The Bluestockings - Wendi Nunnery - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Wendi Nunnery

GENRE: Contemporary Fiction

PUBLICATION DATE: January 21, 2025

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A character-driven contemporary fiction with a touch of magical realism. (I would have considered this a spoiler but the blurb mentions it right at the start.) Interesting characters, emotional themes, medium pace. A bit too much telling in the writing. Takes a wildly complicated turn in the final third that is both clever and confuddling. Has a couple of teeny plot holes, but a good option for those looking for unusual and heartwarming storylines.

Plot Preview:

Hawthorn, Georgia. Despite what others say, twelve-year-old Eleanor knows that her mother is not dead. Vera Black disappeared six years ago, but Eleanor, who now helps her father James run their family bookshop, believes that Vera just abandoned them. When she finds the draft of an old novel hidden in a secret desk compartment at the bookshop, Eleanor discovers a mystery that causes her to question many things she believed about her mother.

Eighty-year-old Ruby is a rich recluse who stays alone in her huge house on the outskirts of town. Her mother Alice was mysteriously found dead when Ruby was just a child, and since then, a shadow of grief and loss has hung over Ruby. When Eleanor enter Ruby’s life through her great-niece Maggie’s invitation of a stayover, Ruby’s carefully-constructed façade starts falling apart.

The story comes to us from the third-person perspectives of Eleanor and Ruby.

Bookish Yays:

💎 Eleanor – I love how she's portrayed as a talker and extrovert despite her childhood trauma. Most books shows such characters as shy introverts. Eleanor’s defiant and blunt personality is a welcome change, as is the fact that she is a typical girl and not some highly-talented prodigy.

💎 Eleanor’s friendship with Ruby’s great-niece Maggie also doesn’t follow the usual track, with no antagonism or sarcastic comments between the two teens. There is an instant friendship and a great deal of banter, both shown in a realistic way.

💎 Ruby – the contrast to Eleanor’s character. Older, curmudgeonly, reserved. Though this is a somewhat standard depiction of fictional senior citizens these days, her grief over all the losses she has faced is what makes her character stand out. The book doesn’t show her as weak at any point but it still highlights her vulnerabilities; much appreciated.

💎 The unexpected parallels between the two narrative viewpoints even though they come from such contrary characters. It is interesting to see how the shadows of their mothers’ loss affects both Eleanor and Ruby.

💎 Eleanor’s dad James and Ruby’s housekeeper Marianne make an excellent addition to the supporting cast. Limited characters overall, so no clutter.

💎 The found family vibes, taking a shaky start and settling into a realistic bond – heartwarming.

💎 The themes of grief and intergenerational trauma are also tackled well. There’s a good balance between introspective and light-hearted scenes.

💎 The setting of Georgia lends a good Southern vibe. The story makes good use of the small-town location in terms of atmosphere and character behaviour.

💎 The characters’ love for books and indie bookstores. Love the teeny discussion on Little Women; wish there had been more such scenes.

💎 The final third swerves suddenly into a new genre, after which the plot gets quite complicated and at the same time, fascinating. There were a couple of teeny plot holes, but nothing too major as to affect the strength of the twist. I can honestly say that I didn’t see any of this coming and I appreciate the cleverness of it all.

💎 The cover is simple but brilliant. If you study it after you complete the book, you realise how significantly it has captured the essence of the story.

Bookish Nays:

🧦 I wish the magical elements had been more scattered across the book. Roughly two-thirds of the book goes the straightforward way and then comes the sudden swerve in direction – it feels too abrupt. As with all fantastical genres, you need suspension of disbelief, especially after the twist.

🧦 The writing goes too much into telling at times, especially in one extended backstory of one character that spoils the overall reading flow. There’s also a fair bit of repetition in the characters’ internal thoughts, especially in Ruby’s perspective. Also a lot of secret-keeping. A stricter editing hand would have helped.

🧦 The epilogue is a bit too smooth. Given what happened before that point, this easy transition and Hallmark-y finale without any questions or doubts feel out of place.

Overall, the plot was engaging and unusual enough to keep me going, and the realistic characters helped a lot. Though the writing could have worked a little better for me if the editing had been finetuned, I still liked this uplifting character-driven story. The surprise twisty package was a bonus.

Recommended to those who like emotional, found-family stories with relatable characters and magical realism.

My thanks to author Wendi Nunnery for providing a complimentary copy of “The Bluestockings” via the Library Thing Early Reviewers Program at my request. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.