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REVIEW: Strings Attached by Judy Blundell

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Description

From National Book Award winner Judy Blundell, the tale of a sixteen-year-old girl caught in a mix of love, mystery, Broadway glamour, and Mob retribution in 1950 New York. When Kit Corrigan arrives in New York City, she doesn’t have much. She’s fled from her family in Providence, Rhode Island, and she’s broken off her tempestuous relationship with a boy named Billy, who’s enlisted in the army.

The city doesn’t exactly welcome her with open arms. She gets a bit part as a chorus girl in a Broadway show, but she knows that’s not going to last very long. She needs help–and then it comes, from an unexpected source.
Nate Benedict is Billy’s father. He’s also a lawyer involved in the mob. He makes Kit a deal–he’ll give her an apartment and introduce her to a new crowd. All she has to do is keep him informed about Billy . . . and maybe do him a favor every now and then.

As she did in her National Book Award-winning What I Saw and How I Lied, Judy Blundell traps readers in a web of love, deceit, intrigue, and murder. The result? One stunner of a novel.

About the Author

Judy Blundell’s WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED is the 2008 winner of The National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. As Jude Watson, she is the author of the bestselling Star Wars: Last of the Jedi and Jedi Quest series. She lives in Katonah, New York.

Details

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (March 1, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0545221269
  • ISBN-13: 978-0545221269

SOURCE:  AMAZON VINE

MY THOUGHTS

LOVED IT
Kit Corrigan wants to follow her dream to be a dancer on Broadway when she moves to New York from Providence, RI at seventeen.  She is one of the Corrigan Three, triplets, that become regionally famous when multiple births are scarce.  Her boyfriend, Billy, has just enlisted in the army to serve in the Korean war with her other triplet and they are both underage.  Billy’s father, Nate, has offered Kit an apartment to stay in while in New York with hopes that she will marry Billy before he leaves.  Nate also gets Kit a job as a Lido Girl dancing in the chorus and offers her the use of his apartment.

In exchange for these things, Kit finds several strings attached to this arrangement.  She is asked to spy on guests at the Lido, exchange suitcases with mysterious men and other actions which make Kit more than uncomfortable.  When a man is murdered in the club, Kit’s picture is splashed all over the newspapers as Nate’s girlfriend.  Nate is the lawyer of choice to defend those related to organized crime.  Kit feels remorse for her actions that may have caused the man to be killed.  This is Kit’s turning point and she and Billy argue over the details which in turn sends her on a quest to find the true story behind the apartment and the people who lived there before her.  There are several more twists and turns in the plot when Kit learns to trust her own feelings and unravels more deep secrets than even she could possible imagine.  

I really felt Kit was a strong character with lots of growth.  Even though this book is directed at young adults since Kit is only 17, she acts more mature than a lot of adults today, so I think that adults will appreciate this as well.  If you enjoy Boardwalk Empire, you are going to love the intricate plot that revolves around some shady deals, lurid pasts and a bit of mystery all connected together with romance.  I received this book at no expense in exchange for my honest review and you can get more details on my blog, BookHounds.

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Comments

  1. I am a few pages from the end and I am not liking it as well as you. The jumping back and forth, though I know it is needed back story began to get on my nerves. I felt that Kit should have known the apartment would come with strings attached, etc. I also think the author tries to put to much into it, the Korean war, RED scare, mob, etc..Maybe it should have been a series instead of just one book..I don’t know but its okay just not really loving it. 🙂

    Great review though and I am glad you liked it. 🙂

  2. I really liked What I Saw and How I Lied. I actually just had to return this one to the library, couldn’t get into it at the time and it wasn’t renewable!