Sunday, August 31, 2008

Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake

Title: Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake
Author: Jennifer Allison

What it's about: Gilda Joyce is starting high school, and she has a scholarship for Our Lady of Sorrows. Sure, it's a great school for academics, but Gilda's focused more on the rumors of a ghost that haunts the campus. Apparently a girl drowned in the school's lake a few years back. In her search for the truth, Gilda comes across a mysterious secret society on campus. Could they be behind the death of the girl?

What I thought: Funny thing to note. I actually started reading this book, like, at the beginning of the month, stopped halfway through, and only picked it up today because I figured it would take less time to finish instead of starting a new book. I actually liked this, though, so don't let my odd behavior fool you. It's a good mystery, and where this book shines is character development. The mystery is actually a rather sad one. Gilda herself is an interesting, quirky character. She's not completely likable, unlike many of the protagonists in books I've read and reviewed. Sometimes you'll be cracking up at Gilda's 'tude (like how about the letter she writes to the Pope? This just might be my own Catholic schoolgirl days talking, but I found it flippin' hilarious), and other times you'll be like, ouch, girl, that was just callous. Gilda's dramatic, impulsive, and abrasive. She's a well-written character who's very realistic in her imperfections. I also have to like how the supernatural aspect of the book is never completely confirmed or disproven. It's a nice touch.

Overall: A funny, compelling mystery.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That sounds really interesting; I actually did visit a college campus one time that had real secret societies. One was devoted to spray-painting things purple and leaving them all over campus, and another involved lots of people walking around wearing black hoods and carrying candles in the middle of the night; no one knew why they did it. Yeah.