The Young Adult Historical Fiction Society discussion

Here's the topic for July's book, Waiting for the Queen! Have any of you read this one before? Who's reading it for the first time?

I read this for the first time and wow was I impressed.

This is an absolutely fascinating story I knew nothing about. I've studied French, European history, American history and been to eastern Pennsylvania where my mom is from and still never heard this story. The plot moves a little slowly to begin with but I had a hard time putting it down. The story is told from both Eugenie and Hannah's points-of-view which makes for a more complete story. I loved the descriptions of the Pa. wilderness. The author has an incredible way with words. I liked the inclusion of French phrases and was pleased I could understand all of them. My French is rusty, but I am sure I noticed a few typos in the French phrases which bothered me, but someone without knowledge of French won't notice. The epilogue is a little too long and a bit forceful but it was necessary because I wanted to know what happened to the characters.

I really liked the characters in this story. At first I hated Eugenie because she was such a horrible brat, but her character development is excellent. The pacing of her story is great. It allows for a gradual evolution based on her own observations and experiences so it doesn't really hit you over the head. She asks a lot of good questions and doesn't really have all the answers. Hannah is a little less developed than Eugenie, but she too struggles to find herself and questions what she's been brought up to believe. She questions the laws of the new country and struggles to come to reconcile federal vs. state law and her family's beliefs. The way the characters become friends is entirely natural and never feels forced. Eugenie's Papa is also an excellent character. He goes through a change too, much like his daughter. He's an admirable character.

The villains are a little two-dimensional, especially M. Rouleau. He's needed in the story though to show the history of slavery in this country and how Americans grappled with the fugitive slave question long before the Civil War. Eurgenie's Maman is also rather stereotypical but I could sort of empathize with her for awhile, but then at the end, I decided I couldn't like her.