Dines, Carol. The queen's soprano.DINES, Carol. The queen's soprano. Harcourt. 312p. c2006. 0-15-205477-4. $17.00. JS Fans of historical fiction featuring plucky pluck·y adj. pluck·i·er, pluck·i·est Having or showing courage and spirit in trying circumstances. See Synonyms at brave. pluck heroines in peril will enjoy this novel. Fortunately for authors, enough cold, hard facts about the real-life heroine's life are lost so that the protagonist can be far more outspoken, brave, educated, and likeable like·a·ble adj. Variant of likable. Adj. 1. likeable - (of characters in literature or drama) evoking empathic or sympathetic feelings; "the sympathetic characters in the play" likable, appealing, sympathetic than her prototype might have been. Seventeen-year-old Angelica angelica (ănjĕl`ĭkə), any species of the genus Angelica, plants of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the Northern Hemisphere and New Zealand, valued for their potency as a medicament and protection against is blessed with the voice of a Renee Fleming, but she, unfortunately, lives in Rome in the late 1600s, and Pope Innocent XI Pope Innocent XI (May 16, 1611 – August 12, 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was Pope from 1676 to 1689. Early life He was born at Como in 1611, and was educated there by the Jesuits. decrees that women will not sing in public. Also, unfortunately, a girl's worth in those days is measured by how wealthy a nobleman she can snag into marriage so that the rest of her working-class family can live the rest of their lives in comfort. This set of circumstances makes it hard for a girl to just sing her song. Further, Angelica falls improbably in love with a penniless pen·ni·less adj. 1. Entirely without money. 2. Very poor. See Synonyms at poor. pen  ni·less·ly adv. sculptor (their communications are exclusively by third party but somehow true love blossoms). She pours out her soul in arias sung behind barely opened bedroom shutters so her fans (and her beloved) can gather in the street and enjoy her voice from afar. In spite of plot improbabilities and anachronistic a·nach·ro·nism n. 1. The representation of someone as existing or something as happening in other than chronological, proper, or historical order. 2. opinions held by various characters, this tale is an interesting look at a time when girls were confined by law and marketed like cattle. In real life, a girl like Angelica would have to be a ruthless politician at the level of Lyndon Johnson to successfully navigate the treacherous waters in which she tries to swim. Fortunately for readers, Angelica is determined, beautiful, and charismatic enough to attract the love and protection of the right kind of people and, ultimately, she not only survives but prevails. Myrna Marler, Assoc. Prof. of English, BYU BYU Brigham Young University BYU Bayou BYU Bob's Your Uncle BYU Bayreuth, Germany - Bindlacher Berg (Airport Code) BYU Beyond Your Understanding , Provo, UT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. |
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