Title: The Name of the Star
Author: Maureen Johnson
Author: Maureen Johnson
Release date: September 29, 2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 372
Source: Library
Goodreads: {via}
Summary:
The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London, it's the start of a new life at a boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.
Review:
Can I just say that I'm pretty sure that Maureen Johnson must know my family. There are so many hilarious Southernisms within this book that I feel the only way she got them was to be eavesdropping on some of my relatives. Her way of describing all things Southern to her British characters was absolutely hilarious and amazing. For instance, my favorite:
"I decided to deflect her attitude by giving a long, Southern answer. I come from people who know how to draw things out. Annoy a Southerner, and we will drain away the moments of your life with our slow, detailed replies until you are nothing but a husk of your former self and that much closer to death."
Absolutely perfect and so true!
Now, enough gushing on Maureen Johnson's capabilities of capturing Southerners and Southern culture to a T – she's also a master of suspense. I adored this novel. The Name of the Star follows Rory as she jumps across the pond from rural Louisiana to bustling London; she actually jumps right into a resurgence of Ripper activity.
Rory joins a cast of characters so unique and unlike any others that I've read about before. For some reason, everyone has a nickname that they go by – Jazza and Boo are just two. These characters are fun, quirky and warm, and instantly draw you in and make you want to be friends with them. Jerome, Rory's love interest, seems to be a cute, if not bumbling student who is obsessed with all things Jack the Ripper.
The setting of London is breathtakingly detailed. I've been a couple of different times, but even if I hadn't, I would have felt like I would know exactly where characters were walking by Johnson's descriptions. They were bright and lively, even when the setting was foggy and mysterious.
And mysterious it was. There are mysterious murders going on, and mysterious people show up. Callum and Steven were two such mysterious people, although they grew on me in the end.
I'm excited to see how the next book shapes up. The Name of the Star ended with one of those cliffhangers that, while leaving you wanting more, also left you with enough of a conclusion that you weren't just dying. I'll also be interested to see how the love life of the main character shapes up. Was it just me, or did it seem that a triangle is in our near future? Hmm...
"I decided to deflect her attitude by giving a long, Southern answer. I come from people who know how to draw things out. Annoy a Southerner, and we will drain away the moments of your life with our slow, detailed replies until you are nothing but a husk of your former self and that much closer to death."
Absolutely perfect and so true!
Now, enough gushing on Maureen Johnson's capabilities of capturing Southerners and Southern culture to a T – she's also a master of suspense. I adored this novel. The Name of the Star follows Rory as she jumps across the pond from rural Louisiana to bustling London; she actually jumps right into a resurgence of Ripper activity.
Rory joins a cast of characters so unique and unlike any others that I've read about before. For some reason, everyone has a nickname that they go by – Jazza and Boo are just two. These characters are fun, quirky and warm, and instantly draw you in and make you want to be friends with them. Jerome, Rory's love interest, seems to be a cute, if not bumbling student who is obsessed with all things Jack the Ripper.
The setting of London is breathtakingly detailed. I've been a couple of different times, but even if I hadn't, I would have felt like I would know exactly where characters were walking by Johnson's descriptions. They were bright and lively, even when the setting was foggy and mysterious.
And mysterious it was. There are mysterious murders going on, and mysterious people show up. Callum and Steven were two such mysterious people, although they grew on me in the end.
I'm excited to see how the next book shapes up. The Name of the Star ended with one of those cliffhangers that, while leaving you wanting more, also left you with enough of a conclusion that you weren't just dying. I'll also be interested to see how the love life of the main character shapes up. Was it just me, or did it seem that a triangle is in our near future? Hmm...
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