A Sky Painted Gold

April 1, 2020
Grades 7-12 In Lou Trevelyan's small Cornish town, the most magnificent landmark is Cardew House, sitting on land that becomes an island twice a day with the tides. As she explores the empty estate, it seems like hers, until the day the Cardew twins return home to reclaim it, bringing with them all the glitz and glamour of the 1929 London social season. Lou is swept up in the parties and escapades, falling for Robert Cardew along the way, until the magic tarnishes, and her eyes are opened to the emotion beneath the show. Wood has created a charmingly nostalgic romantic moment, equal parts F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Samuel A. Taylor's Sabrina Fair, capturing what it is to live a dream and be gently awakened. No abruptness or disruption, all is easy and breezy, and the only hint of trouble is as a fleeting dark cloud, rather than a flat-out deluge. The one-dimensional characters and uncomplicated plot are nonetheless appealing, thanks to Wood's capable writing, and the happy ending is an antidote to today's harsh reality fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2020

Gr 8 Up-As one half of the sibling team who was "Lou-and-Alice," Louise is understandably feeling adrift after the wedding of her beloved older sister. She deals with her anxiety by exploring the glamorous Cardew estate in 1929 Cornwall, where she lives. One night, as she is spying on a party there, the good-looking Robert Cardew spots her in a tree. Their chemistry and sparring launches a summer of invitations through which Lou hobnobs with the London elite. As the season wears on, Lou builds an identity outside her home, learns Cardew family secrets, and discovers the difference between attraction and love. While much of this novel is pure romantic fluff, it features well-drawn characters and enough mystery to keep readers involved, despite rather mannered language and worn references to both Pride and Prejudice and The Great Gatsby. Forays into interracial and gay love don't make the plot any less predictable, yet it's fun to follow Lou's progress. VERDICT Readers who are not ready for the classics may find a satisfying escape in Lou's journey, and perhaps inspiration to check out the originals.-Sheri Reda, Wilmette Public Library, IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 11, 2020
A predictable plot and one-dimensional characters flatten much of the fizz from this romance set in England at the tail end of the 1920s. After her beloved older sister marries, aspiring writer Lou pines for something new and different. She gets her wish when glamorous Robert Cardew and his sister Caitlin return to their family seat, a long-abandoned manor on an island across from Lou’s village in Cornwall. Lou soon becomes part of the siblings’ social circle, staying at Cardew House, attending seemingly endless wild parties, receiving lavish gifts from Caitlin, and indulging in banter and myriad misunderstandings with Robert. From time to time, Lou returns home to visit with her family, a diligently quirky bunch in the style of I Capture the Castle. The members of Robert and Caitlin’s crowd of bright young things are differentiated with one-note attributes and a heavy dose of flamboyant gushing (“It was those green cocktails, deadly things, had me throwing caution to the wind!”). Still, the Cornish setting and Great Gatsby–style trappings have their charm, and Lou’s chatty narration keeps things moving quickly. Ages 12–up. Agent: Antonia Pelari, Scholastic U.K.

May 15, 2020
Seventeen-year-old Louise Trevelyan's sleepy Cornish village witnesses the arrival of the wealthy, glamorous Cardews. Lou has a bustling, loving, ordinary family--and dreams of something more. Her older sister is content to marry and settle down, but at low tide Lou sneaks across the causeway and into the empty Cardew House, where she writes installments in her ongoing adventure story. When 23-year-old Robert and his sister, the anachronistically named Caitlin, come down from London for the summer, Lou is drawn into their circle, becoming a pet project and confidante for Caitlin, whose fast-living friends flock to her sumptuously decadent parties. Robert and Lou initially clash, but their underlying romantic attraction is heavily signaled. Beneath the sparkle, Lou senses the orphaned, noble Cardews' dysfunction, though concrete facts are tantalizingly mysterious. As the summer wears on and the gap between Lou's indulgences and her family's modest lifestyle becomes more glaring, Lou faces the difficult question of what next: Should she find a local boy and abandon her dream of becoming a novelist? Throw herself at wealthy American Charlie? Face her true feelings about Robert (who is engaged to Charlie's sister)? While the story is charmingly frothy and the descriptions of clothing delight, there is little chemistry between Lou and Robert, and the characters feel as insubstantial as the glossy veneer on their high-society lives. Main characters are white; there are significant black secondary characters. A light, escapist read. (Historical romance. 13-18)

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