Consuelo, George Sand. After some heroic midwifing, we are in Vienna now and there is All The Politics! Consuelo has been reunited with her beloved mentor Porpora, who is a much less sympathetic character now -- he is bitter about what he views as a failed career, and hopes Consuelo will provide him a much-needed triumph over his rivals. Teenaged Joseph Haydn is still around, getting his foot in the door as Porpora's valet since Porpora is not interested in taking students. (Joseph and Consuelo have fallen into an found family relationship, at one point Joseph says "I might have been in love with you at one point" to which Consuelo says "Don't be ridiculous.") Consuelo just had a disastrous interview with Empress Maria Theresa, and I'm not sure what's next, but it might involve packing their bags and hoping for better luck in Prussia.
Taking Care of Terrific, Lois Lowry. Recommended by![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nnozomi, and I found it on OpenLibrary, which actually has a lot of out-of-print childrens' books, I really like this. This is a subversive book -- reading it helped me connect the dots between the Anastasia Krupnik books and The Giver. Set in the Boston of 40 years ago, specifically Beacon Hill and the Public Gardens, which are still recognizable (though there weren't any locations I imprinted on strongly). The snarky narrator is delightful. My one quibble is that the bit where the protagonist decides at the end she likes the name her parents gave her felt tacked-on and unnatural -- I feel like this is the way that childrens' books generally go: wanting to change your name is a phase that one gets over. (I assume this is less true now with better trans representation.)
Cat in the Mirror, Mary Stolz. Recommended byrachelmanija, also available on OpenLibrary, and also shares in common with Taking Care of Terrific a rich girl protagonist with awful parents (well here mostly an awful mother) and an interest in strikes/other sorts of collective organizing. I'm pretty sure I read this when I was a kid (it likely influenced some of the timeslip fiction I wrote when I was 12 or 13), though I don't remember that much of it. Well-done.
Taking Care of Terrific, Lois Lowry. Recommended by
nnozomi, and I found it on OpenLibrary, which actually has a lot of out-of-print childrens' books, I really like this. This is a subversive book -- reading it helped me connect the dots between the Anastasia Krupnik books and The Giver. Set in the Boston of 40 years ago, specifically Beacon Hill and the Public Gardens, which are still recognizable (though there weren't any locations I imprinted on strongly). The snarky narrator is delightful. My one quibble is that the bit where the protagonist decides at the end she likes the name her parents gave her felt tacked-on and unnatural -- I feel like this is the way that childrens' books generally go: wanting to change your name is a phase that one gets over. (I assume this is less true now with better trans representation.)Cat in the Mirror, Mary Stolz. Recommended by
rachelmanija, also available on OpenLibrary, and also shares in common with Taking Care of Terrific a rich girl protagonist with awful parents (well here mostly an awful mother) and an interest in strikes/other sorts of collective organizing. I'm pretty sure I read this when I was a kid (it likely influenced some of the timeslip fiction I wrote when I was 12 or 13), though I don't remember that much of it. Well-done.