The Steep & Thorny Way in Mock Printz 2026

Nov 02, 2014 Amy rated it it was amazing

Let me acknowledge my own bias up front: I want Cat Winters to write more books. I want readers to read books by Cat Winters. I want my local chain bookstore to carry her books. I BEGGED my indie bookstore to carry her books. I want librarians to know who Cat Winters is.

Cat Winters writes about Oregon in the 20th century. She writes strong and sassy female lead characters who face racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia. Sometimes there are ghosts. In historical fiction. (Don’t wory -- it works Let me acknowledge my own bias up front: I want Cat Winters to write more books. I want readers to read books by Cat Winters. I want my local chain bookstore to carry her books. I BEGGED my indie bookstore to carry her books. I want librarians to know who Cat Winters is.

Cat Winters writes about Oregon in the 20th century. She writes strong and sassy female lead characters who face racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia. Sometimes there are ghosts. In historical fiction. (Don’t wory -- it works.)

Winters’ Oregon is a far cry from the “Put A Bird on It” part of “Portlandia” that we have come to know, love, and gently mock. Instead, in A Steep And Thorny Way, Winters writes of a 1920s Portland exurb that is under the throes of the KKK and individuals who turn to bootlegging to make ends meet.

At the beginning of the story, Joseph Adder, charged for the the accidental manslaughter of Hannalee Denney’s father, is released from prison early on good behavior. He confronts Hannalee with an important message: Joseph is not responsible for her father’s death. Instead, Hannalee’s now stepfather, Uncle Clyde, is responsible.

This information sends Hannalee on a whirlwind of questions. It’s not difficult to determine a secretive motive: in an area with an active if secretive KKK, Hannalee’s father stood out as the town’s only remaining black person and Hannalee as the town’s only mixed-race citizen. While Joseph is dead-set on revenge through encouraging Hannalee to murder Uncle Clyde, Hannalee’s cautious approach leads to more answers -- and even more questions.

Yes, boys and girls, this is a Social Issue book. It touches upon race, gender, and sexual orientation often and repeatedly, sometimes at the cost of character development. For example, I found a late-stage plot reveal involving a minor character unexplored and I wished some other minor characters (Hannalee’s mother, for instance, who crossed racial lines for a marriage not recognized by the state of Oregon) were a little pat. Some other readers might take issue with some of the identity politics here and the ambitious undertaking of assuming voices and characters who have been silenced by history. For what it’s worth, Winters says the following in her endnotes: “I do not claim to have gotten everything right. However, I made every attempt to portray Hannalee’s experiences, as well as Joe’s, with accuracy, honesty, and respect. Any mistakes made in this regard are entirely my own.” It’s also an echo of Hamlet, but it’s about as much Hamlet as The Lion King is Hamlet.

But let’s give the writer her due: this is a knock-em-out-of-the-park satisfying piece of historical fiction that will serve any reader who had a murder mystery or supernatural itch he didn’t know he had.

(Grades 7+) ...more

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Apr 23, 2016 Annette rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, biracial, mystery, prejudice, 1920s, historical-fiction, hamlet, ghost-stories, racial-violence

THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY by Cat Winter is a thought-provoking historical mystery set in the 1920s.

Hanalee is a biracial teen struggling to identify the truth behind her father’s death in an era of prejudice and racial violence.

Librarians will immediately see parallels to Hamlet making this title popular with English teachers. Look for an audience among youth who enjoy historical fiction, but also those who like connections with Shakespearean themes. The plot’s many twists and turns will make thi ...more

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Feb 25, 2016 Barbara rated it liked it

Shelves: alcohol, bullies, supernatural, civil-rights, facing-fears, social-studies, community, cultural-identity, loss, social-justice

It took me a little bit of time to settle into this recently-released title by Cat Winters. Since I've enjoyed her earlier books for their atmospheric quality and how she tackles topics and times not typically explored in Young Adult Literature, I was ready to trust her and settle in for a good read. While I still trust her and was impressed with some of the territory she covered here, exploring miscegenation and eugenics, and the existence of the KKK outside the boundaries of the South, I enjoy It took me a little bit of time to settle into this recently-released title by Cat Winters. Since I've enjoyed her earlier books for their atmospheric quality and how she tackles topics and times not typically explored in Young Adult Literature, I was ready to trust her and settle in for a good read. While I still trust her and was impressed with some of the territory she covered here, exploring miscegenation and eugenics, and the existence of the KKK outside the boundaries of the South, I enjoyed the book with some reservations. Probably most problematic for me was her insertion of the connections between this story and William Shakespeare's classic Hamlet, which actually became rather annoying in many respects. The book is set in 1923 Elston, Oregon, where teenager Hanalee Denney is still mourning the loss of her father. Hanalee's mother is white, and her father was black. He supposedly died as the result of injuries when Joe Adder struck him while driving while intoxicated. But now, Hank Denney, Hanalee's father, is haunting some of the locals and appearing to Hanalee to warn her of the dangers that await her in their community. His appearances are brief but important to the story and to the Hamlet revisitation. Because of his appearance, Hanalee suddenly begins to suspect that her step-father was somehow involved in her father's death. As things turn out, there are all sorts of secrets being kept by the town's citizens, including the existence of an active KKK. Given that the town is fairly small, I wonder that Hanalee and those around her were so ignorant of that fact. There are all sorts of coincidences, including who exactly was in that car with Joe on that fatal night, and I kept reading to get everything tied up. Although I'm glad I read this one, especially for its historical connections and those wonderful archival photographs from the time period, I didn't particularly care for the book's protagonist and I'd have preferred stronger connections to Hamlet or none at all. The ones that were here were serviceable but didn't leave me in awe. Still, hats off to the author for continuing to take risks and explore topics others seem to miss or avoid. ...more

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Sep 30, 2016 Carrie rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, social-justice, lgbtq, historical-fiction, mystery

Winters packs a lot in here (murder, racism, homophobia, eugenics, Prohibition, Hamlet), but I think it mostly works as an atmospheric mystery focusing on issues of social justice.

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May 03, 2021 Gail rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult, 2021

I'm a Cat Winters fan for sure. This is 1920s historical fiction that deals with the KKK in Oregon (which I suspect not many people are familiar with). It says it's loosely based on Hamlet but no worries, even if you don't remember your Hamlet details, like me, you can still enjoy the book. I do have to say though - what is the character on the cover WEARING?! I could be wrong but it really doesn't seem historically accurate to me. ...more

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Mar 24, 2016 Ellen rated it liked it

Read the whole book, but had to grit my teeth a lot at the anachronistic language dealing with race & one teen's same-sex sexuality. Kudos to Winters though, for even including race as a topic, especially for a historical that doesn't revolve around slavery. Also appreciated the authentic period photos & the sobering appendix detailing post-1923 changes to Oregon Laws. Memorable for that alone. ...more

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Feb 06, 2016 Chrissy rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen, fairy-tale-spin, historical-fiction

While I admit to only a fuzzy recollection of Hamlet, I found this a novel and interesting take on the original. Hanalee is a good lead character. In fact I felt her reasons for dithering, misleading and confounding behavior were more reasonable than Hamlet's. Even so, she comes across as a tough and capable young women. The plot and peripheral characters are well done, showing a broad range of feelings toward the discrimination of the KKK, from fear, to tolerance, to support. Hanalee and Joe's ...more

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Mar 14, 2016 Wendy rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, young-adult, historical-fiction, retold-tales, nw-connection, we-need-diverse-books, glbqt, friendship, magical-realism

I found this one uneven. Really liked some elements, but struggled to stay invested through the middle section. Still, knowing what I do about Oregon's racist history and how it affects our state today, I am glad I read it. ...more

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Nov 11, 2016 elissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: youngadult, historicalfiction, my_10s_reads, capitol_choices_archives, 2016favorites

Lots of GREAT historical fiction this year! Loved the research about 1920's Oregon that the author did for this, love the use of Hamlet, and love the main character, Hanalee. ...more

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