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anovelbeauty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Book TW: ❗️consistent antisemitism❗️, child kidnapping, forced religious conversion, torture, crusades, child murder and death, gambling, plague, religious persecution, slavery, child marriage common to the historical time
Despite the fact that Gail Carson Levine’s latest novel is set in the late 1400’s, it feels almost disturbingly relevant to now (I mean, heavens sake it starts off with a plague and then chronicles rising and consistent antisemitism throughout the story, which... yeah reading this in 2021 feels almost too much). Despite the heaviness of many of the subjects covered in A Ceiling Made of Eggshells, this is still a middle grade novel and still has many of Levine’s literary staples (i.e. charm, wittiness and humor, strong female protagonists, etc.). What I will say is that if you are considering suggesting this for younger readers, I would also prepare time to discuss and debrief afterwards, especially if subjects like religious persecution are relatively new to them. This book does a good job of framing it in a way that I think explains what it needs to for the story, while opening the door to many discussions and questions as well. However, I actually appreciate that Levine did not pull any punches when it came to dealing with hard topics. In fact, i was surprised and actually a little stunned at some of the things she had Loma and her family go through and witness, especially given the tendency in children’s lit to water down historical events. This gave not only realism to the story, but treated the history (even the horrid parts) with the weight it deserves. Loma is a wonderful character and I love her dearly. She’s so incredibly loyal, emotional, and witty. While I can’t relate to her gift for math and knack for negotiation, I admired the development of the character as we follow her from a child into a young woman. She cares for her family and her people and is willing to do whatever she has to to protect them, even at cost to herself. Her love for children is especially poignant and precious throughout the book. However, she’s also emotional and very anxious for much of the book (relatable), but this doesn’t take away from her strength and perseverance. My other favorite character was actually Hamdun, who was just always extremely sweet and I appreciated his friendship with Loma later in the story. Belo was fascinating and I had complex feelings about him that are far too long to explain here, but needless to say, his relationship with Loma is by far the most complex and developed in the book and sometimes I love it, other times I’m frustrated. One thing Levine does marvellously is connecting me directly to the emotions her characters are feeling. When Loma is terrified or furious or joyous or mirthful, I feel every feeling deep into my bones. The moments with characters like King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella are particularly interesting as they are seemingly so nice and loving and are equally threatening and terrifying. It was a weird conglomeration of emotions to go through all at once, but is definitely evidence of just how well Levine can write to convey such complexity in the limited page time they have.
My few qualms with the book are relatively minor. There were sometimes where the book felt like it was trying to cover too much distance in a short amount of time. The ending felt slightly abrupt, but not overly so. However, I did wish for an epilogue such as Levine has included in other novels, I found myself desperately wanting to know more, specifically about what Loma has been wanting the entire story (best I can do without spoilers). While we did get a sentence (literally), I just wanted the ending solidified and a bit more of a resolution given all of the upheaval and trauma of the latter half of the book.
All in all though, I really did love this story. Gail Carson Levine has woven a lovely ode to her Sephardic heritage that I’m glad to have on my shelves. Once I really settled in with my physical copy (the audiobook and I just weren’t clicking), I finished the whole book in one sitting. If you’re in the right headspace for a historical fiction like this that is equal parts heartache and warmth, I would absolutely recommend it.
Despite the fact that Gail Carson Levine’s latest novel is set in the late 1400’s, it feels almost disturbingly relevant to now (I mean, heavens sake it starts off with a plague and then chronicles rising and consistent antisemitism throughout the story, which... yeah reading this in 2021 feels almost too much). Despite the heaviness of many of the subjects covered in A Ceiling Made of Eggshells, this is still a middle grade novel and still has many of Levine’s literary staples (i.e. charm, wittiness and humor, strong female protagonists, etc.). What I will say is that if you are considering suggesting this for younger readers, I would also prepare time to discuss and debrief afterwards, especially if subjects like religious persecution are relatively new to them. This book does a good job of framing it in a way that I think explains what it needs to for the story, while opening the door to many discussions and questions as well. However, I actually appreciate that Levine did not pull any punches when it came to dealing with hard topics. In fact, i was surprised and actually a little stunned at some of the things she had Loma and her family go through and witness, especially given the tendency in children’s lit to water down historical events. This gave not only realism to the story, but treated the history (even the horrid parts) with the weight it deserves. Loma is a wonderful character and I love her dearly. She’s so incredibly loyal, emotional, and witty. While I can’t relate to her gift for math and knack for negotiation, I admired the development of the character as we follow her from a child into a young woman. She cares for her family and her people and is willing to do whatever she has to to protect them, even at cost to herself. Her love for children is especially poignant and precious throughout the book. However, she’s also emotional and very anxious for much of the book (relatable), but this doesn’t take away from her strength and perseverance. My other favorite character was actually Hamdun, who was just always extremely sweet and I appreciated his friendship with Loma later in the story. Belo was fascinating and I had complex feelings about him that are far too long to explain here, but needless to say, his relationship with Loma is by far the most complex and developed in the book and sometimes I love it, other times I’m frustrated. One thing Levine does marvellously is connecting me directly to the emotions her characters are feeling. When Loma is terrified or furious or joyous or mirthful, I feel every feeling deep into my bones. The moments with characters like King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella are particularly interesting as they are seemingly so nice and loving and are equally threatening and terrifying. It was a weird conglomeration of emotions to go through all at once, but is definitely evidence of just how well Levine can write to convey such complexity in the limited page time they have.
My few qualms with the book are relatively minor. There were sometimes where the book felt like it was trying to cover too much distance in a short amount of time. The ending felt slightly abrupt, but not overly so. However, I did wish for an epilogue such as Levine has included in other novels, I found myself desperately wanting to know more, specifically about what Loma has been wanting the entire story (best I can do without spoilers). While we did get a sentence (literally), I just wanted the ending solidified and a bit more of a resolution given all of the upheaval and trauma of the latter half of the book.
All in all though, I really did love this story. Gail Carson Levine has woven a lovely ode to her Sephardic heritage that I’m glad to have on my shelves. Once I really settled in with my physical copy (the audiobook and I just weren’t clicking), I finished the whole book in one sitting. If you’re in the right headspace for a historical fiction like this that is equal parts heartache and warmth, I would absolutely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Misogyny
Minor: Confinement, Slavery, and Murder
sarahs_shelf_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I listened to this one on audio book as preparation for my libraries Mock Newberry discussion. I really enjoyed the book for the most part. I found the story really interesting, especially since it is something I don't know anything about--it's set in the 15th C during the expulsion of Jews from Spain. The main character Loma loves her family dearly and spends most of the story traveling around Spain with her grandfather as they plea to the monarchs to let the Jewish community remain in Spain. She struggles with anxiety and finds that counting helps her manage her worries about the safety of her family and her community. She desperately wants to get married and have children of her own, but she is also a dutiful granddaughter, so she agrees to travel and support her Belo. Along the way she learns about the danger that Jews are in. Her family is looked on kindly by the monarchs, but that is mostly because they have money and influence and the monarchs hope they can one day be convinced to covert.
I think the thing I had the hardest time with was the cast of characters. There were a lot of people to keep track of, and some characters names changed when they were forced to convert to Christianity. I'm not sure if that was mostly because I listened to the book, but it was definitely something that affected how I felt about the story.
Overall I really enjoyed Loma's voice and her kindness to those around her. I thought the book did a good job reflecting the complexities of such a time through Loma's story.
I think the thing I had the hardest time with was the cast of characters. There were a lot of people to keep track of, and some characters names changed when they were forced to convert to Christianity. I'm not sure if that was mostly because I listened to the book, but it was definitely something that affected how I felt about the story.
Overall I really enjoyed Loma's voice and her kindness to those around her. I thought the book did a good job reflecting the complexities of such a time through Loma's story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Violence
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