Queens of All the Earth

Dec 23, 2011 Katya added it

Shelves: 2011, arc-galley

I always marvel at the way life seems to throw books at me which somehow relate to my personal experiences. Kind of like having my own master Yoda as a sounding board. Coicidence is not something I rely on often, and I take these experiences as they come.

Queens of All the Earth is a short, sweet novel about two sisters who depart on a trip to Spain. Our main character, Olivia, has suffered a nervous breakdown on the day she was due to leave for university, and the trip to Barcelona was meant to...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 16, 2012 Bibliojunkies added it

As her freshman classmates move into dorms at Cornell University, Olivia Somerset suffers a nervous breakdown. When months of coaxing and analyzing fail to rouse Olivia from her stupor, big sister Miranda decides the sisters should fly off to Barcelona for some "vacation therapy."

When a mistake at their Barcelona hostel leaves the Somersets in a large co-ed dorm room, Olivia and Miranda are saved by kindly Mr. Brown and his son Greg, who happily volunteer to surrender their private room. But wh...more

like · see review

Jul 15, 2012 Erika rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, contemporary-young-adult, young-adult

An interesting book with awkward phrasing. While reading Queens of All the Earth I sometimes felt like the author was doing something I could relate to. Other times I felt like cringing at the way it felt like "that" book. You know, the kind that tries to be literary and metaphorical without, for whatever reason, fully succeeding at it.

I liked Olivia, one of the sisters in this book. I felt like she was the kind of person that did what she was told all her life, only to wake up and realize that...more

like · see review

May 20, 2012 Michele Capobianco rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bancroft-press, baltimore

A coming-of-age novel portraying two very different sisters traveling in autumnal Barcelona, Spain, Queens of All the Earth by Hannah Sternberg explores teen-angst and transition. This novel deals with grief and depression, describing it as a surreal experience of the mind that is symptomatic. “Olivia, outside herself, watched the scenes of her first European city bob past her like washed-out hand-held film footage…The scent of sewage and things frying sent bullets into…the tender portions of he...more A coming-of-age novel portraying two very different sisters traveling in autumnal Barcelona, Spain, Queens of All the Earth by Hannah Sternberg explores teen-angst and transition. This novel deals with grief and depression, describing it as a surreal experience of the mind that is symptomatic. “Olivia, outside herself, watched the scenes of her first European city bob past her like washed-out hand-held film footage…The scent of sewage and things frying sent bullets into…the tender portions of her skull.” Experiences are comprehended in a detached atmosphere with a removed sense of reality. With all the ingredients of a successful Young Adult novel, Queens of All the Earth inspires hope in a generation of pressure, confusion, and depression.

Olivia’s catatonic episode upon attending Cornell University forces her to take off time to recover, allowing her to travel with her overbearing and protective older sister. The doctor tells Olivia’s sister, Miranda, “We know it’s not physical…The problem is in the mind.” The opening of this book really draws the reader in with the imagery and gravity of such a horrible experience for a teen to be going through. Once she begins to recover, her mother decides to allow Miranda to take her on an adventure, although she does not go herself. She is portrayed as a distant yet loving mother who does not take Olivia’s condition seriously enough to attend to it herself, and instead pushes the responsibility on Miranda. Olivia and Miranda’s father left them before Olivia was born and then died before she had a chance to know him. When she meets a boy her age at the hostel in Spain, she finds out that he has lost his mother more recently and this makes him more relatable and mysterious to her.

Upon meeting Greg, the boy at the hostel, Olivia begins to feel a connection for the first time in longer than she can remember, and her languid demeanor fades. The meandering prose snakes through the lives of the guests at the hostel: the cocky travel writer Lenny who drinks too much and is self-absorbed; the soon-to-be Priest Marc who seems to be hiding something; the “Emo” kid, Greg, who hangs question marks; and Greg’s father Emory, an evangelical preacher who invites himself along on excursions.

Influenced by poet E.E. Cummings and author E.M. Forster’s novel A Room with a View, Sternberg similarly critiques American youth culture while weaving a story of a young, innocent romance abroad. Greg, a quiet and reserved teenager among most, is a poetic foil for Olivia, expressing his for her with gentle gestures and poems for lines. Olivia, repressing her need to exchange affection all her life, was “desperate to pulley it up in buckets and pour it over someone.” Her triumphs over her psychological hurdles combined with the connection she feels for Greg, like a moving current, guide her through rebirth in a new stage in her life.

Author Hannah Sternberg remembers realizing as a teen that she alone could make her own adventures, even if it meant going against the people she trusted most. Her week-long experience in Barcelona inspired much of this story. A deliberately paced and intimate novel, Queens of All the Earth is poetically and thoughtfully crafted.

(less)

like · see review

Mar 20, 2012 Jen Chatfield rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'll admit, it took a few pages to get into it, for me because the writing is so lovely and poetic, and the pacing so even and smooth. The books I've been reading lately are really quick reads, pure entertainment, so I'm used to scanning quickly for the good parts. Getting to know the sisters though, and all of the travelers in their hostel, was completely enjoyable and realistic. Combined with the atmosphere and description of Barcelona, I felt like I was right there with them.

I love both Miran...more

like · see review

Feb 28, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think to understand this book to its fullest, maybe you will have to have read A Room with a View and understood E.M. Forester's intention in A Room With a View to understand how closely linked these two books are. I felt like all the characters from the Italian pensione were all there at the Spanish hostel. The sex or the names had been changed slightly, but everyone was there. And they were all appalled because a father and son gave up their room, this time, a private room, to the two sister...more I think to understand this book to its fullest, maybe you will have to have read A Room with a View and understood E.M. Forester's intention in A Room With a View to understand how closely linked these two books are. I felt like all the characters from the Italian pensione were all there at the Spanish hostel. The sex or the names had been changed slightly, but everyone was there. And they were all appalled because a father and son gave up their room, this time, a private room, to the two sisters, without asking for anything in return.

I guess I should start in the beginning. Olivia has had a psychotic break. Her father died. She wasn't close to him, he left in her childhood, but everything that she seems to hold onto or identify with seems related to her childhood. She doesn't want to make that step into adulthood, leaving home, going to college, putting away childish things. Of course, that's how the two women in her family see life. After high school, you become an adult and become responsible and you put away childish things, like freedom and imagination, and spontaneity. Her mother even threatens to throw away her childhood books which she is clinging to like a lifejacket in a hurricane. She even brings A Wrinkle in Time with her on the trip with her to Spain, she can't bear to be separated from her childhood books.

Miranda is about as much fun as a box of stale crackers. She complains from the minute they get off the plane and it doesn't stop. She even complains when the affable Browns, father and son, give up their private room so the sisters don't have to sleep in a mixed dorm like room. At every turn she finds something wrong with them or agrees with something ugly the travel writer Eleanor aka Lenny says.
Miranda throws her lot in with Lenny, but it really seems that no one but she can stand Lenny. Even the priest can't stand her, and Lenny can't stand him. And she has a lot to say about the Browns as well.

But you know those fickle fates, what must be, must be and Olivia and Greg Brown find themselves alone together in the must unusual places. With him, Olivia still feels alive and young, her youth and childhood still lives. She can still keep her imagination and her curiosity of a child. She doesn't have to be all responsible and grown up like Miranda. Stiff and threatening. Miranda is a contradiction, one minute wanting Olivia to grow up and the next threatening to call their mother. Not exactly grown up behavior to me. Miranda could use her own psychotherapy.

The point is that as the novel continues, Olivia grows increasingly uncomfortable living by Miranda's rules. She becomes surly and edgy then finally demands they fly to Africa for the last two days of their trip because it's so close. She eventually sheds the conventions of life as Miranda and her mother see it and finds her own way.

The only thing that really bothered me about this novel was how heavily it borrowed from A Room With A View. The plot was almost the same with the same type of characters, even some of the same names. Even the trip at the end, was part of A Room With a View. Forester's novel was pointing out the restrictive life of Victorian England for women and how silly it all was. A single girl and her chaperone shouldn't have a room with a view simply because a man and his son had been staying in it. The conventions of that life were made up of ridiculous rules as the life of Miranda is. "I'll call mom and tell her." "Don't wander off on your own." "I hope she'll learn to care about politics. It's embarrassing." How do any of these things make a person grown up or not?

I think this is definitely a novel worth reading. For all the people that didn't think anything happened, look again. Olivia grew into her own person. She shook off her fears of growing up. She didn't become her mother, or Miranda. And she found someone that understood her. I think it's an incredibly important lesson to learn, that growing up means different things to different people and we shouldn't impose our definitions of it on people. Don't color in the lines if you don't want to. Think inside the box if you want. But do it your way, don't let anyone else tell you how.(less)

like · see review

Feb 18, 2012 Allie Duzett rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just barely put this book down, after reading it cover to cover in one sitting.

This book is masterful.

It's not my typical genre, and it did take a few pages to get into, but I was captivated. At one point I had to put the book down, just to sit back and revel in awe at the gorgeousness of the poetry of it. Pages 56-57. Amazing. My husband asked me what was wrong and I just had to say, nothing was wrong. The story was just so beautiful I had to take it in for a moment.

I was astonished and deli...more

like · see review

Nov 09, 2011 Pamela Todd rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, read-in-2011, romance

The Queen’s of all the Earth is very much a coming-of-age story, but instead of being in early teens, it is in the form of a college freshman, Olivia Somerset.

Olivia suffers a breakdown and defers her freshman year of college. Her sister, Miranda decides the best therapy for Olivia is a vacation to Barcelona. With the sultry summer heat and gothic architecture as a backdrop, Olivia struggles to figure out who she really is, how she really feels, and how to go about taking that next step to move...more

like · see review

Oct 16, 2011 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

A Room with a View is my favorite movie of all time (to date at least) and one of my favorite books, so when I saw a book on NetGalley that was all about it, I knew that it had to be. Retellings can be quite a tricky business, because, while the author needs to do something original, they also need to stay true to the nature of the original story. Sternberg has done a good job here, although clearly much has been changed, particularly the time line and the additional focus on Miranda.

Sternberg d...more A Room with a View is my favorite movie of all time (to date at least) and one of my favorite books, so when I saw a book on NetGalley that was all about it, I knew that it had to be. Retellings can be quite a tricky business, because, while the author needs to do something original, they also need to stay true to the nature of the original story. Sternberg has done a good job here, although clearly much has been changed, particularly the time line and the additional focus on Miranda.

Sternberg decided to change all of the names, although some are quite similar. The story, however, can easily be compared to that of A Room with a View. Certain scenes are nearly exactly the same as those in the original, even though, all in all, the story takes a rather different trajectory and the soul searching is needed for entirely different reasons.

There were two huge changes from the original novel. 1) There was no Cecil. Everything gets wrapped up, to the degree that things are 'wrapped up' during the time frame of the trip, whereas in the original Lucy Honeychurch (now Olivia) goes home after her trip and tries to continue living as she used to, despite having been changed by her experiences in Italy (not Spain). 2) The character of Mr. Beebe is re-envisioned as Marc Castillo, a handsome young man preparing to take orders. Marc is in no way the same character as Mr. Beebe, although I cannot say why in deference to spoilers.

Overall, I definitely approve of what Sternberg has done here, even if I do miss some of the elements she cut and find her chapter titles a bit over the top. Ultimately, she keeps much of the spirit of the original, particularly in the characters of the Browns and Miranda (it's nice to see more depth into the Charlotte character). Lenny, too, is spot on for her counterpart, although I never did like her much. This is a brief, romantic story about two young women trying to find themselves in a beautiful, foreign landscape. Lovers of A Room with a View will likely appreciate this adaptation for its heart and obvious love for the original. (less)

like · see review

Sep 27, 2011 Elizabeth M rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautiful, poetic retelling of A Room with a View, and it captures Barcelona so well that I almost felt as if I'd been there myself. The story concerns two sisters who travel to Spain for their Thanksgiving holiday. One of them, Olivia, is recovering from a nervous breakdown that prevented her entering college. Her older sister, Miranda, is overly protective and a bit of a snob (and maybe a prude, too), but Olivia still manages to fall in love and start to come out of her shell.

What I...more

like · see review

Sep 17, 2011 Wandering Librarians rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, realistic-fiction, ya

Just before she's supposed to start at Cornell, Olivia falls into a catatonic state. It seems to have to do with Olivia refusing to let go of her childhood, and once she is functioning again her older sister Miranda takes her on a trip to Barcelona to get "closure." Along with others staying at their hostel, the sisters explore Barcelona.

Well. This was...well. The main reason I kept reading was because I was sure that the plot was going to show up at any minute. But then it ended, and the plot s...more

like · see review

Apr 27, 2011 Elizabeth B rated it 2 of 5 stars

Queens of the Earth by Hannah Sternberg (galley proof) starts off exceptionally dark and bleak when Olivia, on the verge of moving into Cornell University, suffers a mental breakdown. Still detached from the world itself, her big sister decides they need a “break” and the two are off to Barcelona for a week. This book moves VERY slow, a product of wall of text writing. Perhaps the author intended to give us a cloudy view of the world (what Olivia might be seeing) but as the book is written in th...more

like · see review

Feb 21, 2011 Athena rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who wants a great read

The very first thing that I noticed about this book was the exquisite description that flows throughout it. Though I have never been to Spain, the descriptions, especially those in the first chapter, made me feel as though I was with Olivia on the bus, watching the scenery flash by the window, so fast I could barely see it. To get down to the real review, I loved this book, plain and simple.

It wasn't a particularly hard book to read, but something about it really just drew me in. I really think...more

like · see review

Sep 17, 2011 Arianna rated it 1 of 5 stars

Just before she's supposed to start at Cornell, Olivia falls into a catatonic state. It seems to have to do with Olivia refusing to let go of her childhood, and once she is functioning again her older sister Miranda takes her on a trip to Barcelona to get "closure." Along with others staying at their hostel, the sisters explore Barcelona.

Well. This was...well. The main reason I kept reading was because I was sure that the plot was going to show up at any minute. But then it ended, and the plot s...more

like · see review

Aug 04, 2011 Jinny (SkyInk.net) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-galley, gorgeous-covers, absolutely-terrible, ya-teens, coming-of-age

1.5 stars.

I got this book off of NetGalley (many thanks!) quite recently and let it cut in line in my TBR queue because the synopsis sounded pretty interesting, and I was in the mood for something contemporary — no fantasy, vampires, fairies and whatnot. Just real people in real situations. But after finishing this book, instead of yearning for more contemporary and like books, I think I’m going to go back to my fantasy, vampires, fairies and whatnot for a while.

The Queens Of All The Earth start...more 1.5 stars.

I got this book off of NetGalley (many thanks!) quite recently and let it cut in line in my TBR queue because the synopsis sounded pretty interesting, and I was in the mood for something contemporary — no fantasy, vampires, fairies and whatnot. Just real people in real situations. But after finishing this book, instead of yearning for more contemporary and like books, I think I’m going to go back to my fantasy, vampires, fairies and whatnot for a while.

The Queens Of All The Earth started off amazingly. I was hooked right away by the rather depressing beginning. Olivia Somerset is suffering from a catatonic episode (a psychological situation when one’s body becomes very rigid and still), while her older sister, Miranda, freaks out. Doesn’t that beginning just make you want to continue reading? It really is one of the best beginnings to a story I’ve read in a while.

Olivia is supposed to be entering her first year of university at Cornell, but her mother pulls some strings and she gets to defer her first year. Miranda takes Olivia to Spain for a vacation, hoping some rest and relaxation will be some good therapy. They stay at a hostel, where they meet a variety of characters, including the ridiculously nice Mr. Brown and his son, Greg, who also seems to be harboring some issues of his own. As they vacation, Olivia tries to break out of her shell while her sister, Miranda, continuously tries to protect Olivia.

Like I said, I did enjoy the (brief) beginning, and I enjoyed the writing style as well. There’s something almost poetic about it, and the way the story was told, there was an element of surrealism felt, which I liked because, well, I like surreal stuff in books.

However, other than that, I found it difficult to really get into the story … because there really wasn’t much of one. I felt like I was reading about someone else’s vacation — all the sights were described (a little too lengthy at times), their interactions with the other hostel members, making plans for what tourist attractions to see … I could not identify a plot. I mean, I guess the fact that Miranda is trying to help Olivia overcome her psychological breakdown is the general plot, but it really didn’t feel like it. It really just felt like I was tagging along as an observer during Olivia and Miranda’s vacation.

I couldn’t connect with the characters. Don’t get me wrong — I actually think the characters were pretty good, but this is supposed to be a book about coming-of-age, about facing our fears, perhaps about the relationship between two sisters while one of them is suffering and I didn’t feel anything for them. No heartfelt moments, nothing. I did, however, really enjoy Mr. Brown’s character. I think it really says something about people when the nicest character in the story gets treated the worst by the rest of the characters, because they believe nobody can possibly be that nice.

This was a very short story, and there’s something kind of cute about it overall. However, it just wasn’t really interesting and didn’t leave any sort of impression on me at all. Honestly, I’m not sure if this book is what I think it is, or if it’s so brilliant that it’s going over my head. Maybe there’s something very metaphorical/abstract going on and I’m just not getting it, who knows. I’m not sure. I didn’t exactly dislike this book, but it’s really not something I would read again.

(This review is also posted at http://skyink.net).(less)

like · see review

Mar 04, 2011 the golden witch. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley, first-reads-early-reviewers, teenage-shennanigans, 2011, ebook, reviewed

(crossposted to librarything and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)

Apparently this was inspired by Forester’s “Room With A View”. Interesting fact, I guess, because not much else in this book felt very different or original.

I wish I could give this book more stars, but I just can’t. This is a theme that has been done before (the odd couple meeting girl interrupted), and I’m afraid to say that this book doesn’t really break the mold. Don’t get me wrong – the prose is lovely, and flowing, and lyri...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 21, 2012 Pamela rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: award-winning, bizarre, readin2012, reimaginings

Zombies, vampires, and werewolves have stampeded into classic novels with the arrival of the mash-up novel--think Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Slayre, or Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (I suppose this one isn't based on a classic, but just roll with me here). I've only read the first of the aforementioned mashups, but it was fun and quirky, and it made me remember all of the things that made the original such an amazing book. Evidently, Somebody Important deemed that a reworking of E.M...more Zombies, vampires, and werewolves have stampeded into classic novels with the arrival of the mash-up novel--think Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Slayre, or Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (I suppose this one isn't based on a classic, but just roll with me here). I've only read the first of the aforementioned mashups, but it was fun and quirky, and it made me remember all of the things that made the original such an amazing book. Evidently, Somebody Important deemed that a reworking of E.M. Forester's A Room with a View was in order, and lo! Queens of all the Earth<./i> did appeareth on the bookshelf. And lo! Pamela was confused.

First of all, I would not really recommend attempting this one if you haven't read the original, as many of the allusions and characters are very specific to the original novel. Then again, perhaps those who haven't read Forester's book would enjoy Ms. Sternberg's version more, as they don't have something to compare it to and be disappointed.

It's hard to summarize this book without giving away major plot points of this and A Room with a View, so, I 'm sorry. Here we go. Olivia is going to be a freshman at Cornell University when she suffers a nervous breakdown on move-in day. Her sister Miranda, who is several years older, stays with her. Olivia doesn't speak or eat--she's just frozen. Their mother is an ultra-stereotypical working professional literary mother-type--she's too wrapped up in her work to care about her daughters. Eventually, Miranda decides to take Olivia on a trip to Barcelona to try and help her out of the funk. There, in their hostel, they meet Mr. Brown, a preacher, and his son Greg; Marc, a man from somewhere in South America who is going to become a priest; and Lenny, a brash travelwriter who claims to know everything about everything. They match up fairly well to their Forester counterpoints. The plot attempts to follow the same sort of dreamlike, meandering pace of the original, but it just feels slow as molasses running down a spoon. Actually, I think the molasses would beat the plot in a race.

I originally read A Room with a View for a seminar in college, but it doesn't have that stigma, to me, of A Book I Had to Read for School. I love it. I loved everything about that seminar, and I love how I saw the book in new ways. Forester's sense of place is very sure (the original is set in Florence), while this one seems more nebulous. Perhaps it's just that I've actually been to Florence (albeit after I read A Room with a View), and so can visualize what's going on. The Barcelona of Queens of All the Earth I found to be confusing and somehow dull (full disclosure: I've never been to Barcelona).

Finally, I have a bone to pick with the language. It's so. Labored. I will be the first to admit to you that I am not poetic. I don't write beautifully or eloquently--I just don't. Flowery language is not my thing. This tried very, very hard to be beautiful, but that's not how it works. You don't sit down to write a lyrical novel by saying: "I am going to write something beautiful and everyone will know it, gosh durn it!" I think poetry comes unconsciously, from somewhere deep inside you. I don't need it shoved in my face. In this attempt to be lyrical, some very murky sentences and constructions come to light.

I wanted to end by saying something positive about this book. I feel quite guilty giving a one-star review to a book, as I would hope that the author really put herself into it and feels protective and proud of her work. And props to Ms. Steinberg for publishing a book--it's more than most people will do! But ... just ... pick up Forester's classic instead!(less)

like · see review

Jun 16, 2011 Izzie Edwards rated it 2 of 5 stars

The synopsis for this book seemed to contain everything one could want a pair of American sisters escaping the trials of their lives by traveling to Europe. When they get there they meets fascinating foreigners, confusing Scots and intrigue. It is supposed to be a coming of age novel and yet all I could feel about this book was a bit confused and a lot bored. The premise seemed promising but the book felt stilted and a bit disjointed . I wanted to like Olivia. I sympathized with her mental fragi...more

like · see review

Mar 29, 2011 Cleffairy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reviewed at: Library of Lights

Review date: 28th Feb 2011

Review link: http://mykindaland.com/?p=176

I was looking for something different than my regular dose of romance and paranormal read when i stumbled upon this book, The Queens of All the earth written by Hannah Stemberg.

This book is a rather thought provoking reads about two sisters, coming of an age together. It makes me wander back down my own memory lane when I was younger than I am now.

This book is pretty inspirational in many ways, and...more

like · see review

Oct 02, 2011 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-arc

After Olivia has a nervous breakdown the day she's supposed to move-in at Cornell, her sister, Miranda, takes her to Barcelona for vacation therapy. From that point on, it's a contemporary retelling of A Room With a View.

I have to give Hannah Sternberg credit for staying so close to the original story line in terms of the characters they meet in Barcelona (instead of Florence). Strenberg's writing style is also strong in its own right. She really gets into her characters' heads and her prose is...more

like · see review

Sep 11, 2011 Bookworm1858 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, read-2011, ya-read

I read the first two chapters of this and then stopped because I was not feeling it at all. The next day I picked it up again and moved slowly through it. It's inspired by A Room with a View by E.M. Forster and I've seen a movie adaptation of it so I enjoyed catching the references. Furthermore the writing was absolutely gorgeous, with long, luxurious scenes filling me up with details.

However the characters were what lost me. Olivia and Miranda are sisters (!) embarking on a trip to Barcelona af...more

like · see review

Feb 25, 2011 AJPattz rated it 2 of 5 stars

Although it was a relatively short book this story seemed to drag on and on. There was a lot of gorgeous description of Spain but not enough meaningful dialogue between the characters. The story also jumped around too much between points of view and it wasn't always clear whose it was. There wasn't a big revelation, maybe a small one, and it didn't really seem like the conflict had been resolved. There was a little romance, and while that was cute it was very abrupt. And then the book ends. Ther...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 24, 2011 Shelley rated it 3 of 5 stars

The title comes from a gorgeous E.E. Cummings poem which set my expectations rather high for the novel. My issue with the book was the lack of closure for some of the characters. The ending felt too brief and I would have liked to read more about what happened to the characters, more than just they went home or to school etc. Ambiguous endings work for certain books, this one does not happen to be one of those titles. The prose is pretty and the scenery descriptions top notch, but there just was...more

like · see review

Mar 23, 2011 Malati rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

I received this as an e-ARC.

I've been a bit unsure of how to write my review and after reading some of the other reviews, I've noticed others have some of the same feelings that I have. I love the detail and time taken to describe each scene. I have never been to Spain, but really felt that I could see the streets and the hostel as the characters in the story did.

Like others, I felt this story dragged at times. I very much wanted to understand and see the characters develop, but sometimes there...more

like · see review

Dec 08, 2011 Vickie Ramage rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are many varied characters in this, from Lenny, a journalist with an attitude, to Mr Brown, a Priest who is visiting with his son. Miranda's descriptions of Mr Brown make him seem like a horrible person but he really isn't - after discovering that the girl wanted a private room he immediately gives his up for them and tries his hardest to become friends with everyone. Greg, his son, is quite shy and withdrawn but his character slowly blossoms throughout the book.

Read the rest of the review ...more

like · see review

Mar 24, 2011 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Little Bookworm
After a mental breakdown, Olivia Somerset is brought to Barcelona by her stern but loving sister, Miranda for some R&R. Olivia is drawn to the quiet and strange Greg Brown who is traveling with his father. And the two families become acquainted after a mix-up with the sister's room and Mr. Brown's offer to switch with them.

If you have ever read A Room with a View, then you will be familiar with the plot of Queens. There are a few changes here and there, but the basic story...more

like · see review

Jan 01, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reading Queens of all the earth, shed a little bit of light on things and perspectives for me as the novel did start off not like I thought it would , as it started with Olivia arriving at College and having a psychotic catatonic breakdown and then moved on to three months later when Miranda and Olivia take a contiki tour around Barcelona, Spain. This is the part that I was able to connect with as my goal for 2013 is to go on a European Contiki Tour, it will be my first long period away from my...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2012 Shannon rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: slj-review, 2011, realistic-fiction, young-adult

Sternberg, Hannah. Queens of All the Earth. 160p. Bancroft. 2011. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-61088-019-0; pap. $12.99. ISBN 978-1-61088-032-9; ebook $6.99. ISBN 978-1-61088-033-6. LC number unavailable.

Gr 9 Up--Instead of starting her freshman year at Cornell, Olivia Somerset has a nervous breakdown. After several months, though, she has recovered enough to go with her older, sister, Miranda, on a therapeutic journey to Barcelona. Once they arrive at their hostel, they are mistakenly given a room in...more

like · see review

Sep 11, 2011 Caitlin Opeil rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

The Queens of All the Earth is about two sisters named Olivia and Miranda. On the day she is supposed to leave for her Freshman year at Cornell, Olivia becomes catatonic. She has an obvious and acute fear of growing up. In order to help her sister, Miranda takes her on a vacation to Barcelona. While there, Olivia finds a love interest in Greg Brown, a shy preacher's son. Olivia has never had a boyfriend, but Miranda hates the Browns.

Honestly, Miranda hates everyone. And everyone rightfully hate...more

like · see review

Mar 22, 2012 Clementine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fiction, travel

On the day she’s supposed to start at Cornell University, Olivia Somerset sits catatonic in her bed. Diagnosed with a nervous breakdown, it takes months of recovery before Olivia is in motion again. A trip to Barcelona with her older sister Miranda seems to be the final attempt to get Olivia back on track. Once there, the two encounter a wide variety of characters at their hostel, including a clergyman and his son, Greg, who immediately takes an interest in Olivia. As the two girls explore the s...more On the day she’s supposed to start at Cornell University, Olivia Somerset sits catatonic in her bed. Diagnosed with a nervous breakdown, it takes months of recovery before Olivia is in motion again. A trip to Barcelona with her older sister Miranda seems to be the final attempt to get Olivia back on track. Once there, the two encounter a wide variety of characters at their hostel, including a clergyman and his son, Greg, who immediately takes an interest in Olivia. As the two girls explore the sometimes wild city, Olivia works to understand her reticence to step into adulthood as she struggles with her budding feelings for Greg.

Sternberg’s debut novel is a modern retelling of E.M. Forster’s A Room With a View, a classic story which Sternberg has attempted to update by incorporating her generation’s issues with adulthood and growing up (Sternberg herself is in her early twenties). There is also inspiration drawn from e.e. cummings’s poem “orientale,” which is where the novel gets its title. All of this is fine enough on its own, but Sternberg’s well-written novel doesn’t ever quite deliver on what it attempts to do.

The problems begin with the fact that Sternberg doesn’t spend any time on developing her characters. A lack of development of any of the characters means that readers don’t connect to the plight of each of the girls, and what’s worse is that it’s difficult to sympathize or even understand them when they face conflict late in the story. Olivia’s romance with Greg–and Miranda’s flirtation with a priest about to take his orders–never get off the ground and never feel like more than cardboard attempts at romantic connections.

A lack of character development could be forgiven if the plotting moved quickly enough to make up for it. However, this is not the case. Too often, Sternberg’s narration becomes overwrought, the plot and pacing stalling out as the girls contemplate their situation and their surroundings. There isn’t enough story here to propel even the 160 short pages of this novel, and the result is a slow (kinder reviewers might refer to this as “deliberate”) pace that offers too little in excitement or interest.

Finally, the novel’s third person omniscient narration is jarring and often confusing. It’s an ambiguous point of view to use in a story, and it does nothing to serve the story or its characters here. Some readers might not mind the point of view, but this reviewer found it hard to connect to anything in the story as a result.

It’s not all bad, though. Readers who enjoy stories about sisters or travel might find value in Sternberg’s work. It’s a quiet little tale, and while it seems to be short on character development and actual plot, it’s certainly an interesting idea. I just wish it had been executed better.

The Queens of All the Earth by Hannah Sternberg. Bancroft Press: 2011. Electronic galley accepted for review via NetGalley.(less)

like · see review

title link	preview: Queens of All the Earth
avg rating	preview: Queens of All the Earth Goodreads rating: 2.91 (55 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10280962-queens-of-all-the-earth?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336052504l/10280962.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10280962-queens-of-all-the-earth?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Queens of All the Earth by Hannah Sternberg[/url]

Queens of All the Earth

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Queens of All the...

Queens of All the Earth

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (2)

Genres

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Queens of All the...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (2)