Poverty conceives high ambitions that call you to take risks. When you have nothing, you hold on to any prediction of a brighter future. You constantly look for signs and defy the status quo bravely, unaware of the consequences.
All That Shimmers by Kady Ambrose illustrates this struggle through Vanessa Perkins, an orphan who works as a nanny for a wealthy family. Seeing the happiness of the rich families she encountered, she dreamed of building a family of her own with a man who truly loved her.
Your destiny is a man of sterling and gold...
These were the words of a woodland fairy who appeared to Vanessa, giving her a glimmer of hope. With her stunning beauty and charming personality, Vanessa could easily fulfill her dreams. But alongside the war and the Spanish flu, lust, greed, and betrayal rose and turned the course of her destiny.
Could Vanessa escape poverty? Could she finally find a family where she felt loved and safe?
All That Shimmers is a debut novel by Ambrose.
After Vanessa Perkins lost her parents in an accident, she lived with her sister in the Girls Home, an orphanage.
Life was hard, and it became harder when her sister died without giving Vanessa a chance to see her for the last time.
Despite the pain and heartache, she persevered with a dream of belonging to a happy family, of loving and being loved by her husband and children.
The opportunity to materialize her dream arose when she attended the Twin Birch House, which catered to wealthy Bostonian families.
The place was rumored to be enchanted, but the people there dismissed it. Then, a woodland fairy appeared to tell Vanessa her destiny.
When she met Ned, she was convinced he was her destiny—a man of sterling and gold.
But then there's another man that made her heart skip a beat... she's even more confused.
Set in the times of World War I and the deluge of Spanish flu cases, Vanessa's heart was tried.
Up to what extent could she hold on to her dream to find someone to love her?
Discussion Questions
- Where did Vanessa Perkins grow up?
- What is Vanessa's family history, and how did it affect her life?
- How does Vanessa describe Ned?
- What was your impression of Ned, and why?
- How would you describe Avery?
- Why did Avery enjoy spending time in the woods?
- What role did the magical place near the Twin Birch House play in the lives of people in the community?
- What did the magical creatures reveal about the characters?
- What historical events took place in the story?
- What did you learn about life and love from this book?
Quotes
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Vanessa Perkins is a memorable character because of her optimism, hard work, imagination, and intelligence. If she were a real person, she would be charismatic. She's not perfect, of course, because her overly optimism almost brought her to danger. Her strong desire to have a better life solidified her trust in the man whom she loved too much. She also trusted the magical creatures too much. This showed that sometimes we look beyond reality just to reach our dreams, which leads us to a question of whether to leave our dreams to our fate, to our destiny, or to ourselves to make them happen.
- The subplots are not overwhelming or boring. There are no dragging, long explanations about historical events that happened in the background, and about magical entities that have different roles and powers. They were intertwined seamlessly into the whole story. The reading experience was smooth sailing.
- The magical creatures are depicted as entities that were fascinated by people, recognizing that we could be magical from the perspective of other creatures, like the way we see them. The reality is that we can't depend too much on the "magical powers" of other creatures in fulfilling our dreams. In the end, your life is your choice.
- The tone of the majority of the story is lighter, but when it comes to some historical events, the tone is serious but not too dramatic. Each theme of love, family, friendship, loss, greed, betrayal, and sacrifice is given its own space to be told in a way that is just enough.
Cons
- Some parts are predictable, but the whole story was not ruined because of them.The speed at which things happened between Ned and Vanessa contributes to the speculation that things would go turn to a different direction between them. But the ending was shocking.
Summary
Experience a different kind of love story told against the backdrop of the First World War and the Spanish Flu, but with a magical twist in Kady Ambrose's debut novel, All That Shimmers. Romance, history, and magic are seamlessly intertwined, giving the reader a different kind of reading journey. The book tells the story of Vanessa Perkins, an orphan who grew up in the Girls Home. At 17, she worked as a nanny for a wealthy family with two kids. One summer, Vanessa went to a beautiful lakeside resort with her employers. There, her dream of having her own family with a man whom she loved proliferated. Her hope was strengthened after a woodland fairy told her that her destiny was a man of sterling and gold. Vanessa thought she had already found her destiny with Ned, the brother of her female employer. But betrayal, greed, and fear revealed painful truths that pushed Vanessa to a place where she had to re-evaluate her life. Could she make her dream come true? Could she find the love she had longed for?
In All That Shimmers, Kady Ambrose creates characters that are relatable and lovable. Vanessa Perkins is someone you could root for. She's kind, creative, imaginative, and a risk taker. She took the risk of engaging with Ned. Vanessa believed he was the one because of the woodland fairy. However, her high hopes revealed her weakness, too trusting in what she saw and heard that pertained to her dreams. Through Vanessa, Ambrose shows us how our aspirations in life can both inspire and mislead us.
The author also tells the story without overwhelming information about the historical events or the magical creatures. The reader is not bombarded with names, dates, statistics, and historical backgrounds. The book focuses on the perspective of the loved ones of the men sent to war, how the war affected them from afar, and how their situation worsened after the Spanish Flu reached the Twin Birch House. The book puts the reader in a place where they see the vulnerability of humanity and the sense of community as one of the human strengths.
Another thing that makes the story different from other fantasy stories is that the fairies, naiads, and wooden nymphs saw human beings as magical creatures. Usually, it's the other way around. People are fascinated by these elementals who possess powers that could solve people's problems. In All That Shimmers, the magical creatures in the woods don't have all the answers, and they are limited, too, even though they have powers. The book challenges the belief that the answers to our problems come from external forces. The answers are within us. We only need to be brave, true, and honest with ourselves.
On the downside, the book has some parts that are predictable, and you would know what would happen in the end, but it doesn't ruin the whole story. It's still interesting.
All That Shimmers is a refreshing book to read because it reminds you what it's like to be young and full of dreams. It also makes you appreciate humanity in terms of love, community, and family during great challenges. I highly recommend it. Thank you, Kady Ambrose, Anqa Press, and BookSirens, for the Advanced Reader's Copy.
Further Information
Book Information:
All That Shimmers by Kady Ambrose
Published on May 13, 2025, by Anqa Press
398 pages (eBook)
No comments:
Post a Comment