REVIEW: Rare Objects by Kathleen Tessaro
Maeve Fanning is a first generation Irish immigrant, born and raised among the poor, industrious Italian families of Boston’s North End by her widowed mother. Maeve has a dangerous fondness for strange men and bootleg gin—a rebellious appetite that soon finds her spiraling downward. Maeve becomes an unwilling patient in a psychiatric hospital, where she strikes up a friendship with an enigmatic young woman, who is unable to control her un-lady-like desire for freedom.
Once out, armed with a bottle of bleach and a few white lies Maeve lands a job at an eccentric antiques shop run by an elusive English archeologist. While delivering a purchase to the Van der Laars, Maeve meets their socialite daughter Diana—only to discover she’s the young woman from the hospital. Reunited with the charming but increasingly unstable Diana, Mae becomes more and more entwined with the Van der Laar family. Bewitched by their wealth and desperate to leave her past behind, Maeve is forced to unearth her true values and discover how far she’ll to go to reinvent herself. (Via Goodreads)
Review
Rare Objects is itself a rarity, for it is one of those rare few historical fiction books that are not about WWII!
Ok, ok, there are a great number of historical fiction novels that are not about WWII. Maybe it is just my library but it feels like 8/10 historical fiction novels these days deal with something surrounding WWII or that period. It is not that I don’t enjoy the occasional jaunt into the time of Axis vs. Allies but it has been getting quite old to me lately.
Anyway, lets get back to the topic at hand: Rare Objects. This book was a delightful listen for me on the third go-around. It is an engaging novel that acts like a light and fun read while still serving enough dramatic weight to feel significant. As Maeve descends further and further into the Van der Laar's world web of all-too-human truths and weaknesses reveals itself. This tangle of flaws makes for an incredibly engaging cast of characters that feel real and relatable to any reader.
While the complex, compelling characters are definitely the highlight of the novel the setting does not fall far behind. The antique store around which the action revolves is a character in itself, brought to vivid life by Ms. Tessaro. There is a fantastic realism and depth to it and the larger Boston setting that is just a delight explore.
Where Rare Objects does eventually falter is the awkward inclusion of a "romance" between Maeve and Mr. Winshaw. In fact, Mr. Winshaw as a whole is a low point. He isn't a terrible character in theory but his inclusion feels like an unnecessary distraction from the main plot flow. Although he is mentioned almost immediately he does not actually appear until over half-way through the novel when every other plotline has been thoroughly established and advanced. So while Ms. Tessaro does try her best to make him an important part of Maeve's story he just ends up feeling like an afterthought.
Despite this one annoying flaw, Rare Objects is still a wonderfully enjoyable read that is definitely worth a listen.
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