2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling Characters Bring a Time and Place Alive, Jun 16 2009
By Anne Broyles - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Lost (Hardcover)
This beautifully-written book offers both compelling characters in Essie, Zelda and Harriet, and a fascinating time and setting (Lower East Side Manhattan, early 1900s). On a deeper level, LOST is Essie's journey from grief and denial to wholeness and the future's possibilities.
LOST's personalized view of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy toward the book's end is gripping and an important part of the plot, but even without this historic event or the sub-plot of a missing heiress, LOST would stand as Essie's story.
On an aesthetic note, the novel is beautifully bound with alternating chapters (Essie's remembrances of her sister) printed on pages that look like patchy walls of a tenement flat. The book's cover is exquisite and the jacket flaps' contrast ink matches the pink endpapers--simple design details that make reading this book even more of a pleasure.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great historical fiction for all ages, Jun 14 2011
By atibamanii - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Lost (Hardcover)
I've always been drawn to stories about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in NYC, March 26, 1911, that killed 141 people, mostly seamstress girls. I don't know why. Maybe a previous life?
Jacqueline Davies has written a historical fiction that interweaves this tragedy with another tragedy at the time for which I was unaware. On January 26, 1911 The New York Times reported on the disappearance of a Dorothy Harriet Camille Arnold, the daughter of a wealthy family and niece of a former Supreme Court justice. Although the story was reported on this date, the family had mysteriously waited six weeks to report the disappearance to police. This story was mysterious from the beginning, and received a lot of press, none stating that Miss Arnold had been located until April, 1921, when the then head of The Bureau of Missing Persons in NYC reported that the police had solved the case!
The main character of the story works at Triangle but the storyline does not concentrate on her job. Instead readers are lead through the tragedy of her family using flashbacks. It is difficult in the beginning to follow the story; however, once you get the rhythm, you can't wait for the next flashback. With a "surprise" ending, I'm certain that the author meant for the tension to rise, but I figured out the "surprise" rather early.
In spite of this, I truly enjoyed the book that depicts the life of immigrants in NYC in the early 20th century and gives you an excellent "feel" of NYC at the time. The author expertly presents a plausible interaction between a fictional character and a real one. She also does an awesome job of pointing out the contrasts between the disparate lives of a young immigrant woman with a woman from a rich and well-connected family that is timeless.
Although this book is considered Young Adult fiction, just like almost all YA Fiction it is an excellent read for all ages, especially those with an intense interest in history.
I give this 4 Stars.
5.0 out of 5 stars
More than just a historical novel, Sep 13 2010
By Andrea - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Lost (Hardcover)
A fantastic story interweaving the tragety of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, the daytime, unexplainable vanishing of a wealthy socialite, and the abject poverty of New York in the early 1900s. There is so much more to this than just the personal stories of the characters and the history. All of that is there, but it somehow adds up to more than just the "snapshot" you often get with a historical novel. The losses the main character endures are enough to break your heart, but her determination and perserverance stay with you long past the end of the book. Very highly recommended!