Review – Masquerade by Nancy Moser

This was a fun and fast read for me.  I really enjoyed the story of two friends switching places. 

Charlotte is the heiress of a once-wealthy English family, whose father has made some bad decisions in both business and morals.  Charlotte is offered marriage into one of New York’s wealthiest families and sets sail for America with Dora, who is her maid and confidante.

It is Charlotte’s idea for the two girls to trade positions, and Dora willingly goes along with it, thinking this is her chance to live the life of those she has always had to serve.


Both girls face serious dilemmas as they carry out their deceptive plan.  Charlotte has her money and jewels stolen and ends up living with an Italian family in some of the worst tenements in the city.  She learns about the needs of the poor and her eyes are opened to their plight in a way she’d never imagined.  Dora struggles with guilt as she learns to care for the man she (as Charlotte) is supposed to marry, and is pulled between him and another man she met aboard ship on their way to America.

This book gives a good account of how life was for many immigrants in the latter part of the 19th century.  It also helps one see the foolishness of trying to be anyone other than who one is, and the hurt that can be caused when deceiving others.

This was a good story, historically accurate, with many layers of wisdom in its pages.   I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely recommend it!

Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book to review.   
 

What we are reading – Oct. 16, 2010

Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka series by Maj Lindman

 

Over the summer we began reading the Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka series of books, by Maj Lindman.  Although the three main characters are girls, M LOVES these books!  They are pretty cute girls, after all. ;)  The stories are in no way “girl” stories though, but really appeal to any child (or adult as the case may be and is in our home).

The three girls live in Sweden and they are triplets.  The illustrations are wonderfully detailed and fun to look at.  The really neat thing about these books is that each full-page illustration details a scene from the text on the opposite page.  So, for example, when Flicka is petting the dog, Dicka is holding the black kitten, or Ricka is pouring milk, the illustration lends itself nicely to a little comprehension game: Which girl is Flicka?  Which is Ricka? Which is Dicka?  They are triplets, remember, who like to dress alike by the way, and look alike, so you really have to be paying attention to the story to be able to tell who is who.

These are warm and charming stories of typical childhood, and are fun to read.  These have made their way onto M’s list of favorite books, and mine too!  Daddy is not 100% sold on them, simply because they are long (whatever), and the girls are Swedish, not Norwegian or German ;).   But he is the first to admit he is a bit biased. :)

Check out more children’s books over at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns!

Have a beautiful day! :)