Review: Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Jul 14, 2010 by shanyn

Title: Plain Kate
Hardcover, 325 pages
Author: Erin Bow
Publisher: Arther A. Levine
Publication Date: September 1, 2010
Source: Book Expo America
Buy: Amazon

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Book Summary:
The drizzle had broken into patches as they walked. As Drina scooped up the pale sand, Kate found herself standing in the smudge of shadow cast by the deadfall. She had never before noticed the way shadows gave things weight, made them look heavy and real and connected to the ground. Without hers…

She edged into the light.

Her shadow looked strange and thinned. It seemed not cast against the ground, but floating above it, like a fog. What Linay had said was true: No one would notice this, at first. It was just an uneasy little change, like the half-felt movement of a boat that slowly induces a great sickness.

Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver’s daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden talismans are so fine that some even call her “witch-blade”: a dangerous nickname in a country where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

For Kate and her village have fallen on hard times. Kate’s father has died, leaving her alone in the world. And a mysterious fog now covers the countryside, ruining crops and spreading fear of hunger and sickness. The townspeople are looking for someone to blame, and their eyes have fallen on Kate.

Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: In exchange for her shadow, he’ll give Kate the means to escape the angry town, and what’s more, he’ll grant her heart’s wish. It’s a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes she can’t live shadowless forever — and that Linay’s designs are darker than she ever dreamed.

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As I began reading Plain Kate, the tone immediately made me imagine it was being read to me by a fairy tale narrator. Which is so. Charming. Like the beginning of a movie where there is a peaceful male narrator filling you in on the main character’s life. I actually commented about this on Twitter and someone (I think Pam?) said that during her BEA appearance, Erin Bow (the author) mentioned that this book is a fairy tale she had imagined in her head. So it all makes sense!

Review:
As I began reading Plain Kate, the tone immediately made me imagine it was being read to me by a fairy tale narrator. Which is so. Charming. Like the beginning of a movie where there is a peaceful male narrator filling you in on the main character’s life. I actually commented about this on Twitter and someone (I think Pam?) said that during her BEA appearance, Erin Bow (the author) mentioned that this book is a fairy tale she had imagined in her head. So it all makes sense!

Because the book was written in this tone, it was very charming to read. I felt like I was reading the manuscript of a movie kind of; it all played out in my head really well. If it hadn’t read like I described above, I may not have liked it, but Bow hit the tone perfectly.

One of my favorite characters of all time is Taggle, Plain Kate’s cat, but I don’t want to tell you why and ruin part of the story :)

Plain Kate is a book for those who love fairy tales, adventure, and fantasy!

Buy: Amazon

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