Skip to main content

Past Perfect

My parents moved to Virginia two weeks after I started college. They live a 20-30 minute, depending on traffic, drive from Colonial Williamsburg. I have been many times. While there I have never wanted to ask the actors if they are hot. I know they are hot. I'm hot and I don't have 20 pounds of clothes on. I have always wondered about the other lives of these people who spend their whole day pretending to be someone else in a different world. I was excited to see Leila Sales had written a story about  this in her contemporary YA novel Past Perfect, which I devoured in one afternoon and thoroughly loved. (Also, I love the cover even if it has nothing to do with the actual story.)

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

All Chelsea wants to do this summer is hang out with her best friend, hone her talents as an ice cream connoisseur, and finally get over Ezra, the boy who broke her heart. But when Chelsea shows up for her summer job at Essex Historical Colonial Village (yes, really), it turns out Ezra’s working there too. Which makes moving on and forgetting Ezra a lot more complicated…even when Chelsea starts falling for someone new. Maybe Chelsea should have known better than to think that a historical reenactment village could help her escape her past. But with Ezra all too present, and her new crush seeming all too off limits, all Chelsea knows is that she’s got a lot to figure out about love. Because those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it….

My college made us Elementary Ed majors have what they called a "Concentration" in another subject area. It was more hours than a minor but not enough to qualify as a second major (but almost-kind of annoying). Mine was in History. So I think I came at this novel from a perspective that most readers who just enjoy romantic contemporary YA probably do not. Reading this was a complete nerdfest for me. The characters in this book are my people. (Yes, I do know real life people who participate in Civil War reenactments.) Chelsea states at the beginning that teens who want to work at Essex are 1)history nerds or 2) drama  geeks. Having proudly been a member of both of those groups I really enjoyed all the characters. Especially Chelsea, who doesn't realize it in the beginning, but is a member of both groups herself. I very much like how in portraying some of the characters as those stereotypes, Sales also showed that individually they were all so much more than that. I thought the way the friendship between Chelsea and Fiona was portrayed was wonderful. They are two complicated girls who really care for each other and want to support each other. I also enjoyed the way Chelsea's break up recovery was dealt with. When you are 16, losing your first love is devastating, even if he is kind of a jerk. Usually you can't see that. I was impressed with how realistic, without being overly dramatic that situation was.

The overly dramatic element was there in the war the Colonial reenactors have with the Civil War reenactors and Chelsea's forbidden flirtation with one of the enemy camp. I liked the relationship, but felt that the most dramatic element of it was a little unnecessary. There was enough going on to create tension without adding that and I had a difficult time reconciling it with Chelsea's character. However, I was able to overlook this because of all the things I did like about the story.

Particularly the history stuff. My favorite scene in the book is from p246-251 where Chelsea and her father are having a bonding moment over a discussion of the perceptions we have of history. Loved. Every. Word.
 Also this quote (which occurs later): "My parents took me to Ren Faire one weekend when I was little, because they thought it would be a fun family outing. When we saw the stage of half-naked dancers, we immediately turned around and left. Not because my parents thought it was inappropriate for their child to see barely dressed women. Just because thy thought it was inappropriate for their child to see such offensive historical inaccuracies." This pretty much sums up why my kids are not allowed to watch Pocahontas.

Note on Content: There is mention of alcohol being available at a party Chelsea attends (though she does not partake). There are also some mild make out scenes.

Comments

Chachic said…
Looks like you enjoyed this one a lot more than I did! But then again, I know next to nothing about American history so that may have affected my reading experience. Although I've seen UK and Aussie bloggers give raving reviews for this book.
Brandy said…
I can see how not knowing the background of the historical stuff might affect a person's reading experience. I lived in the UK and they have their share of rabid historical reenactors too so they can totally relate. I don't know about Australia.

Popular posts from this blog

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak  by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon   by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel   by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper  by Daniel José Older is everywhere. Best of lists. Award buzz. Blogs everywhere. It's one of those books everyone is reading and talking about. I had it on my TBR but decided I definitely needed to read it before the year was out just so I could weigh in on one of the most talked about books of 2015 if asked. It is deserving of every good thing said about it. Every. One. Sierra was looking forward to a relaxing summer break. Her plans involved hanging out with her friends and painting. They did not involve being chased by zombie like creatures and threatened by a magical power connected to her family's heritage she has never heard of. When murals begin fading all over her Brooklyn neighborhood, Sierra is perplexed. When her grandfather, who had a stroke, begins to apologize and starts repeating strange phases and insisting Sierra get the help of a boy she barely knows to help her finish her mural, Sierra is concerned but mostly about her grandfather. Then at a

The Field Guide to the North American Teeanager

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe is a book I picked up on a whim at the bookstore when it first came out. I liked the cover. I thought it had an engaging premise. I went into it with a healthy does of trepidation because the execution could have gone so terribly wrong. Fortunately, Philippe is an excellent character writer, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading about Norris's adventures in Texas and high school. High school junior Norris Kaplan's life is ruined by his mother when she takes a job that requires them to leave the only home he has ever known in Montreal, Quebec. Moving is always hard, but Norris knows for him it will be harder than it's ever been for anyone else. Norris is moving to Texas. He will be a Canadian living in Texas. Not just a Canadian. A French Canadian who speaks fluent French. And not just your average run-of-the-mill French Canadian. A black son of Haitian immigrant parents French Canadian. If Norris has