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grammargirl(I actually finished this one a good week and a half or more ago. It probably doesn't bode well that I've fallen behind in my book logs before January is even over.)
It makes me a little sad that Thisbe Nissen has only written two books. Thankfully, the author photo on the back of The Good People of New York, Nissen's first novel, makes her look like she's about 16, so one can hope she has a long and prolific career ahead of her.
The Good People of New York is a wonderful novel, though I didn't fall in love with it the way I did with her short stories. The book traces the life of its protagonist, Miranda, from her parent's courtship and marriage through her birth, childhood, and rocky adolescence, and ends with Miranda's first visit home during her freshman year of college. The thing that really struck me about Miranda's story is how thoroughly herself she is throughout the 18-year span of the novel; even as she metamorphoses from a sweet-tempered little girl into a rebellious and unpredictable teenager, she is still clearly the same person. Watching Miranda grow and change and evolve and make mistakes is truly a pleasure. Nissen's also remarkably adept at capturing the way girls' minds work at various stages of their lives; 8-year-old Miranda is as vividly and believably drawn as her 15-year-old counterpart. Not an action-filled read by any means, but a quietly compelling one.
It makes me a little sad that Thisbe Nissen has only written two books. Thankfully, the author photo on the back of The Good People of New York, Nissen's first novel, makes her look like she's about 16, so one can hope she has a long and prolific career ahead of her.
The Good People of New York is a wonderful novel, though I didn't fall in love with it the way I did with her short stories. The book traces the life of its protagonist, Miranda, from her parent's courtship and marriage through her birth, childhood, and rocky adolescence, and ends with Miranda's first visit home during her freshman year of college. The thing that really struck me about Miranda's story is how thoroughly herself she is throughout the 18-year span of the novel; even as she metamorphoses from a sweet-tempered little girl into a rebellious and unpredictable teenager, she is still clearly the same person. Watching Miranda grow and change and evolve and make mistakes is truly a pleasure. Nissen's also remarkably adept at capturing the way girls' minds work at various stages of their lives; 8-year-old Miranda is as vividly and believably drawn as her 15-year-old counterpart. Not an action-filled read by any means, but a quietly compelling one.
