Magic & Corsets

I am nearly finished with the final novel in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray. They are fascinating, easy to read, and a definite step up from a lot of the other Young Adult / Teen lit. that is available today.

My one complaint with the series is the fact that so much is told, not shown. Libba Bray stated in an interview I read recently that she is a trained playwright, and she was a theater major in college. I think this shows up quite often in her work, as we are taken time and time again to a magic world, The Realms, and I still have not established a clear mental image of what it is like there. I read time and time again that it is more beautiful than I can imagine, a green meadow where their footsteps create bright red flowers; the trees droop with the weight of heavy fruit, but like the pomegranate trees in Hades' lair, it is temptation only to keep you anchored in that world.

I spent quite a bit of time studying Persephone's tale as I wrote about Demeter in grad. school, and what I find most interesting about Bray's temptation fruit is that it is not necessarily a fruit of any kind of knowledge. It also does not seem to be symbolic of any particular growth, development, or choice. It's delightful, it appears to be delicious, it's definitely ripe - so its purpose is to lure you and keep you, though the rules of the novel state one cannot be kept in the Realms. It's an odd comparison, one that could not be more purposeful, and yet I think it was a careless choice. Symbolic for the purpose of symbolism.

Aside from this, my time spent on Victorian Literature (specifically on the world of the Victorian female) has created in me a love for this series of books. Bray has done her research on the life and times of Victorian teen-aged girls from every station. Their issues develop as the books do, so that we are not only faced with situations such as interracial love interests, inter-class mingling, and being cast out of the "In" crowd, but so much more. Bray touches on cutting, weight issues, various abuses, dating, and she has a very special way of making all of these conditions time appropriate, yet easy to relate to for any girl. I was most impressed with how she wrote about a character who was being forced into marriage. The story is nothing new (see Titanic, etc.), but Bray writes it in a way that is fresh, with a new understanding and perspective.

Most appreciated of all, though, is the natural maturation and evolution of Gemma, Felicity, and Ann. In the first novel they are fifteen and sixteen, still in finishing school, still acting girlishly whenever possible, but being forced into the mold of 'woman' and 'lady'. They are being prepared for what their lives will hold. Two of them look forward to coming out seasons, making good marriages, and one feels the pressure of being penniless and orphaned with no choices. By the third book, their experiences have altered them greatly, and they are much older in action and thought. I appreciate this - it shows a respect for teenagers that I think is lacking in many of the most popular YA books available (ahem, TWILIGHT).

All in all, I enjoyed these books, read them very quickly, and will probably read more of Bray's work. She's creative and smart, and her writing shows it.