{"id":31651,"date":"2018-10-12T22:32:50","date_gmt":"2018-10-13T02:32:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=31651"},"modified":"2018-10-12T22:32:50","modified_gmt":"2018-10-13T02:32:50","slug":"review-of-the-gallery-by-laura-marx-fitzgerald","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=31651","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Gallery, by Laura Marx Fitzgerald"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Gallery<\/em><\/p>\n

by Laura Marx Fitzgerald<\/p>\n

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2016. 321 pages.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a historical novel set in 1928 during election time. Martha O\u2019Doyle is going to work as a maid in the home of a newspaper tycoon where her Ma is the housekeeper. Ma once worked for the tycoon\u2019s wife, who was known then as \u201cWild Rose.\u201d But now she\u2019s gone mad and is kept locked up in the attic, with bland food sent to her by dumbwaiter, kept from any excitement.<\/p>\n

But is Wild Rose really mad? She\u2019s got a collection of paintings up in her attic room, and periodically she sends certain paintings down to the main gallery of the house. Martha thinks Rose may be trying to send a message.<\/p>\n

This book holds a mystery, with clues found in paintings referring to mythology. (Martha researches the stories in the library, of course.) But as well as that, it pictures life in a wealthy home just before the stock market crash, a period I hadn\u2019t read much historical fiction about.<\/p>\n

The plot seemed slightly wild and far-fetched \u2013 but the author developed the story from old newspaper headlines, so that was probably appropriate. And it does give you a feeling for the time. And the fun of solving a mystery. An Author\u2019s Note at the back tells more about the many historical details and the paintings she worked into the story.<\/p>\n

lauramarxfitzgerald.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/gallery.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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