asiyahrana's review against another edition
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
sweetdreams_sunshine's review against another edition
4.0
Do you ever read a book in a certain genre and by the end your remind this is why you love this particular genre?
That is what A Death-Struck Year did for me.
I love historical fiction. Hands down it is one of my favorite genres to read. Yet I don't read a lot of it. And honestly, I probably wouldn't have picked up this book had I not received an ARC copy, which is why loving it made it even more awesome.
Cleo Berry lives in Portland, Oregon in what seems like another world away from the East Coast struck with the Spanish Influenza. The seventeen year old is left at her boarding school while her older brother & his wife (her guardians) leave on vacation when the worst happens, the Spanish Influenza spreads across the country to the west coast. Cleo is left with a choice, to stay at her (relatively) safe school or go home by herself to wait for her family to come home. She chooses to go home and in a turn of events ends up volunteering with the Red Cross. This book is about Cleo's heroic journey in the last couple months of the pandemic and the devastation that takes place.
I was hooked on this book from the start. I enjoyed that in the beginning we were introduced to Cleo as a wealthy teenage girl who was an average, relatable character. She didn't know what she wanted to do once she graduated from school while all her other friends had set plans. Cleo is also some who had faced devastation in her young life, but she lived to the best of her ability and ultimately it led to her choice to volunteer with the Red Cross.
I really enjoyed reading about Cleo's journey in this story. I liked how Makiia Lucier integrated facts about the pandemic as well as truly making this a story about Cleo finding herself in a way. In all honesty, I did not know much about the Spanish Influenza so I enjoyed learning more. I could definitely tell that Makiia Lucier put a lot of research into the Spanish Influenza and what it was like for people.
Also the whole cast of secondary characters were fantastic and realistic. I adored Cleo and Edmund, both as individuals and their relationship. I really liked how much in the background their romance and how Makiia Lucier didn't make it the center of the story. It was also frightening how quickly some of the people fell ill and then passed away. One of my favorite things about the book was how real everything felt. I could definitely relate to and feel the emotions of the characters in this story.
I did have a couple issues with this book, although they were minor. I thought it was odd to insert Cleo's feelings about family size and insert the pamphlet about contraceptives. I felt like that was more the author inserting her opinion rather than being relevant to the story. Especially since it was not addressed again throughout the novel. Also I felt like the ending was a little rushed. Although admittedly I did like it and was okay that not necessary everything was wrapped up. If anything it made it feel even more real to me.
In the end, this book left me teary eyed at the end given the message. Which is something that is difficult to make me do as while I do get emotional I do not often cry while reading. Therefore I would definitely recommend this book.
4.5 stars
That is what A Death-Struck Year did for me.
I love historical fiction. Hands down it is one of my favorite genres to read. Yet I don't read a lot of it. And honestly, I probably wouldn't have picked up this book had I not received an ARC copy, which is why loving it made it even more awesome.
Cleo Berry lives in Portland, Oregon in what seems like another world away from the East Coast struck with the Spanish Influenza. The seventeen year old is left at her boarding school while her older brother & his wife (her guardians) leave on vacation when the worst happens, the Spanish Influenza spreads across the country to the west coast. Cleo is left with a choice, to stay at her (relatively) safe school or go home by herself to wait for her family to come home. She chooses to go home and in a turn of events ends up volunteering with the Red Cross. This book is about Cleo's heroic journey in the last couple months of the pandemic and the devastation that takes place.
I was hooked on this book from the start. I enjoyed that in the beginning we were introduced to Cleo as a wealthy teenage girl who was an average, relatable character. She didn't know what she wanted to do once she graduated from school while all her other friends had set plans. Cleo is also some who had faced devastation in her young life, but she lived to the best of her ability and ultimately it led to her choice to volunteer with the Red Cross.
I really enjoyed reading about Cleo's journey in this story. I liked how Makiia Lucier integrated facts about the pandemic as well as truly making this a story about Cleo finding herself in a way. In all honesty, I did not know much about the Spanish Influenza so I enjoyed learning more. I could definitely tell that Makiia Lucier put a lot of research into the Spanish Influenza and what it was like for people.
Also the whole cast of secondary characters were fantastic and realistic. I adored Cleo and Edmund, both as individuals and their relationship. I really liked how much in the background their romance and how Makiia Lucier didn't make it the center of the story. It was also frightening how quickly some of the people fell ill and then passed away.
Spoiler
Kate's death absolutely devastated me.I did have a couple issues with this book, although they were minor. I thought it was odd to insert Cleo's feelings about family size and insert the pamphlet about contraceptives. I felt like that was more the author inserting her opinion rather than being relevant to the story. Especially since it was not addressed again throughout the novel. Also I felt like the ending was a little rushed. Although admittedly I did like it and was okay that not necessary everything was wrapped up. If anything it made it feel even more real to me.
In the end, this book left me teary eyed at the end given the message. Which is something that is difficult to make me do as while I do get emotional I do not often cry while reading. Therefore I would definitely recommend this book.
4.5 stars
sparkwaren's review against another edition
5.0
The very first thing I want to say before I get to this review is that I read this as an ebook because my library had it on their digital shelves, and I enjoyed this book so much that I need it in a physical form. If you love historical fiction and enjoyed books formatted like Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepytes (one of my favorite historical novels ever), then you’ll really enjoy A Death-Struck Year. It really is interesting and a pretty quick read, it sucks you in and doesn’t let you go.
Now, onto my review, which will probably contain more of me talking about how much I liked it, but it is what it is. I definitely need this book on bookshelves at some point, though.
In this story, you follow a girl named Cleo Berry, 17-years-old, who lives in Portland in 1918, just as the Spanish Influenza is making its historic rounds. If you don’t know anything about the Spanish Influenza, I highly suggest NOT reading up on it until after you’d finished the book. It makes it a lot more entrapping to not know how things are going to go, and who you will and won’t lose along the way based on the statistics we have now. Once you’ve finished, Wiki it out! I definitely did.
The story you follow through Cleo’s eyes is one of fear and turmoil as the disease ravages the world around her, and Cleo is stuck in the middle of it. I won’t go as far as to tell you how she is or where she’s experiencing this all from, since that could be spoilery, but I will say that her position in it, as working for the Red Cross (stated in the blurb, though I won’t go into detail beyond that), was not something I myself would have been able to do. Especially not in a town where I had grown up with the people being struck by the disease. At least, I don’t think I would have. Who knows what someone’s capable of until disaster strikes, right?
Anyway.
My biggest concern with this book was the ending, simply because I wanted to know more about what had happened, but otherwise I think that this book was great from start to finish. There was some drama and excitement, but nothing too extreme for a book about a disease that hit America in the early 20th century. In fact, if you’re not interested in the experience, you might even find this book a little bit boring. I didn’t, but seeing things through the eyes of a character in the most direct way possible is my favorite kind of historical fiction novel.
All in all, this book was fantastic. It was interesting (to me), informative, capturing. The prose was easy to read and Cleo as a character didn’t drive me up the wall despite being 17. It didn’t push any boundaries and it had something happening in each chapter instead of sticking you in a slump where nothing happened (which, during an endemic, is pretty unlikely anyway), and it didn’t get boring for a single moment. If you like historical fiction, I highly suggest giving this one a go, you may really enjoy it.
Now, onto my review, which will probably contain more of me talking about how much I liked it, but it is what it is. I definitely need this book on bookshelves at some point, though.
In this story, you follow a girl named Cleo Berry, 17-years-old, who lives in Portland in 1918, just as the Spanish Influenza is making its historic rounds. If you don’t know anything about the Spanish Influenza, I highly suggest NOT reading up on it until after you’d finished the book. It makes it a lot more entrapping to not know how things are going to go, and who you will and won’t lose along the way based on the statistics we have now. Once you’ve finished, Wiki it out! I definitely did.
The story you follow through Cleo’s eyes is one of fear and turmoil as the disease ravages the world around her, and Cleo is stuck in the middle of it. I won’t go as far as to tell you how she is or where she’s experiencing this all from, since that could be spoilery, but I will say that her position in it, as working for the Red Cross (stated in the blurb, though I won’t go into detail beyond that), was not something I myself would have been able to do. Especially not in a town where I had grown up with the people being struck by the disease. At least, I don’t think I would have. Who knows what someone’s capable of until disaster strikes, right?
Anyway.
My biggest concern with this book was the ending, simply because I wanted to know more about what had happened, but otherwise I think that this book was great from start to finish. There was some drama and excitement, but nothing too extreme for a book about a disease that hit America in the early 20th century. In fact, if you’re not interested in the experience, you might even find this book a little bit boring. I didn’t, but seeing things through the eyes of a character in the most direct way possible is my favorite kind of historical fiction novel.
All in all, this book was fantastic. It was interesting (to me), informative, capturing. The prose was easy to read and Cleo as a character didn’t drive me up the wall despite being 17. It didn’t push any boundaries and it had something happening in each chapter instead of sticking you in a slump where nothing happened (which, during an endemic, is pretty unlikely anyway), and it didn’t get boring for a single moment. If you like historical fiction, I highly suggest giving this one a go, you may really enjoy it.
kimreadsthings's review against another edition
3.0
Oh this was really good. I was absolutely terrified from start to finish.
greenrain's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this book. It hit on so many subjects that interest me like the individual aftermath of WW1, Pacific Northwest history, brave heroines, and of course the Spanish flu epidemic. Not anyone could weave this all together and create emotion and distress that feels so real. SPOILERS: For example, the love story didn't feel like something tacked on to attract the romance crowd, rather the characters had fleshed out backgrounds to build understanding and eventually love between them. The relationship was a bit rushed, but I completely believed two people would speed things along with their emotions running high from being surrounded by death, by not knowing if they were next to die.
sc104906's review against another edition
4.0
The Spanish Flu is tearing through the world and leaving many casualities in its wake. Cleo lives in Portland, Oregon and believes that she is far removed from this pandemic. However, a whole troop of soldiers arrive in town and all are afflicted with this sickness. Public places are being closed down, quartines are in effect, and the local theater has been turned into an overflow hospital. Cleo doesn't want to be quartined at her school, so she heads back to her empty house and volunteers with the local Red Cross. Cleo is forced to face horrors she never anticipated.
This was a well researched and written novel. The novel added interesting layers by discussing current events(World War I)and modern technologies (presence of automobiles). This novel made me see how easily this occurrance and reaction could fit into our current society.
This was a well researched and written novel. The novel added interesting layers by discussing current events(World War I)and modern technologies (presence of automobiles). This novel made me see how easily this occurrance and reaction could fit into our current society.
hannahclairereads's review against another edition
3.0
I have wanted to read this book for a while. The Spanish flu has seemed interesting because, until COVID, it was seen as the forgotten pandemic. I hadn't even heard of it until season 2 of Downton Abbey.
But this book was a disappointment. It gave what seemed to be a thorough and accurate portrayal of what happened during the spread of the Spanish flu which happens to parallel our current crisis. However, I didn't care about a single character. There was no character development so I didn't really react when something would happen. Also, why did there need to be a romance? That was probably the most fleshed out part of the plot though.
Overall, it's a definite 3 stars. I'm glad I read it, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you were super interested in Spanish flu or other pandemics.
But this book was a disappointment. It gave what seemed to be a thorough and accurate portrayal of what happened during the spread of the Spanish flu which happens to parallel our current crisis. However, I didn't care about a single character. There was no character development so I didn't really react when something would happen. Also, why did there need to be a romance? That was probably the most fleshed out part of the plot though.
Overall, it's a definite 3 stars. I'm glad I read it, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you were super interested in Spanish flu or other pandemics.
froydis's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for early access to this title.
A powerful story about the flu pandemic and how it struck in Portland, OR. I was quite moved by the story, and really liked the main character, Cleo. She was spunky and brave, and I liked her decisions. She wasn't foolhardy or unrealistic. The plot was well done. Overall, I think this would be an excellent book for teens to learn about this time period. It has the same feel as many of the dystopian novels that are so popular, but this was an actual event in world history.
A powerful story about the flu pandemic and how it struck in Portland, OR. I was quite moved by the story, and really liked the main character, Cleo. She was spunky and brave, and I liked her decisions. She wasn't foolhardy or unrealistic. The plot was well done. Overall, I think this would be an excellent book for teens to learn about this time period. It has the same feel as many of the dystopian novels that are so popular, but this was an actual event in world history.
crlntm's review against another edition
5.0
In a lot of historical fiction, I find that there’s always a sort of horror element, which makes everything seem startlingly realistic and intriguing. In A Death-Struck Year, there’s a lingering horror as you fear for the characters’ lives. The Spanish influenza can strike at any one at any time, and you know no one is safe. The fear and anxiety that the characters experience was executed really well.
I loved all the characters. Cleo is a really great protagonist in that she’s smart, resourceful, and very brave. She’s also got a great heart and she isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Edmund is a very charming character and I liked him immediately. His concern for Cleo is evident of his care for her, which is really assuring especially since no one else is looking out for her.
The story starts off a bit slow, but once Cleo leaves the confines of the boarding school, it really starts to pick up. I was hooked by the time Cleo gets to the Auditorium to start helping with the Red Cross. I liked how the story highlights how ordinary citizens contributed during the Spanish influenza, which made it even more realistic and thoughtful. Also, the historical note at the end of the novel was a great addition.
A Death-Struck Year was emotional, terrifying, cute and educational.
I loved all the characters. Cleo is a really great protagonist in that she’s smart, resourceful, and very brave. She’s also got a great heart and she isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Edmund is a very charming character and I liked him immediately. His concern for Cleo is evident of his care for her, which is really assuring especially since no one else is looking out for her.
The story starts off a bit slow, but once Cleo leaves the confines of the boarding school, it really starts to pick up. I was hooked by the time Cleo gets to the Auditorium to start helping with the Red Cross. I liked how the story highlights how ordinary citizens contributed during the Spanish influenza, which made it even more realistic and thoughtful. Also, the historical note at the end of the novel was a great addition.
A Death-Struck Year was emotional, terrifying, cute and educational.