Thursday, September 19, 2013

Review: Fin and Lady

Fin and Lady
By Cathleen Schine
Sarah Crichton Books July 2013
273 pages
From the library 

Fin & Lady: A Novel

Fin is 11 years old. He has just become an orphan and goes to live with his half-sister Lady in Greenwich Village. Lady is an enigma to this young boy who was raised very traditionally. While at first he thought his sister was literally half of a person, he is now old enough to know that Lady's carefree lifestyle can cause problems. Fin follows his sister as she debates over three suitors, participates in the protests of the 1960s, runs away from life, and finds out what family really means. 

I have to learn to trust my judgement. I went back and forth about getting this book. I think that when I am not completely interested, it means I should check a different book off of my endless tbr list. While reading Fin and Lady,I kept waiting for something to happen. Lady is flight and irresponsible, but there are few real consequences. Fin must be old beyond his years because Lady will not. Ultimately, not a lot happens in this book. I wanted to be surprised and I wanted some unpredictable character growth, but that never happened.

Schine has made an interesting decision in removing the narrator from the story. The narrator is someone to whom Fin has related these stories of his life. The reader doesn't know who this person is until the end of the book. This tactic is not particularly effective. As you read, you are so far away from both Fin and Lady. It's hard to feel much for people whose story you are getting second or third hand. The mystery of the narrator is not that hard to deduce, and it doesn't really add anything to the story.

Fin and Lady is an interesting premise. It seemed like an original story and I was excited to read about a very turbulent time in history. But Lady's interest in the civil rights movement and war protests seem cursory at best and more about making herself seem interesting than about actual belief in the causes. I wanted to really understand the unconventional relationship between the half siblings, but I was never really sure why Lady took Fin in or why Fin adored his sister so much. 

6 comments:

  1. Oh, now that's too bad. I've got a copy of this book drifting around my home or office, but like you, it hadn't grabbed me enough yet to read it. Call me only partially intrigued, and your review helps to clinch that.

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    1. Maybe we have some sort of reading sixth sense. If we are not dying to read something, maybe it's a sign!

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  2. Too bad the book did not live up to its expectation I really liked the look of it but will probably not pick it up soon.

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    1. I was really intrigued too, but this one just didn't work for me. :(

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  3. Nice review, Lindsey. The premise of the story looks quite interesting. I would have picked up the book, if I had seen it in the bookstore. But now, after reading your review, maybe not :) It is sad that this interesting premise doesn't get realized into an interesting story. Sorry to know that you didn't like this book as much as you had hoped to. Hope you enjoy your next book more.

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    1. Thanks, Vishy. It's disappointing when you want to like a book, but it just doesn't live up to your expectations!

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