These Shallow Graves

If I had a dollar for every time a YA main character described a dude’s eyes as impossibly blue I would have almost $100. Oh and the flip between calling the guy a man and a boy really bugs me for some reason. Other than that this was as clean as a murder mystery could be.
Seventeen-year-old Jo Montford is living the charmed life as a Manhattan heiress. The only thing expected from her is to marry well and bear a son but she wants more than that. Her hero Nellie Bly went to crazy lengths to write amazing stories and Jo has dreams of finding a way to do the same. When her father dies from a gun cleaning incident she can’t accept that it was just an accident.
Part of her wants to discover the real story but can’t bear to upset her show more mother. After a visit to the newspaper that her father owned she overhears a reporter the dashingly handsome Eddie Gallagher making claims that his death was not an accident but rather a suicide. It sets her off on a quest to search for the truth about her father’s death, that may not be a suicide after all, with the help of many new people that she would never have thought twice about interacting with before.
Something about socialite stories gets me every time. It wasn’t boring with dozens of balls where the girls are catty and making offhanded compliments. Jo may be naïve and young but she wasn’t dull. There are times when she did stupid things but it felt almost expected. For someone who wants to observe the world and write about it, she wasn’t very observant. At least on things that should have gotten her attention. But in the end, her kindness and curiosity won her over to me.
I know I kinda trashed Jo’s little thing with Eddie but it was still kind of cute. I might have been in the mood for that kind of fluff…They complimented each other as well as a couple. They were both ambitious and curious but Jo was a little more compassionate when it came to getting her information making her an easy target for some to take advantage of her and Eddie was right behind her to keep them right on track.
Jo’s new friendships were starkly different from the ones displayed at the beginning of the book. It’s interesting to see how much she grows throughout the book and how it shows in the new pool of friends she gathers. Instead of shallow interactions where she only listens to whatever the supposed friend has to say, Jo now feels free to share her dreams and aspirations.
So yea, I liked this one. show less

This book is set in 1890, a time in which roles for well-bred women could be described as getting married to the best possible socioeconomic “prospect,” then tending to their drawing rooms, dinner parties, gardens, and dogs. Women didn’t get to be reporters, as 17-year-old Josephine (“Jo”) Montfort wanted to be, or anything else, for that matter. As her uncle told her, “A woman’s entire happiness depends on her marriage….” Moreover, a marriage was a business transaction; “Passion is for the lower orders….”

Jo chafed at these restrictions, longing to go out into the world and make a difference, like the famous woman reporter Nelly Bly. She declares to her friend Trudy: "I’m not a spaniel! and I don’t want my show more whole life to be about . . . breeding!”

Trudy, oblivious, replies: “It won’t be, silly girl. There will also be parties and outings. Wallpaper. China patterns. And upholstery.”

As the story begins, Jo is working on the newspaper at her finishing school, struggling to get something included besides insipid articles, when she has to leave upon learning that her beloved father has died from an apparent accident while cleaning his gun. She is devastated, but not for the same reasons as the reigning matriarch of the Aldrich clan, who was looking for a quick wedding between her 20-year-old grandson Abraham (“Bram”) and Jo, so they could start producing offspring. Jo “loves” Bram; he is a good and honorable person. But her feelings for him are more akin to feelings for a brother or cousin than for someone she might fancy. But the sort of romance found in books didn’t seem to be in the cards for someone of her background.

Jo’s father, Charles Montfort, and his older brother Phillip had been partners in Van Houten Shipping along with four other men, and also had a city newspaper, "The Standard". Her father’s stake in these businesses were to be sold along with some other bequests he made in his will. When Jo takes one of those items over to The Standard’s editor, she overhears a handsome young news reporter named Eddie Gallagher say that her father did not in fact have an accident, but committed suicide. Jo confronts her uncle, and he admits it was true, but Jo has trouble believing it. She asks Eddie to help her find out why her father would do such a thing, and he takes her to meet his friend Oscar Rubin, a budding forensic scientist at the morgue. Oscar informs them that Charles Montfort neither had an accident or took his own life; he was murdered.

Thereafter, Jo plunges herself into a murder investigation, with Eddie at her side, along with help from his friends Oscar and others from his world she meets, such as a cynical pickpocket of around her own age, Fay, who soon becomes her truest friend. Jo learns that outside of the “better” side of town, many people are goodhearted and honest, even though they can barely find enough to eat or feed their children.

And there is something else: Eddie and Jo, thrown together so often, soon find themselves interacting physically, and Jo discovers what it is to feel desperate for someone’s touch and for his kisses: “She felt like a fairy-tale princess woken by a kiss to a new world, new people, new emotions.”

She knows that Bram would never make her feel like that, and never let her share his world, as Eddie did; it would be too “scandalous.”

But even as she struggles with her emotions, and the seeming impossibility of there ever being a chance for her and Eddie to be together, the two of them dig deeper (literally, in one instance) into the details of the case, especially after the murders start to pile up. Before long, even Eddie and Jo themselves are threatened with their lives.

Discussion: As usual, Donnelly backs up her historical fiction with impressive research and insight. She also creates yet another spectacular female role model in Jo.

Evaluation: Even though I figured out from the start what was happening in the plot, it made only the slightest dent in my enjoyment of the story. Jennifer Donnelly is excellent at historical fiction and characterization, and I love her work. I dearly hope there will be a sequel to this book! show less

I loved entering this sharply depicted world of Victorian New York City, and meeting the wonderful character Jo (Josephine), a privileged girl from a wealthy family who wants to do more with her life than just be married off to a wealthy young man to live a sheltered boring life. She wants to be an investigative journalist like Nellie Bly, and she's written an article she's sure will start her on that track, if she can only get it into her school's newspaper. But then her father dies, and she begins to suspect that it wasn't an accidental shooting, nor can she believe it was suicide. Overhearing something said by handsome young reporter Eddie Gallagher at her father's paper, she becomes even more convinced and asks him to help her show more investigate, since she is severely constricted in how much she can do, not being able to even leave her house unaccompanied. From the opening gravedigging scene, you know Jo and Eddie are going to get into some shady parts of NYC as they track down leads-- the slums of the Bowery among others-- that begin to cast light on the shady dealings of Jo's father's shipping company. This book has just the right amount of suspense and atmosphere, very realistic historical detail, and two likable characters in a sweet romance. It also gives the reader a glimpse into life for nineteenth century women, of both the upper and lower classes. show less

I had wanted to read this for some time...and that was just because of the beautiful cover, to be honest! But then I was pleasantly surprised by the story that weaved together historical fiction, mystery, some romance, a little bit of women's lib in a YA book that read really smoothly, and with a nice dose of humor.
I loved the little peek at how forensic evidence was beginning to be used to solve crimes at that time, and enjoyed how Connelly showed the stark contrast between the wealthy and poor.
I found myself connecting to the character of Jo, who was just burning to seek out a life of 'something more' and related to her sense of entrapment, and her struggle. I expect many young girls reading this book will relate to it, even though show more Jo was in another place and time. There were a few 'too convenient' plot points, but overall, I enjoyed the entire storyline which was quite good in keeping the reader guessing throughout. Connelly also weaved a rich tapestry of the time period to keep your brain imagining details like what people were wearing, the filth (!), and throw in an insane asylum, and you get bonus points from me. Overall, a really fun read. show less

So here's a story that takes you to the 1800's. A tale of murder, mystery and romance; what could be better than that? Young Josephine Montfort, is on a mission that's not good for her reputation, her future in marriage, as well as her health! Everything she's not supposed to be doing, she goes up against, for the love of her father. Written by Jennifer Donnelly, this piece of historical fiction is full an adventure for anyone.

While stewing behind the walls of a rich girl's school, discussing kittens and future beaus, Jo wants to become a reporter, healing the world of its atrocities through words, but she's given terrible news. Her father's dead from an apparent accident, but the so-called tragedy doesn't make sense...

Period pieces can show more sometimes be extremely dull, but not with These Shallow Graves. Not one minute was wasted on blather and Victorian garble. It was direct, carefully detailed without overkill and easy to visualize while reading. Though I figured out who did what, and why, before the telling, it was such a pleasant read. You really should grab a copy, whether audio or physical. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

*For the full review: http://www.areneehunt.com/the-reviews/these-shallow-graves-by-jennifer-donnelly
​I'm off to the next read!
These Shallow Graves
Jennifer Donnelly
Narrated by Kim Bubbs
New Random House
September 23, 2015 show less

“Fac quod faciendum est.”

Do what must be done.

This is a highly entertaining read! I thought about this book whenever I had to sit it down. I didn’t want to sit it down. This is both historical fiction and a mystery. I love 19th century fiction as reading about how people lived during that time period is fascinating. I can tell Jennifer Donnelly did a lot of research to write this novel as it shows in the details.
The storytelling is wonderfully done, great pacing and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I love how she ended her chapters with the little bombshells and cliffhangers – it was a great way building suspense.

The characters were very vivid, both physically and emotionally. I knew exactly what they looked show more like as well as their strengths, weakness and fears. The characters are likeable and believable. I loved that some of the characters were majorly screwed up, because imperfect characters add to the charm of the novel.

The protagonist, Jo, is an intelligent, stubborn, courageous, and curious-minded teenager who comes from a wealthy family with old money. I wanted her to have everything that she wanted – all the answers she was seeking and her dreams to come true.

I almost cried at the end. It was perfect. Out of the three biggest surprises, one I guessed correctly, but it was pretty late in the book when I guessed. The other two surprises were complete shockers to me, but I loved that. There were some cleverly placed hints throughout the story, but of course I didn’t realize they were hints at the time. I’d make a terrible detective.

I could see the movie of this novel playing in my mind as I was reading. I hope this novel becomes a movie! I highly recommend this book to fans of YA, historical fiction and mysteries. show less

This book was not only captivating because of the mystery surrounding Jo's father's death, but also because of Jo, the female protagonist. She highlights the difficulties of growing up rich in the 1800s and also the difficulties of being a woman in the 1800s. She is independent, wants to write, wants answers, and isn't afraid to get them, but at the same time she is trapped in a loveless engagement, in love with a man who is "beneath her" and struggles with insecurities that even young girls now-a-days understand. Overall I think this a great book that would work well in the classroom to highlight class difference, sex differences, and mystery in the 1800.