Review by NerdyVicky -- Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
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NerdyVicky
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Review by NerdyVicky -- Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
[Following is a volunteer review of "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.]
When an old woman runs into an unsupervised and mouthy bi-racial girl, little did she know that both their lives were about to change drastically.
Kalayla, written by Jeannie Nicholas, tells the story of the eponymous character, an eleven-year-old bi-racial girl whose dad was dead and mom was working two jobs trying to make ends meet. She runs into a strange old lady, Lena Manzetti, who lives in the building and also happens to own it, and the duo forms an unlikely friendship. Lena Manzetti, a lonely widow and real estate guru, is drawn to Kalayla at first because she sees her roaming around the neighbourhood without friends or adults nearby and so investigates. Upon investigation, she realizes Kalayla, with all her brattiness, reminds her of her four boys when they were young. She decides to do all she can to help Kalayla, while correcting the mistakes she made raising her own children. In the end, this decision would be the best she has ever made. The story deals with issues such as domestic abuse, racism, family ties, among others.
One thing I appreciated about this book is its core message of the definition of family not only being one’s biological family. The author showed how friends can come to mean so much more than people one shares biological ties with. One of the core messages I got from the book is that family is where one finds love and acceptance; with friendship ties sometimes being stronger than blood.
I noticed the author wrote the entire book through the perspectives of Kalayla, her mom, Maureen, and Lena. I appreciate the fact that the author was consistent with this and even when other perspectives were included; it was from the viewpoint of one of the major characters. This choice of narration gave us an understanding into the nature of each of the major characters and that way, the reader is able to connect with them.
As much as there are some things I like about the book, there are issues that detracted from the book. First, Kalayla’s voice does not reflect her age. While reading, I had to go back to make sure I got the right age, because she wasn’t sounding like an eleven-year-old child. Rather she kept sounding like an angsty, hormonal teenager who has seen the underbelly of the Bronx and may or may not be a foot soldier for a mafia don. There was nothing in her background to suggest the tone of her voice, her language use, and emotional reactions. I understand the author was trying to portray an outspoken little firecracker, but it just comes across to me as trying too hard.
Also, the story arc would have had more impact if the author was not so obvious. It was almost like she was so excited to tell us the story that she couldn’t wait to hide some key events. The suspense would have been greater if the author did not keep telling us everything that would happen.
Another issue that detracted from the book for me was the on-the-nose dialogue. In actual life, people do not say exactly what they mean, but in this book they all seem to do so. This shows that the author did a lot of telling and not enough showing.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars majorly because it appears to be professionally edited. Despite some stylistic errors, it’s a heart-warming story of the beauty of friendships, especially ones found in the most unlikely places. This book is suitable for 15 years and above because of some profane language used. It’s a light, breezy read.
******
Kalayla
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
When an old woman runs into an unsupervised and mouthy bi-racial girl, little did she know that both their lives were about to change drastically.
Kalayla, written by Jeannie Nicholas, tells the story of the eponymous character, an eleven-year-old bi-racial girl whose dad was dead and mom was working two jobs trying to make ends meet. She runs into a strange old lady, Lena Manzetti, who lives in the building and also happens to own it, and the duo forms an unlikely friendship. Lena Manzetti, a lonely widow and real estate guru, is drawn to Kalayla at first because she sees her roaming around the neighbourhood without friends or adults nearby and so investigates. Upon investigation, she realizes Kalayla, with all her brattiness, reminds her of her four boys when they were young. She decides to do all she can to help Kalayla, while correcting the mistakes she made raising her own children. In the end, this decision would be the best she has ever made. The story deals with issues such as domestic abuse, racism, family ties, among others.
One thing I appreciated about this book is its core message of the definition of family not only being one’s biological family. The author showed how friends can come to mean so much more than people one shares biological ties with. One of the core messages I got from the book is that family is where one finds love and acceptance; with friendship ties sometimes being stronger than blood.
I noticed the author wrote the entire book through the perspectives of Kalayla, her mom, Maureen, and Lena. I appreciate the fact that the author was consistent with this and even when other perspectives were included; it was from the viewpoint of one of the major characters. This choice of narration gave us an understanding into the nature of each of the major characters and that way, the reader is able to connect with them.
As much as there are some things I like about the book, there are issues that detracted from the book. First, Kalayla’s voice does not reflect her age. While reading, I had to go back to make sure I got the right age, because she wasn’t sounding like an eleven-year-old child. Rather she kept sounding like an angsty, hormonal teenager who has seen the underbelly of the Bronx and may or may not be a foot soldier for a mafia don. There was nothing in her background to suggest the tone of her voice, her language use, and emotional reactions. I understand the author was trying to portray an outspoken little firecracker, but it just comes across to me as trying too hard.
Also, the story arc would have had more impact if the author was not so obvious. It was almost like she was so excited to tell us the story that she couldn’t wait to hide some key events. The suspense would have been greater if the author did not keep telling us everything that would happen.
Another issue that detracted from the book for me was the on-the-nose dialogue. In actual life, people do not say exactly what they mean, but in this book they all seem to do so. This shows that the author did a lot of telling and not enough showing.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars majorly because it appears to be professionally edited. Despite some stylistic errors, it’s a heart-warming story of the beauty of friendships, especially ones found in the most unlikely places. This book is suitable for 15 years and above because of some profane language used. It’s a light, breezy read.
******
Kalayla
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Wilderness Cry by Hilary L Hunt M.D.
