Genre: Dystopian
Description:
“If an army marches on its stomach, can a cook find a way to win the
war?
It’s 2049. In a Russian-occupied America torn apart by civil war,
Valerie Kipplander—daughter of the assassinated secretary of state—is thrown in
jail. When the regime discovers this daughter of privilege is also a talented
culinary student, she’s forced into service in the kitchen of a Russian general
whose troops occupy New York.
The general’s mansion proves a prison of a different sort. The head
chef has a mysterious past, the Russians have a more insidious agenda than what
they’ve promised, the resistance wants her on their side, and one of the guards
wants her dead.
Valerie knows she must take a stand. The risks are monumental, the
choices few. But how long can she serve the men bent on destroying her beloved
country?”
Author:
“Laurie Boris has been writing fiction for almost thirty years and is
the award-winning author of eight novels. When not playing with the universe of
imaginary people in her head, she's a freelance copyeditor and enjoys baseball,
reading, and avoiding housework. She lives in New York's lovely Hudson Valley.”
Appraisal:
I’ve read more than a few dystopian novels. The Kitchen Brigade has the elements those I like tend to have,
most significantly happening in the near future with a story world that I can easily
relate to and picture myself trying to survive in. I’ve read a few of Laurie
Boris’ novels as well, and despite none of them being dystopian, this one
had many of the same qualities as her others did including relatable and
believable characters, writing that read smoothly and does a good job of putting
your imaginary self in the middle of what’s happening.
But this book, like her others, is also unique. Valerie, the protagonist
of The Kitchen Brigade, isn’t like
the hero of any other dystopian novel I’ve read. Exactly what her situation was
and where it was going to take her wasn’t clear until the end, to either us or
to Valerie. But I was pulling for her to successfully make it through this
experience, whatever succeeding turned out to be.
FYI:
Some adult language.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 85-90,000 words
4 comments:
Thank you, Big Al and Pals!
Thanks you, Laurie, for sending us your book.
I couldn't agree more. Well, I could but that would be excessive. I enjoyed this book greatly. While I'm not an expert on the classic dystopian novel, I trust Laurie (after reading many of her books) to hook me on the story. The dystopian books I've read have provided me with credible stories about horrid but believable futures. The energy of this book hooked me start to finish. Great read.
Thanks for the comment, Ed. The definition of dystopian (if my memory is right) is imagining going too far down a slippery slope that some people think we're headed and how badly that could turn out. Almost always the slippery slope is something political. I find that I like them because they're much more credible to me than many stories with a horrific plot and they always get me thinking, which they're pretty much designed to do. :)
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