Book Review: A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi

A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
Great Episodes Series

Unabridged, 7 hr. 13 min.
AudioGo
Laura Hicks (Narrator)
May 1, 2013
★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction, YA

Source: Received download from the publisher as part of Audiobook Jukebox Solid Gold Reviewer Program

“Susanna desperately wants to join the circle of girls who meet every week at the parsonage. What she doesn't realize is that the girls are about to set off a torrent of false accusations leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless innocent people. Susanna faces a painful choice. Should she keep quiet and let the witch-hunt panic continue, or should she "break charity" with the group--and risk having her own family members named as witches?”

This was my second go-around with this book – the first time I read it I was in my early teens – and I remembered loving the book, but didn’t remember much about the book other than that.

As a part of her Great Episodes series, this book deals with a segment of history that was very important – in this case, the Salem witch trials.

Rinaldi chooses a protagonist who is sort of situated just outside the circle of drama. Susanna isn’t one of the girls who call out witches, she isn’t one of those who is called out, however this drama does envelop her. It was nice to see someone who wasn’t one of the “afflicted girls” for once. It gives a different side to the story – a outsiders perspective.

Unlike many YA HF novels, there isn’t a love story/triangle here. The history isn’t just used as a background event, it really digs in, but still keeps it engaging and interesting for the younger set. One of the author’s strengths is keeping the story appropriate for a young audience, but still readable/enjoyable for the adult set.

I certainly want to read more of Rinaldi’s books, and I’m hoping that more of them continue to be released on audio.

★★★★½☆

The narrator on this audio production did a great job at portraying the characters differently and making them distinct personas. For once, the narration didn’t sound ridiculous when she would voice male characters. I would listen to her narrating another novel.

Author Ann Rinaldi also has written many, many other YA historical fiction novels. You can find a complete listing of her novels on Rinaldi’s website.

My reviews of other books by this author:

• The Fifth of March

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Leafing Through Life
• The Bookworm’s Library

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi

The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre by Ann Rinaldi
Great Episodes Series

Unabridged, 7 hr. 30 min.

Audio Bookshelf

Melissa Hughes (narrator)

April 28, 2004

★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Downloaded the audio from my library

“Rachel Marsh, an indentured servant in the household of John Adams, believes she is well treated, and greatly admires Abigail and John Adams. Although not political herself, she worries about friends who support rebellion and have told her that a time will come when she will have to take a stand. It is only when she meets Matthew Kilroy, a young, argumentative British soldier who has been sent to Boston as part of a peacekeeping force, that Rachel begins to question British domination of the colonies and to see herself as an American.”

Growing up my favorite author was hands down Ann Rinaldi. I owned probably about a dozen or so of them and I would frequently borrow those that I didn’t own from the school library. After about age 15 I got distracted by other books and really forgot all about this author until a few weeks ago. I was exploring the author’s website for a feature I was doing on YA Historical Fiction and realized that she has still been releasing books, almost every year, and still is. This made me want to take some time to get back to reading those books I loved – this time on audio book.

The Fifth of March is a story of the events in Boston that lead up to the Boston Massacre, the event itself, the trial of those British soldiers, and some of the outcomes of this conflagration. But it is also the story of Rachel dealing with figuring out who she is – does she still see herself as a British American or just a plain American (to use her own words)? It is a really interesting question – when do you start to see yourself as something different? You get to see Rachel really starting to open her eyes to what is happening around her and see how it affects her. I also really loved the sweet, little romance that developed. You really were able to see how this put added stress on a young girl too.

The author does an awesome job at giving the reader a visual layout of Boston. She also has a great ability to convey the drama, hysteria, tension, panic and drive to choose sides that enveloped Boston during that time.

Although this book is written for a primarily high school audience, I enjoyed it immensely. The historical facts and events were not brought down a level and would still be very enjoyable for an adult reader. This is a coming of age story with a teenage narrator – but also consider, people had to grow up a lot faster back then and were encountering situations that many teens wouldn’t be today.

★★★½☆☆

I have to say that I didn’t love this narrator. The way she read for the main character of Rachel made the character seem dumb. Having read this in paperback several years ago I had never gotten that impression – a little naïve, yes, but not the way this narrator made me feel about the character. The narrator did do a good job at evoking the feelings of the story and the world the characters were living in – the fear and panic. I think it would have been a more enjoyable listening experience with a different narrator.

You can check out a preview of the book from Google Preview to get a taste of the writing style – even with some pages omitted.  You can listen to a sample of the book as well (links to Audible).

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• The Shady Glade

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia 

Also by Ann Rinaldi

Author Ann Rinaldi has written dozens of YA historical fiction books. You can check out my post Books by Ann Rinaldi for a detailed listing of many of her books.

A Break with Charity
[My Review]

Find Ann Rinaldi: Website 

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court