Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Publication Date: September 18th 2012
Pages: 224
Source: eBook for Review
Genre: Historical Fiction, LGBT
Goodreads
Silhouette of a Sparrow is a cute historical story about a girl named Garnet who is sent away for the summer to live with family in Excelsior Minnesota to escape the troubles and craziness of Minneapolis. Throughout the story Garnet finds friendship and romance in the most unlikely places for someone of her place in society as she discovers who she really is and steps away from the person that her family wants her to be to be herself.
In the summer of 1926, sixteen-year-old Garnet Richardson is sent to a lake resort to escape the polio epidemic in the city. She dreams of indulging her passion for ornithology and visiting the famous new amusement park--a summer of fun before she returns for her final year of high school, after which she’s expected to marry a nice boy and settle into middle-class homemaking. But in the country, Garnet finds herself under the supervision of equally oppressive guardians--her father’s wealthy cousin and the matron’s stuck-up daughter. Only a liberating job in a hat shop, an intense, secret relationship with a daring and beautiful flapper, and a deep faith in her own fierce heart can save her from the suffocating boredom of traditional femininity.
Silhouette of a Sparrow is a coming-of-age story about a search for wildness in a confining time, and a simultaneous quest for security in an era full of unrest. It is the tale of a young woman’s discovery of the science of risk and the art of rebellion, and of course, the power of unexpected love.
Garnet is a very adventurous girl who really just wants to have fun despite the ideas of her family. Upon coming to Excelsior, Garnet automatically finds all of the fun things around and begins to make plans to try them even though her aunt disapproves. I really admire Garnet's strong will to find adventure and I really like that about her. Garnet has a very interesting hobby of cutting the outlines of birds out of pieces of paper that she carries with her, I think that hobby sounds really, really cool and I love Griffin's originality with that hobby. Another character that comes up in the books is Isabella, a dancer who meets Garnet and the two become fast friends. Isabella is a very different character than Garnet, while Garnet is more on the lady like side (despite her love for fun and adventure) Isabella is much more of a flapper and wears shorter, less subtle clothing. Another very unique point in this book is the romance that Garnet and Isabella share. I have read only a few LGBT books in the past and I really wasn't expecting the romance that appeared in this book. I never really thought about LGBT relationships in earlier time periods and I like how this shed a light on the idea.
Overall this book was very interesting with very cute, fun characters and a very interesting, unexpected romance.
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