be much more dynamic.
I did find some one the dialogue awkward though. And sometimes I felt like the story was flying along and then it would slow to a stop. I think part of this might be attributed to the fact that in some parts of the book I felt like the author had more detail and then other parts would be kind of bland. Since I felt like there were inconsistencies I have a hard time rating this novel.
Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 9
Characters: 7
Writing: 7
Romance: 9
Originality: 10
Total: 42/50 (B)
Fans of dystopian novels should defintely check out Restoring Harmony when it is released in 2010. I really did enjoy it, even though there were some parts that I felt dragged - I still finished it in one sitting! :)
The portrayed world of 2041 is definitely a different world than that of today's 2010. I liked that Anthony focused on oil one of the main contributors to the Collapse, as that is a definite possibility. I found the story that much more believable because of that detail.
I really liked Spill, the boy that Molly meets in America. I felt a stronger bond to his character than to Molly's actually. I found Molly somewhat one-dimensional and found Spill to be much more dynamic.
I did find some one the dialogue awkward though. And sometimes I felt like the story was flying along and then it would slow to a stop. I think part of this might be attributed to the fact that in some parts of the book I felt like the author had more detail and then other parts would be kind of bland. Since I felt like there were inconsistencies I have a hard time rating this novel.
Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 9
Characters: 7
Writing: 7
Romance: 9
Originality: 10
Total: 42/50 (B)
Fans of dystopian novels should defintely check out Restoring Harmony when it is released in 2010. I really did enjoy it, even though there were some parts that I felt dragged - I still finished it in one sitting! :)
January 16, 2016
I had kind of been dreading this one, but it was a pleasant surprise to find it engaging, easy to read, and plausible but exciting at the same time! It's a dystopian near future set in the Pacific Northwest (including Canada) where society has suffered a collapse and many modern services aren't around anymore. Electricity and water are iffy, and there's nowhere near enough oil for cars. The trains run more or less, and it was kind of weird to be reading about Portland's MAX light rail still working while I was riding it.
The main character is a young girl who travels from Canada to Portland on her own to retrieve her grandparents. There's a lot of focus on gardening and music (from a fiddle, mainly), but they fit in and enrich the story. The characters are very human and believable, from the main character who sometimes makes believably stupid decisions, to the grandparents, the drunk next door, and even Spill, who works for... well, maybe you don't want to know who Spill works for.
I don't know why, but I feel like this book is kind of similar to Navigating Early, though I can't think of almost anything specific that is similar between them. Both are journey / growing up stories, but that may be it. Not the same author. Why does this book make me think of the other?
The main character is a young girl who travels from Canada to Portland on her own to retrieve her grandparents. There's a lot of focus on gardening and music (from a fiddle, mainly), but they fit in and enrich the story. The characters are very human and believable, from the main character who sometimes makes believably stupid decisions, to the grandparents, the drunk next door, and even Spill, who works for... well, maybe you don't want to know who Spill works for.
I don't know why, but I feel like this book is kind of similar to Navigating Early, though I can't think of almost anything specific that is similar between them. Both are journey / growing up stories, but that may be it. Not the same author. Why does this book make me think of the other?
April 15, 2016
This felt pretty first-drafty to me--there really isn't much depth to it at all, conflicts always get resolved a little too easily, and even though the main character is sixteen, the book reads more like one aimed at kids of eleven or twelve, and Molly herself seems a lot younger than her stated age. Also there were a lot of holes in the plot, and decisions that people made that just didn't make sense. But it's a cute story--one that feels much more like a twenties-era novel (what with the organized crime and the liquor trade) than it does a futuristic dystopian one (though there are mentions of a few bits and pieces of technology not currently available to us). I liked the premise, but I guess I wish Anthony had gone a lot deeper with it--it really lacks the dark feel of most other dystopian fiction and never really goes into much detail about survival, or about anything else, really. I never felt even a tiny bit worried that things weren't going to work out just fine in the end, and that worry is what generally hooks me on dystopian fiction. This is really more of a straight adventure story. I think it's a book that may be successful with middle-grade kids, but that isn't really going to work well at all for most adults and older teens.
Received this book through First Reads.
Received this book through First Reads.
December 14, 2015
Restoring Harmony:
In the year 2041, a teenage girl named Molly leaves her home in Canada to the U.S. to find her grandpa(more like grandparents). Oil was running real low, and the world is no longer safe, criminals and crime everywhere. As she sets out on her adventure she meets and discovers many things, some pleasant, others not.
My thought/opinion:
I personally like to read romance and adventure, so I liked this book a lot. I think Spill is cute, though sometimes he can be a bit disappointing.
The writing style was pretty good in my opinion, but I read pretty much anything that catches my interest, except I don't read the types that are written as diaries....or maybe it's the genre and story that I don't like.
Anyways, I think it could use some better adventure. There is adventure, but it isn't dramatic enough for me, maybe a little more dramatic would be better...
For me, the ending was a bit rushed and was not what I was expecting, not so much in a good way.
From the book I realized that you have to pay a price for everything, I learned this because along the way, Molly had to sacrifice some important things to gain what she wanted, and that you don't always get something in return.
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone that likes romance on romance with adventure.
In the year 2041, a teenage girl named Molly leaves her home in Canada to the U.S. to find her grandpa(more like grandparents). Oil was running real low, and the world is no longer safe, criminals and crime everywhere. As she sets out on her adventure she meets and discovers many things, some pleasant, others not.
My thought/opinion:
I personally like to read romance and adventure, so I liked this book a lot. I think Spill is cute, though sometimes he can be a bit disappointing.
The writing style was pretty good in my opinion, but I read pretty much anything that catches my interest, except I don't read the types that are written as diaries....or maybe it's the genre and story that I don't like.
Anyways, I think it could use some better adventure. There is adventure, but it isn't dramatic enough for me, maybe a little more dramatic would be better...
For me, the ending was a bit rushed and was not what I was expecting, not so much in a good way.
From the book I realized that you have to pay a price for everything, I learned this because along the way, Molly had to sacrifice some important things to gain what she wanted, and that you don't always get something in return.
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone that likes romance on romance with adventure.
December 15, 2015
Restoring Harmony tells the story of Molly McClure and how she travels from an island off the coast of Canada to Portland. Molly discovers how in 2041, life is hard for her grandparents as they struggle financially and physically. She meets many interesting people and when Molly witnesses something she shouldn’t have, her whole trip turns in the opposite direction afterwards.
In my opinion, I would give this book 3.5/5 stars because I wasn’t a big fan of the writing style. I wished the author would have written in first person instead of third, but this is simply my personal preference. I also wasn’t feeling a connection with the book until about halfway through. I loved how the story was told in dystopian times and how realistic the world could be in the future. I also absolutely adored the relationship between the main characters.
I learned that the book was telling us what the world we live in could be like if we don’t stop the pollution and risking the potential health of earth, leaving people starving and penniless.
I would recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick read. This book does not necessarily have the most interesting story-line, but I still recommend it to people who love dystopian novels. I would definitely read the second installment if the author were to make a sequel.
In my opinion, I would give this book 3.5/5 stars because I wasn’t a big fan of the writing style. I wished the author would have written in first person instead of third, but this is simply my personal preference. I also wasn’t feeling a connection with the book until about halfway through. I loved how the story was told in dystopian times and how realistic the world could be in the future. I also absolutely adored the relationship between the main characters.
I learned that the book was telling us what the world we live in could be like if we don’t stop the pollution and risking the potential health of earth, leaving people starving and penniless.
I would recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick read. This book does not necessarily have the most interesting story-line, but I still recommend it to people who love dystopian novels. I would definitely read the second installment if the author were to make a sequel.
January 4, 2014
A gem of a book. Not to be missed if you love stories of folks roughing it after the collapse. Electricity, public transport and food security have become spotty things for most folks. Molly lives on a small Canadian island protected from much of the real world until her grandparents in Portland, Oregon have a crisis that must be attended to. This is her journey to re-unite her family and the hardships she faces on that path. Love this book!
December 20, 2014
Bah. Two clunkers in a row. I'm now reading Peter Watts' Echopraxia, however, so things are looking up.
This is the third book this year I didn't finish, and I gave this one every chance. I read on far past the point where the idiotic plot really started to bother me, hoping it would improve. Hoping beyond hope it would get better. Finally, about two-thirds of the way through, I stopped and asked myself: “Do I care what happens to these people?”
The answer was “no,” so I removed my marker and closed the book.
The fault wasn't with the characters. They were fine, if impossibly good and treacly. The protagonist, seventeen-year-old Molly McClure, is a very sensible, down-to-earth young woman who is something of a badass, in a quiet, understated way—she plays a ferocious fiddle (not violin: there is a difference, as she points out; not the instrument itself, but how you play it), and she does not sit back and let things happen to her; she takes charge and makes things happen, or tries her best to do so. She has a good, supportive, old-fashioned family who stick together and help each other. This includes Grandma and Grandpa, who live in Oregon, far away from the family's Canadian island, and who are trying to cope after Grandma's stroke. Because of her mother's unexpected risky pregnancy, Molly is sent to bring Grandma/Grandpa back to the island, to provide them a place to live and also help Molly's mother. In fact, the characters could have been lifted wholesale from a Laura Ingalls Wilder book.
Unfortunately, Little House on the Prairie does not fit into this book's plot and world. That would be more like Little House in the Post Collapse, and that does not work. AT ALL.
Sorry for the shouting, but the more the author revealed about her world, the more I hated it. It is not the least bit realistic. To make a long ugly story short, about 2031 the oil started to run out, so world governments seized the last reserves (which would've meant declaring martial law, at least in the US—can you imagine Exxon and Chevron giving up their corporate assets without a fight?), and about the same time, a deadly cattle virus caused the slaughter of the world's beef herds, which led to the demise of the fast food industry (as well as much of the world's food supply—hello), mass unemployment, and the collapse of the United States economy. The government is said to still be in existence (HOW?) but can't collect taxes because no one is working and no one has any money.
I'm sorry, but this is totally, completely ridiculous. How is the author wrong? Let me count the ways:
1. OUR ENTIRE WAY OF LIFE IS BASED ON FOSSIL FUELS. Maybe in twenty-five years alternative energy will have more of a toehold, but given the ongoing fight over climate change, I doubt it. In any case, the author didn't even attempt to explore this, beyond an offhand reference to “solar panels on the barn roof,” and a solar phone/car battery that doesn't even hold a charge. In fact, in her fantastical world, the Internet still exists, planes still fly, and trains still run. I suppose for the trains, you could go back to the old steam engines, but planes have to have fuel, and the Internet has to have servers, which are operated by electricity, which is supplied by (at least at that level) oil-fired power plants. Nobody's using Tesla batteries, so where the devil is all this power coming from?
2. IN THIS SCENARIO, THERE WOULD BE MASS STARVATION AND ANARCHY. You know what else requires fuel? The trucks that bring food to the grocery stores. Those trucks that come every day because otherwise the stores would run out of food. If those trucks stopped coming, because the oil was running out, do you know what would happen? Of course you do. I don't have to tell you. Across this country—hell, across the whole world—there would be riots, looting, widespread societal collapse, and pretty much the demise of civilization. People would flee big cities, because there's no ground to grow food (and also flee cold areas, because, y'know, there's no heating oil for the winter), which would set up an instant clash with rural anarchists/survivalists. Otherwise known as “those extremists who stockpile for the end of the world,” whose most fractured Second Amendment fantasies would be coming true. Molly wouldn't be leaving her island behind, no matter how bad off Grandma and Grandpa were—her family and neighbors would be hunkering down and searching for more guns and ammunition to protect their food supply from the desperate people who would be trying to take it. (Although this book does take place ten years after the Collapse, so everyone who was going to starve would have. Which would have included Grandpa and Grandma, so there would have been no need for Molly to leave the island and thus no story.)
3. IF THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY COLLAPSES, SO DOES THE WORLD ECONOMY. Doesn't the author remember what almost happened in 2008? This was precisely what Congress was scrambling to head off, with the demise of Lehman Brothers. The world economy is as interconnected as a sticky spiderweb, and the United States is the (bloated) spider in the center of that web. Take the US economy out, and everything else goes with it. There would sure as heck be no surviving “euro,” or a European Union, for that matter.
I could go on, but you get the picture: under this scenario, you wouldn't have any kind of government or civilization; you would have a bunch of starving , fighting tribes, ill-equipped for survival. You sure wouldn't have Molly and her happy family, blithely sending this teenager off to sing “kumbaya” (or play it on her fiddle) and rescue Grandma and Grandpa. The real world resulting from this plot would be as bleak as I could imagine. Throw in a probable nuclear exchange as well, as collapsing governments battle over the few remaining oil reserves, and you pretty much have bye-bye humanity.
I can't imagine why the author didn't think of this, or why her editor didn't point it out to her. Has the author read any science texts? Or economic books? Or just Paul Krugman's blog? I'm sorry, but this book, with this plot, should never have seen the light of day. Take Molly and her family and put them in a nice sticky-sweet modern-day teen romance. That's where they belong.
This is the third book this year I didn't finish, and I gave this one every chance. I read on far past the point where the idiotic plot really started to bother me, hoping it would improve. Hoping beyond hope it would get better. Finally, about two-thirds of the way through, I stopped and asked myself: “Do I care what happens to these people?”
The answer was “no,” so I removed my marker and closed the book.
The fault wasn't with the characters. They were fine, if impossibly good and treacly. The protagonist, seventeen-year-old Molly McClure, is a very sensible, down-to-earth young woman who is something of a badass, in a quiet, understated way—she plays a ferocious fiddle (not violin: there is a difference, as she points out; not the instrument itself, but how you play it), and she does not sit back and let things happen to her; she takes charge and makes things happen, or tries her best to do so. She has a good, supportive, old-fashioned family who stick together and help each other. This includes Grandma and Grandpa, who live in Oregon, far away from the family's Canadian island, and who are trying to cope after Grandma's stroke. Because of her mother's unexpected risky pregnancy, Molly is sent to bring Grandma/Grandpa back to the island, to provide them a place to live and also help Molly's mother. In fact, the characters could have been lifted wholesale from a Laura Ingalls Wilder book.
Unfortunately, Little House on the Prairie does not fit into this book's plot and world. That would be more like Little House in the Post Collapse, and that does not work. AT ALL.
Sorry for the shouting, but the more the author revealed about her world, the more I hated it. It is not the least bit realistic. To make a long ugly story short, about 2031 the oil started to run out, so world governments seized the last reserves (which would've meant declaring martial law, at least in the US—can you imagine Exxon and Chevron giving up their corporate assets without a fight?), and about the same time, a deadly cattle virus caused the slaughter of the world's beef herds, which led to the demise of the fast food industry (as well as much of the world's food supply—hello), mass unemployment, and the collapse of the United States economy. The government is said to still be in existence (HOW?) but can't collect taxes because no one is working and no one has any money.
I'm sorry, but this is totally, completely ridiculous. How is the author wrong? Let me count the ways:
1. OUR ENTIRE WAY OF LIFE IS BASED ON FOSSIL FUELS. Maybe in twenty-five years alternative energy will have more of a toehold, but given the ongoing fight over climate change, I doubt it. In any case, the author didn't even attempt to explore this, beyond an offhand reference to “solar panels on the barn roof,” and a solar phone/car battery that doesn't even hold a charge. In fact, in her fantastical world, the Internet still exists, planes still fly, and trains still run. I suppose for the trains, you could go back to the old steam engines, but planes have to have fuel, and the Internet has to have servers, which are operated by electricity, which is supplied by (at least at that level) oil-fired power plants. Nobody's using Tesla batteries, so where the devil is all this power coming from?
2. IN THIS SCENARIO, THERE WOULD BE MASS STARVATION AND ANARCHY. You know what else requires fuel? The trucks that bring food to the grocery stores. Those trucks that come every day because otherwise the stores would run out of food. If those trucks stopped coming, because the oil was running out, do you know what would happen? Of course you do. I don't have to tell you. Across this country—hell, across the whole world—there would be riots, looting, widespread societal collapse, and pretty much the demise of civilization. People would flee big cities, because there's no ground to grow food (and also flee cold areas, because, y'know, there's no heating oil for the winter), which would set up an instant clash with rural anarchists/survivalists. Otherwise known as “those extremists who stockpile for the end of the world,” whose most fractured Second Amendment fantasies would be coming true. Molly wouldn't be leaving her island behind, no matter how bad off Grandma and Grandpa were—her family and neighbors would be hunkering down and searching for more guns and ammunition to protect their food supply from the desperate people who would be trying to take it. (Although this book does take place ten years after the Collapse, so everyone who was going to starve would have. Which would have included Grandpa and Grandma, so there would have been no need for Molly to leave the island and thus no story.)
3. IF THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY COLLAPSES, SO DOES THE WORLD ECONOMY. Doesn't the author remember what almost happened in 2008? This was precisely what Congress was scrambling to head off, with the demise of Lehman Brothers. The world economy is as interconnected as a sticky spiderweb, and the United States is the (bloated) spider in the center of that web. Take the US economy out, and everything else goes with it. There would sure as heck be no surviving “euro,” or a European Union, for that matter.
I could go on, but you get the picture: under this scenario, you wouldn't have any kind of government or civilization; you would have a bunch of starving , fighting tribes, ill-equipped for survival. You sure wouldn't have Molly and her happy family, blithely sending this teenager off to sing “kumbaya” (or play it on her fiddle) and rescue Grandma and Grandpa. The real world resulting from this plot would be as bleak as I could imagine. Throw in a probable nuclear exchange as well, as collapsing governments battle over the few remaining oil reserves, and you pretty much have bye-bye humanity.
I can't imagine why the author didn't think of this, or why her editor didn't point it out to her. Has the author read any science texts? Or economic books? Or just Paul Krugman's blog? I'm sorry, but this book, with this plot, should never have seen the light of day. Take Molly and her family and put them in a nice sticky-sweet modern-day teen romance. That's where they belong.
January 7, 2016
Oh, dear. How do I feel about this book? 2 or 3 stars?
It got better as it went along. Toward the end I was so so anxious about everything getting resolved I had to peek ahead a little, and the ending was pretty good.
The beginning especially was so annoying though. I never know how much allowance I'm supposed to give with first-person narrators--is this the character's way of telling things or a flaw in the author's writing? For a sixteen-year-old girl who's lived her life on a Canadian island farm, I suppose everything was fitting. For a debut novel, fine. For my general expectations of writing (and editing), not so much. It was a bit underbaked; I suppose the best way I could describe it is it felt like a first draft.
I kept noticing small but annoying things, like there was no seat on the train and then Molly was in a seat, she had in her hands the thing she'd just put down three lines ago, that sort of thing. And I could not get used to the extreme attachment to Jewels the named fiddle. I know people who name objects, whatever, but just something about the way it was all handled bugged me, and the Jewels/Jules thing kept getting to me too. And yeah sure, let's shoot out the tire with everyone in the car, but oh wait, the fiddle's the trunk so maybe not....?!
And although the chaos and new world order following the Collapse was central to every aspect of the storyline, it was hardly established, mentioned more as a passing tidbit than explained for world-building. All the bridges are crumbling and collapsing, but we have voice-activated projected-keyboard computers built into desks. There's only solar phones, but everyone still has e-mail. We have fancy-shmancy multi-use not-aluminum foil, but good luck finding a garden hose. A lot of cities are largely abandoned, but they still have operating train stations. It was really difficult if not impossible to figure out what was gone because of the lack of oil and disruption of international relations, and what most people just couldn't afford anymore. Most of it wasn't explained at all. I have no idea which countries got the oil or what they did with it or how many people were living normally and where or how much was left or how people communicated or.... just nothing. Nothing nothing nothing. There was a thing that totally changed the entire world but you don't need to worry about that, no big deal, just accept it and let me tell you this little story.... And how the hell did polio come back???
I need to stop.
As we got more into the story though, I appreciated the different scenarios and types of characters that were set up. The Organization was interesting, black markets and all that. People living fairly normally and people scavenging and people setting up new systems. Good enough. I can't decide if Molly had really good intuition or just got really lucky a lot of the time, especially at the end with Randall and the captain. But anyway. Despite a lot of shallow/messy/cheesy moments and every possible thing going wrong, I enjoyed some of the ideas and Randall's character and even got invested in the inevitable romance.
2 stars though. Entirely too frustrating for 3.
It got better as it went along. Toward the end I was so so anxious about everything getting resolved I had to peek ahead a little, and the ending was pretty good.
The beginning especially was so annoying though. I never know how much allowance I'm supposed to give with first-person narrators--is this the character's way of telling things or a flaw in the author's writing? For a sixteen-year-old girl who's lived her life on a Canadian island farm, I suppose everything was fitting. For a debut novel, fine. For my general expectations of writing (and editing), not so much. It was a bit underbaked; I suppose the best way I could describe it is it felt like a first draft.
I kept noticing small but annoying things, like there was no seat on the train and then Molly was in a seat, she had in her hands the thing she'd just put down three lines ago, that sort of thing. And I could not get used to the extreme attachment to Jewels the named fiddle. I know people who name objects, whatever, but just something about the way it was all handled bugged me, and the Jewels/Jules thing kept getting to me too. And yeah sure, let's shoot out the tire with everyone in the car, but oh wait, the fiddle's the trunk so maybe not....?!
And although the chaos and new world order following the Collapse was central to every aspect of the storyline, it was hardly established, mentioned more as a passing tidbit than explained for world-building. All the bridges are crumbling and collapsing, but we have voice-activated projected-keyboard computers built into desks. There's only solar phones, but everyone still has e-mail. We have fancy-shmancy multi-use not-aluminum foil, but good luck finding a garden hose. A lot of cities are largely abandoned, but they still have operating train stations. It was really difficult if not impossible to figure out what was gone because of the lack of oil and disruption of international relations, and what most people just couldn't afford anymore. Most of it wasn't explained at all. I have no idea which countries got the oil or what they did with it or how many people were living normally and where or how much was left or how people communicated or.... just nothing. Nothing nothing nothing. There was a thing that totally changed the entire world but you don't need to worry about that, no big deal, just accept it and let me tell you this little story.... And how the hell did polio come back???
I need to stop.
As we got more into the story though, I appreciated the different scenarios and types of characters that were set up. The Organization was interesting, black markets and all that. People living fairly normally and people scavenging and people setting up new systems. Good enough. I can't decide if Molly had really good intuition or just got really lucky a lot of the time, especially at the end with Randall and the captain. But anyway. Despite a lot of shallow/messy/cheesy moments and every possible thing going wrong, I enjoyed some of the ideas and Randall's character and even got invested in the inevitable romance.
2 stars though. Entirely too frustrating for 3.
September 29, 2014
Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony is a quirky YA apocalyptic/romance novel about a young girl named Molly trying to convince her grandparents to come back to Canada with her. Because of a transportation issue, she ends up staying there and, in turn, making new friends. In the US, cities are controlled by gangs/mafia unlike Molly's small farming community in Canada. Molly is going to have her work cut out for her after sneaking into the United States, getting involved with The Organization, and dealing with her Grandpa's stubbornness. It's a good thing she has Jewels, her fiddle.
I picked up this book from my library resale store for a dollar because (don't get mad at me) the cover looked interesting. It was worth every penny. Here's why (each bulletpoint is bolded):
Restoring Harmony is about relationships. Relationships between family, neighbors, strangers, and enemies. It portrayed healthy and unhealthy family interactions.
Complex characters as well as straight forward characters left some twists as well predictable plot pieces
Reading the book painted pictures in my mind. I could hear the fiddle playing, see each and every character, feel the joy of the children, and taste the fresh vegetables from the garden.
It was a completely refreshing twist on the young adult dystopian trope. Nowadays every book in that genre is a brown-haired, gray-eyed, tan girl has to save the world and then chose between two guys, but Restoring Harmony was more family centered and didn't constantly revolve around romance.
The writing was very simple and easy to understand which lead to an easy read.
I live a mere 20 minutes from the main setting so I could easily connect with some pieces of the plot and setting.
Even though I absolutely despair first person perspective, Joelle Anthony weaved tons of detail into each chapter.
The book doesn't revolve around the romance. I enjoyed this because I don't care for romance novels.
Restoring Harmony is a fairly unknown book so there were no spoilers.
The story was all too real. Taking place in 2041, it is completely plausible that we will run out of oil and chaos will outbreak.
Molly is a brave role model for the children in the book and the children reading. She is courageous and quick-witted as well as loving and curious.
My favorite book also takes place in 2041 and I was constantly seeing parallels that left me grinning.
It was like taking a vacation from high school reading. In retrospect, I probably should read it when I bought it two years ago. I might not have appreciated it as much as I do know but the writing is perfect for early middle school girls.
Altogether, I would recommend Restoring Harmony to all YA romance lovers (especially middle school age) and I hope to see its popularity sky rocket soon.
I picked up this book from my library resale store for a dollar because (don't get mad at me) the cover looked interesting. It was worth every penny. Here's why (each bulletpoint is bolded):
Restoring Harmony is about relationships. Relationships between family, neighbors, strangers, and enemies. It portrayed healthy and unhealthy family interactions.
Complex characters as well as straight forward characters left some twists as well predictable plot pieces
Reading the book painted pictures in my mind. I could hear the fiddle playing, see each and every character, feel the joy of the children, and taste the fresh vegetables from the garden.
It was a completely refreshing twist on the young adult dystopian trope. Nowadays every book in that genre is a brown-haired, gray-eyed, tan girl has to save the world and then chose between two guys, but Restoring Harmony was more family centered and didn't constantly revolve around romance.
The writing was very simple and easy to understand which lead to an easy read.
I live a mere 20 minutes from the main setting so I could easily connect with some pieces of the plot and setting.
Even though I absolutely despair first person perspective, Joelle Anthony weaved tons of detail into each chapter.
The book doesn't revolve around the romance. I enjoyed this because I don't care for romance novels.
Restoring Harmony is a fairly unknown book so there were no spoilers.
The story was all too real. Taking place in 2041, it is completely plausible that we will run out of oil and chaos will outbreak.
Molly is a brave role model for the children in the book and the children reading. She is courageous and quick-witted as well as loving and curious.
My favorite book also takes place in 2041 and I was constantly seeing parallels that left me grinning.
It was like taking a vacation from high school reading. In retrospect, I probably should read it when I bought it two years ago. I might not have appreciated it as much as I do know but the writing is perfect for early middle school girls.
Altogether, I would recommend Restoring Harmony to all YA romance lovers (especially middle school age) and I hope to see its popularity sky rocket soon.
November 18, 2009
My Thoughts: I can not stress enough how I can't seem to get the words out. I will say what I feel in 5 words. This book was freaking awesome. We are introduced to Molly who is going to Oregon to get her grandparents and bring them back with her. Her mom is pregnant, her sister is engaged, so she is in a time crunch and needs to get back as soon as possible. She starts the journey and encounters many setbacks but she never lets that influence her. She has to get them now before its too late! Times are tough, as the Collapse has just effected the world. I could definitely see this situation happening if this really happened today. I believe that rich people would even have the uppercase here. Like the book says, The House Always Win. As soon as I read that, I instantly knew what it mean (you will too soon if you read the book). Molly plays the fiddle a long the way. She loves her fiddle. She would never give it up. Molly encounters a lot of new and original people on the way to Oregon. She meets a mysterious stranger along the way, we learn to call him Spill. He gets her out of a bind. From the minute Molly layed eyes on him, I could feel a connection between them (and myself too of course, he's a hottie). Molly eventually gets to her grandparents and is faced with a whole new set of problems, because she is broke, they are stubborn, the neighbors need help. She runs into the mysterious stranger again in town. Who is this guy really? Is he good or bad? Is he who he says he is? Can Molly really drag around her fiddle or does she lose it a long the way (she loved that thing). What happens to Molly? Does she come up with the money to get back to Canada? Does she actually make it back home or is she destined to spend the rest of her life in Oregon? Does the baby arrive without any problems? Is her Mother ok? Whatever happened to Spill? You'll have to read the book to find out!
Overall: I loved this book. I truly loved it. I loved the scenes, I loved the way it was written, I loved Molly and Skill. I loved her whole family! From the first 5 pages in, you are drawn in! I finished this in two days, only taking breaks to eat, shower, and sleep. I think my favorite part was the end with the fiddle scene. Yes, Yes, I had tears in my eyes alright! It was the sweetest thing ever. Joelle sure did it right with this one and I can't wait to read more from her! If your going to buy one book this year, let this be that book!!!!!
Cover: I actually like the cover. I like how the clouds look and the way Molly is carrying around her fiddle.
www.princessbookie.com
Overall: I loved this book. I truly loved it. I loved the scenes, I loved the way it was written, I loved Molly and Skill. I loved her whole family! From the first 5 pages in, you are drawn in! I finished this in two days, only taking breaks to eat, shower, and sleep. I think my favorite part was the end with the fiddle scene. Yes, Yes, I had tears in my eyes alright! It was the sweetest thing ever. Joelle sure did it right with this one and I can't wait to read more from her! If your going to buy one book this year, let this be that book!!!!!
Cover: I actually like the cover. I like how the clouds look and the way Molly is carrying around her fiddle.
www.princessbookie.com
August 27, 2010
I was excited to read Restoring Harmony for three reasons.
1. The main character is poor
2. She is a talented musician
3. She is brave enough to travel into another country on her own where she might find herself alone with no on to turn to.
Molly is a riveting main character. She is smart, resourceful, and has been raised to know how to survive rather than so many YA characters who readers are supposed to like because they know how to use a credit card. She is also talented, and uses her talent to save herself and her family. My main gripe plot-wise is that things get a bit too easy once Molly begins to escape the big bad mafia. The prose reads like middle-grade rather than YA; there is a certain lack of realism that makes everything feel non-threatening. Restoring Harmony is set in a dystopian future on a much smaller scale than The Hunger Games, and tells a very personal story of defiance rather than one that spans an entire country.
The bigger problem I have with Restoring Harmony is the Almost Rape Scene. Have you ever read a book where a girl meets a man or group of men who pretend to be her friends, but lure her into a trap so they can force her to have sex, but she gets out of the scrape at the last second because a guy shows up to save her? If you've read a YA sci-fi/fantasy lately, you've probably read an Almost Rape Scene.
What upsets me about the Almost Rape Scene isn't that a guy shows up to save the day; it's the fact that the Almost Rape Scene does nothing to advance the plot and fails to change the main character in a way she couldn't have changed from a different situation. Even worse, in Restoring Harmony, Molly apologizes for going to the market where she encounters the man who tries to rape her because the boy she likes says he was worried about her, and she was stupid for going to the market on her own. It is worth pointing out that her love interest was not the one who saved her, but he makes it seem like she was to blame for what almost happened.
1. The main character is poor
2. She is a talented musician
3. She is brave enough to travel into another country on her own where she might find herself alone with no on to turn to.
Molly is a riveting main character. She is smart, resourceful, and has been raised to know how to survive rather than so many YA characters who readers are supposed to like because they know how to use a credit card. She is also talented, and uses her talent to save herself and her family. My main gripe plot-wise is that things get a bit too easy once Molly begins to escape the big bad mafia. The prose reads like middle-grade rather than YA; there is a certain lack of realism that makes everything feel non-threatening. Restoring Harmony is set in a dystopian future on a much smaller scale than The Hunger Games, and tells a very personal story of defiance rather than one that spans an entire country.
The bigger problem I have with Restoring Harmony is the Almost Rape Scene. Have you ever read a book where a girl meets a man or group of men who pretend to be her friends, but lure her into a trap so they can force her to have sex, but she gets out of the scrape at the last second because a guy shows up to save her? If you've read a YA sci-fi/fantasy lately, you've probably read an Almost Rape Scene.
What upsets me about the Almost Rape Scene isn't that a guy shows up to save the day; it's the fact that the Almost Rape Scene does nothing to advance the plot and fails to change the main character in a way she couldn't have changed from a different situation. Even worse, in Restoring Harmony, Molly apologizes for going to the market where she encounters the man who tries to rape her because the boy she likes says he was worried about her, and she was stupid for going to the market on her own. It is worth pointing out that her love interest was not the one who saved her, but he makes it seem like she was to blame for what almost happened.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2015
Restoring Harmony is an interesting novel although I did not fully enjoy the beginning of the book , I thought it was stale nothing new , although continually reading it I enjoyed more and more as I read. This book starts of with Molly living in the year 2041 , she lives in Canada with her family on a small island. Molly traveled from an island in British Columbia to Portland , because her mother was very stressed the reason for that is she thinks that Molly's grandmother ( her mother ) had passed away and they have no way of confirming it because they are not able to contact her . Her mother is also in need of a doctor because she is pregnant , where they live there is not a doctor because he was killed and there is only a midwife . So what Molly does trying to make her mother calm down offers to go to Portland and check whether her grandmother in alive and bring them back to Canada for her mother's sake . It was not an easy journey because during this time they are running out of oil , Molly runs into many struggles during this journey although she makes it though and meets important people who will help her throughout and in the end of the book.
I found a great pleasure out of the ending of book. I thoroughly enjoyed how they explained what happened to them when they arrived in Canada rather than having an abrupt ending . Especially what happened to Molly’s fiddle , Jewels .
I how ever did not enjoy how they did not go more in depth with Spills character . I would have liked to have learned more about Spill and about his past .
Although other than that I enjoyed the book very much and highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in books that take place in the future and are about our natural resources .
October 24, 2012
This was sweet. A cute little adventure that has neither too much action, too little action, too little romance, too much romance, a strong protagonist, an interestingly different love interest, slight humour, road trip, and the list goes on…
I actually really enjoyed this considering how long it took for me to finish it. Then again it wasn’t boring. Instead it had the slow magical pace of a beautiful narrator. Molly is sometimes naïve, optimistic (a great characteristic in her since it gets her through even the hardest times), hard working and understanding.
This novel is unique in the sense that it is a very rare find within a sea of paranormal romance novels, contemporary romance and fantasy, all of which, most of the time have strong focuses on the romance/love angle. Yeah there are probably some that aren’t so much focussed in that way , but they’re usually a rare find. Most of the stories like those, you’d find them aimed at a younger audience. But still, this was a sweet and enjoyable read, perfect for a depressing day. While not a leap out of your chair level of amazing, it has a blissful sense to it. This is a story of a girl set in a not too distant future who just wants to get home. Taking on her grandparents, and the children of her neighbour, she meets a few interesting characters as she tries to get home. At the end of there are only happy smiles. Like I said, a sweet little read.
I actually really enjoyed this considering how long it took for me to finish it. Then again it wasn’t boring. Instead it had the slow magical pace of a beautiful narrator. Molly is sometimes naïve, optimistic (a great characteristic in her since it gets her through even the hardest times), hard working and understanding.
This novel is unique in the sense that it is a very rare find within a sea of paranormal romance novels, contemporary romance and fantasy, all of which, most of the time have strong focuses on the romance/love angle. Yeah there are probably some that aren’t so much focussed in that way , but they’re usually a rare find. Most of the stories like those, you’d find them aimed at a younger audience. But still, this was a sweet and enjoyable read, perfect for a depressing day. While not a leap out of your chair level of amazing, it has a blissful sense to it. This is a story of a girl set in a not too distant future who just wants to get home. Taking on her grandparents, and the children of her neighbour, she meets a few interesting characters as she tries to get home. At the end of there are only happy smiles. Like I said, a sweet little read.
December 18, 2015
Restoring Harmony is a story set in the future where oil is short, also where the economy has collapsed. Afterward, there's a girl named Molly McClure who lives in Vancouver Island with a mission to accomplish in Oregon. On her journey to her grandparent's house, she met a lovely young man named Spill. However, it was a struggle to accomplish her mission, along with returning back home safely with problems occurring.
One thing I really enjoyed about the book is the genre. To me, it's a perfect combination of adventure and romance, even though the romance isn't too empowering. On the other hand, I really disliked how the author created the characters in the story to solve problems and conflict so easily. In my opinion, I think many of the problems should've included more difficulty. Another point I didn't like about this book is how the beginning was quite boring. Overall, I will rate Restoring Harmony as 4/5.
A lesson this book taught me is how important time could be when you're trying to tackle a problem. I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in adventure with a hint of romance.
One thing I really enjoyed about the book is the genre. To me, it's a perfect combination of adventure and romance, even though the romance isn't too empowering. On the other hand, I really disliked how the author created the characters in the story to solve problems and conflict so easily. In my opinion, I think many of the problems should've included more difficulty. Another point I didn't like about this book is how the beginning was quite boring. Overall, I will rate Restoring Harmony as 4/5.
A lesson this book taught me is how important time could be when you're trying to tackle a problem. I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in adventure with a hint of romance.
April 24, 2010
This was a pretty decent book, I must say. The way it started off, I thought Molly, the 16-year-old protagonist, was going to be a really naive "save me, men" sort of girl. That could also be partly because of where I stopped reading that first couple of chapters, without seeing her get a bit more savvy. She is a smart girl, if a little naive at times, and really kind and optimistic. I think perhaps the optimism added to the sense of naivety, but it ultimately turned out to be a fairly hopeful book with a post-apocalyptic storyline.
Being a fairly cynical, sarcastic person myself, doesn't lend itself to optimistic, hope-filled story lines, but at least it wasn't so so dark that it was miserable, as these books can sometimes be. I must admit, though, that with all the hope and redemption and nice little bow-tied ending, I googled the author to see if she was a Mormon, just to check. Didn't find anything definitive, so I'm going with "nope."
Being a fairly cynical, sarcastic person myself, doesn't lend itself to optimistic, hope-filled story lines, but at least it wasn't so so dark that it was miserable, as these books can sometimes be. I must admit, though, that with all the hope and redemption and nice little bow-tied ending, I googled the author to see if she was a Mormon, just to check. Didn't find anything definitive, so I'm going with "nope."
August 3, 2012
More YA literature – this time dystopian in nature. Molly has grown up on a rural island in Canada, the daughter of farmers who have succeeded in the world left after The Collapse. She is sent on a journey to the United States to collect her grandparents and bring them to be with the family on the farm. It is a dangerous journey and she encounters many obstacles. But she also makes new relationships and learns to trust herself and her own strength. With a fiddle as constant-companion and a healthy dose of fear, the journey is a fun ride for a reader. Especially fun was noting what Anthony projects will survive a global collapse, and what will not. There are still gangsters but bridges are in trouble. Molly has no problem finding a highway but finding a garden hose is tricky. This is speculative fiction of a really good sort..it is realistic and fantastic, bleak and hopeful, thoughtful and fast-paced.
December 18, 2015
Restoring Harmony tells you about a girl name Molly Mclure and how she has to go from an island off the coast of Canada to Portland. In 2041 her grandparents runs into some struggle. When she gets there she meets some people that will become her life saver or one of her villains and when that happens her plan will not be what she has expected.
I personally like the writing style and how it shows the realism in it, I thought the romance in the book gave the story a bit of sweetness because the other parts were usually very serious but very intense. I didn't like the ending very much because I thought it was a bit rushed, it felt like the author didn't have any more ideas to write about.
I learned that the book tells us to stop putting more trash and more pollution into the planet, because it will soon wreak our health and will leave us starving or even worse, death...
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read more serious and realistic kinds of books
I personally like the writing style and how it shows the realism in it, I thought the romance in the book gave the story a bit of sweetness because the other parts were usually very serious but very intense. I didn't like the ending very much because I thought it was a bit rushed, it felt like the author didn't have any more ideas to write about.
I learned that the book tells us to stop putting more trash and more pollution into the planet, because it will soon wreak our health and will leave us starving or even worse, death...
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read more serious and realistic kinds of books
Want to read
December 18, 2015Its the year 2041, oil supplies have run low, and the government had to make some hard decisions, 16 year old Molly McClure has to travel down to Oregon to get her grandparents and bring them back to British Columbia. Molly has to be brave. Molly is relieved once she finds her grandparents alive in Portland, but are starving. This quick trip turns into a massive rescue mission, and crime builds up. Molly's only home may to be them at their own game. Luckily, there's a good looking strange that's willing to help.
Something I liked about the is the idea of the story. I found it interesting that the book takes place in the future and that Joelle decided to write a book about the economy falling. I also loved the romance in this book. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked more detail in the ending. I learned how to be come independent and that nothing isn't as always as it seems. I would recommend this book to people who like future tails.
Something I liked about the is the idea of the story. I found it interesting that the book takes place in the future and that Joelle decided to write a book about the economy falling. I also loved the romance in this book. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked more detail in the ending. I learned how to be come independent and that nothing isn't as always as it seems. I would recommend this book to people who like future tails.
May 23, 2010
Stayed up late to finish this very engrossing book. I'm a huge dystopia fan, and this book was far less grim than the average one. In this case, it was refreshing- the heroine was hopeful, upbeat, and capable. The bad guys were multi-faceted, though too many of 'em had hearts of gold, I think. The characters were likable, save for the loathsome guy next-door.
I enjoyed the taut pacing and exciting moments of peril that Molly faced bravely. But my favorite character was bad-boy Spiller, natch. And I found Molly's grandfather to be very nuanced and believable.
An excellent debut novel. Recommended if you like dystopian fiction without a plethora of ugliness and despair.
I enjoyed the taut pacing and exciting moments of peril that Molly faced bravely. But my favorite character was bad-boy Spiller, natch. And I found Molly's grandfather to be very nuanced and believable.
An excellent debut novel. Recommended if you like dystopian fiction without a plethora of ugliness and despair.
March 20, 2015
Despite a few writing quirks that drove me a little crazy (too. many. exclamation points.), this was a really sweet story. While it was speculative fiction, it was more gentle than most I've read recently. Similarly to Life As We Knew It, it's more about how the changes in the world effect a family and their relationships with each other than about word-building or action/adventure. I really did end up liking Molly and Spill and wanting them to be together, and the little details about music and farming and family made me smile. A nice book that I'd recommend to upper elementary through mid-high school, probably.
July 31, 2017
A classic adolescent journey book which echoes somewhat like Homecoming . But set in an after-the-fall northwest. It's a little too simple and easy but it makes for a pleasant read. And the character's read mostly true though perhaps the bad guys could have been a little badder. Mostly everyone is just a little more out-for-themselves but not necessarily back to complete western justice. And there get's to be lot's of semi-believable heroes. Not quite a romance. And definitely a just barely in an uncomfortable future sf.
August 20, 2015
A mi gustar, aunque algunas cosas fueran lentas (gosh that k...) otras se desarrollan a un ritmo, digamos que adecuado, es fácil entender a los personajes, es intrigante saber qué va a pasar y cuándo y cómo y por qué. Típico que Spill me mantuvo babeando, así que por ese lado solo diré grrrr.. Pero en fin, un libro que a pesar que la temática se está volviendo a hacer popular difiere de otros de su género ;)
price-check
November 17, 2012(overpriced ebook) Check library.
October 20, 2013
This is just what I like to read. A book that's set after the collapse of current society, but not so alien that it seems completely unfamiliar.
August 11, 2012
I was very impressed by this book - dystopian and creepily realistic. Very strong female protagonist, a quest, and a little bit of romance. Everything i like in a novel :)
Canada/US (future)
Canada/US (future)
January 25, 2013
Ok read. Nice to read a book about an independent teenage girl who is not solely motivated by a boy.
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