Heather’s Bookshelf: Boy, Falling
Author: Jenny Jaeckel
Released: 07/22/21
Genre: Historical Fiction
“It was April again, fresh green leaves announcing their tiny debuts, everything that had been sleeping in winter was waking up anew. At times Gerard regretted having to work indoors, but new prospects were budding for him too.”
This book is a sequel to “House of Rougeaux” but a stand alone - read and reviewed as such.
“Boy, Falling” follows three different points of view for related characters over time. It begins by introducing Gerard Rougeaux, a young African American living in Montreal at the turn of the 20th century. While struggling with family secrets and personal identity, his innate talent for music evolves into a passion. An opportunity to develop his passion brings him the opportunity to travel to Harlem, NY, USA and subsequently Paris, France where he evolves into a self aware and successful musician.
The second POV is that of Gerard’s half sister, Jeannette, a young woman living in New York and following her passion of teaching children music. When her father dies, Jeannette must make some hard choices including marrying into a loveless and controlling marriage. Jeannette has two children and makes hard decisions to better her life and those of her children.
The final voice is of Jeannette’s youngest daughter, Maudie. The young girl has a knack for painting but struggles with concentration and schooling (especially in school) to the chagrin of her teacher mother.
Trigger Warning: sexual situations, racism, death
Overall, there were some things about this story that I really liked and other things that made it a hard read for me. I really liked the style and fluidity of the author’s language throughout the story. It was easy to read, follow, and the descriptions were lovely and vivid. I also enjoyed following the three main characters as they developed, learned, and grew. However, there was no real event or especially strong storyline to explain the telling of this particular space and time of these characters. Don’t get me wrong, there were interesting points in time, but nothing that pointed to a clear explanation for me. I have not read the “House of Rougeaux” and maybe the explanation is there, but as a stand alone I felt this caused the plot to move along more slowly than necessary. I also found that the endings of each POV were subsequently odd in timing. The ending of the story itself felt more like the end of a chapter than the end of a tale.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A character focused story about the evolution of three characters with familial connections. A little slow moving and open ended.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Jenny Jaeckel
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or on Kindle Unlimited
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