Title: The Land of 10,000 Madonaas
Author: Kate Hattemer
Goodreads Ratings: 4.32
Format: ARC from Publisher
Summary: Five teens backpack through Europe to fulfill the mysterious dying wish of their friend. Jesse lives with his history professor dad in a house covered with postcards of images of the Madonna from all over the world. They’re gotten used to this life: two motherless dudes living among thousands of Madonnas. But Jesse has a heart condition that will ultimately cut his life tragically short. Before he dies, he arranges a mysterious trip to Europe for his three cousins, his best friend, and his girlfriend to take after he passes away. It’s a trip that will forever change the lives of these young teens and one that will help them come to terms with Jesse’s death.
Disclaimer: I should probably fess up that I haven't completely finished this book yet. I blame my reading speed (25 pages an hour!), work (2 jobs...) and my post-accident haze that's still distracting me. Add that in with responsibilities at home and a nasty cold that blindsided me and you have a nice excuse sandwich. However, I am being fully honest and truthful when I say that what I have read so far is incredible and that this book will probably be one of my favorite reads of the year. Below, you can find all the reasons that I want to convince you to give it a try and even if it's not a full review, I think I have a lot to say.
The voice:
Multiple POVs are super tricky--and I should know--I've tried writing them. Multiple POVs in third person, is a bit like sitting down in the middle of a dinner party and watching a conversation volley around. You can only hope that the people are interesting enough to listen to!
I think Kate Hattemer does an impressive job of distinguishing tone and voice from the various characters (there are five!) and giving each such a distinct way of thinking and talking. I know Ben from Trevor like I would know my voice from my best friend. I know Cal from Lillian even though both voices are laced with pain and anger and teenage girl entitlement.
