“Have you figured out how the scholarships fit in?…Or the doctor’s time-machine visit to ancient Greece?”
“The what?“
“Didn’t I mention that? I guess there are several bequests you don’t know about.“
Whenever I try to review a book I really loved, I always end up feeling I’ve either over-raved or didn’t do it justice enough…and I’m never sure which. I guess everybody has to experience a book for themselves, and all I can do is give it my best shot at explaining why I loved it! Anyway, it’s been a long time since I read a book that just made me want to gush incoherently—and I never expected the next one would be a 1960s young-adult novel.
Shannon Lightley has spent her life being shuttled all over the world between famous and glamorous parents and step-parents, not to mention some aunts and uncles. At eighteen, after so much switching between different lifestyles, she doesn’t really know who she is or what she wants to do with her life. An impulse and a twist of circumstances leads her into taking on an unusual task for her father’s friend, a surrogate uncle who seems to be one of the few people she can trust for guidance. Before she knows it, Shannon finds herself living in a boarding-house near a college, working as a café waitress, with a new hairstyle, new accent, and an assumed name…trying to gather information about the legatees of an extremely eccentric will her uncle has been hired to contest. Living in the same room occupied by the late Mrs. Dunningham, slowly trying to form acquaintances with the colorful cast of fellow-boarders and neighbors to whom the wealthy, elderly lady made her exceedingly odd bequests, Shannon begins to put together the pieces about their characters and their relationships with Mrs. Dunningham…and it’s not what she expected at first. Along the way she learns a rough lesson about the difference between attraction and true love, and continues to struggle with questions about her masquerade and her true self.
Where to start? I was completely sucked in and completely charmed by this book. It’s warm, literate, often extremely funny. How can you not be charmed by a book that’s littered with references to everything from masquerade balls in Regency novels (I smell Georgette Heyer) to Wagnerian opera to Kipling to Theodore Bikel? But beyond the sheer entertainment, what spoke to me unexpectedly was Shannon’s own personal struggles. Maybe I don’t have anything in common with her chaotic childhood, or her doubts about identity and purpose. But the crippling shyness, the unwillingness to share one’s real self with others, the fear of being disliked or laughed at—oh, yes. Incredibly, just a week or so before reading this book, I caught myself wondering one day what it would be like to introduce myself to someone under a different name, to take on a more carefree persona than I’d dare to do as myself…because it wouldn’t matter what they thought of someone who didn’t exist! And Greensleeves is basically a development of that idea, as Shannon first gets a taste of the freedom from inhibitions that comes with pretending to be someone else…and then gradually comes to understand that you can’t experience life fully if you’re always acting a part.
And then, there’s Sherry. I simply adored Sherry. Did you ever read a book with a character that seemed so alive that you kept thinking about them for days afterward? I suspected from the first time he appeared that I was going to like him, though I didn’t know what kind of part he was going to play in the story, and I was thrilled when it turned out to be the one I’d hoped. He’s one of the most lovable male characters I’ve read in a long time—smart, bookish, imaginative, with a great sense of humor, always so sweet and considerate as he tries to coax Shannon out of her shell. Easily my favorite character in the book.
There’s other memorable characters—understanding Uncle Frosty, enigmatic Mr. Bruce, awkward Wynola, exasperating Helen, and even the late Mrs. Dunningham, whom Shannon feels she comes to know as well as any of them. And the use of “Greensleeves,” from its literal meaning for Shannon, to the way it ties into the theme of anonymity, to that scene near the end with the sheet music…I won’t spoil it for you.
Another thing I found refreshing was the feature of common sense in romantic relationships (which, by the way, doesn’t prevent the romance from being heart-melting). College-age kids who look at marriage as the natural goal of a relationship, who know to exercise self-control without looking at it as a dreadful, unfair burden—it’s just the way to behave. When something looking like a love triangle began to rear its ugly head, I was pretty frantic—then glad to find it didn’t follow the predictable path I suspected. There were times when I wanted to give Shannon a good shaking…then when she had her occasional moments of clarity my reaction was yes! You finally figured it out.
I sort of gulped the second half of the book, because I was so anxious to find out what was going to happen. I knew from some other reviews to expect an inconclusive, questioning ending, and yes, it is rather maddening. Shannon’s decision seems a little drastic, even if you can understand her reasoning. (Isn’t there such a thing as writing letters?) But in one respect it was better than I thought, because it’s an open enough ending that you can imagine for yourself what happens after the last page. I like to think it turned out the way I always hoped it would.
After all, you can play “Greensleeves” with a major chord at the end if you want to.
The Kindle edition of Greensleeves is currently on sale for $1.99 as part of Amazon’s “Holiday Deals.” I found that an excellent bargain.
Annie says
What a great review! You have caused me to add this book to my read-very-soon list!
I have read one book by the author before: "Moccasin Trail" when I was about 10 or so and loved it (it has been years so I'm not sure what my current opinion would be). 🙂
I'm going to find me a copy of Greensleeves, it sounds like a nice fictional jaunt!
Elisabeth Grace Foley says
I was looking at the descriptions of her other books after finishing this one, and Moccasin Trail was the one that jumped out at me most. I'll have to add it to my to-read list!
Heidi says
"Whenever I try to review a book I really loved, I always end up feeling I've either over-raved or didn't do it justice enough…and I'm never sure which." *laughing* Hee. Exactly my experience! Quite exasperating really at times…
And I haven't read this one, but McGraw's The Golden Goblet was/is a favorite. It sounds a little slow off the official summary, but I remember it as absolutely riveting mystery when I was around 10 or so. (And certain scenes remain incredibly vivid to this day… so there you go! ;))
Heidi says
Oh, dear. That's what comes of typing late at night. I apologize for the typo in my previous comment!