Brooklyn Rose

Written by Ann Rinaldi

Narrated by Kate Forbes

Historical fiction writer Ann Rinaldi has received the ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Brooklyn Rose is loosely based on the life of her own grandmother. Rose Frampton is content with life on her family's plantation in South Carolina, but the year 1900 brings many changes for the 15 year-old. She could never imagine that she would marry a Yankee and become the mistress of a New York City estate. Uprooted from the tranquil shores of Saint Helena's Island, she comes to know and love Rene, learns to make her own decisions, and finds an untapped inner strength.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 16, 2008
• ISBN: 9781440795824

Ann Rinaldi

ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast. She lives with her husband in central New Jersey. 

Reviews for Brooklyn Rose

[martyb_22 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this as an audio book. The reader did a fairly good job, except for the male voices which all sounded gruff and slightly superior. I found it disturbing that the women in the book were depicted as firmly pinned down by the conventions of the turn of the century. For example, the protagonist, Rose, gets married at age 15, following in her mother's footsteps. She marries a man 15 years her senior, not for love, but because she thought his wealth would save her family's failing southern plantation. Even so, the author clearly intended Rose to be an iconoclast for her time, but looking at Rose through 21st century eyes, she doesn't seem that daring. What I most enjoyed about the book were the historical details of life at the turn of the century. For example, the use of street cars that took them out to the sand dunes in Brooklyn, New York! Also interesting were the role expectations placed upon wealthy women of that time i.e. managing a household of servants so as not to "bother" the husband with those details as he had important business to attend to. This isn't the best juvenile historical fiction I've ever read and I was bothered by the treacly deference the "gutsy" protagonist displayed to all of the male characters. The fact that the author reveals at the end of the story that this is a fictional reconstruction of her grandmother's life makes me soften my critical instincts a bit. I couldn't honestly recommend this book wholeheartedly, though it is not completely without merit.