Monday, September 7, 2020

MMGM: Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen


 

I was immediately drawn to Daring Darleen because of the film connection. What’s not to like about a story with a child protagonist in the silent film industry? It wasn’t till I brought the book home that I realized another reason to pick up this book—it’s written by the amazing Anne Nesbet, who wrote Cloud and Wallfish, another MG historical I loved. It also got raves from fellow MMGM blogger, Patricia Tilton.

If you like smart writing, interesting, well-drawn characters, and on the edge of your seats action, you will love Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen!

Synopsis (from Amazon):

When a publicity stunt goes terribly wrong, twelve-year-old Darleen Darling, star of the silent film era, must defeat villains both on screen and off in this edge-of-your-seat adventure.

Lights! Camera! Kidnapping?


It’s 1914, and Darleen Darling’s film adventures collide with reality when a fake kidnapping set up by her studio becomes all too real. Suddenly Darleen finds herself in the hands of dastardly criminals who have just nabbed Miss Victorine Berryman, the poor-little-rich-girl heiress of one of America’s largest fortunes. Soon real life starts to seem like a bona fide adventure serial, complete with dramatic escapes, murderous plots, and a runaway air balloon. Will Darleen and Victorine be able to engineer their own happily-ever-after, or will the villains be victorious?


What to love:

1.Darleen and her papa: Darleen and her papa's relationship was touching and heartfelt, especially considering the backstory of her mother's death. Her affection and desire to stay safe for him was really relatable.

2. A lovely friendship between the two girls: This was MG friendship at its best. Both girls drew out and encouraged each other’s strengths, even though they were vastly different. Can I just say I was happy to see a rich girl not portrayed as an evil villain? All the characters, even minor ones, were given a lot of depth.

3. High stakes: From page one, when Darleen almost falls off a cliff, to the kidnapping, to other events, I was on the edge of my seat worried for these characters. While Nesbet has a very literary way of writing, it was refreshing to read a book with strong writing AND a great plot.

4. Beautiful writing: Nesbet has a sense of building a motif  throughout the novel. With her word choices and figurative language, I always felt in the world of silent film. This is one to study if you’re working on creating a mood.

5. Historical tie-ins: I liked how Nesbet included a real historical female pioneer of film as one of the characters and gave a detailed author’s note at the end. It makes me feel like I’m in good hands knowing the author teaches film history at the university level.

This book reminded me of the fabulous The Artist, a 2012 Oscar-winning film about the silent film industry.


Have you reading Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen? What silent films have you enjoyed?

For more MMGM reads, please check out Greg Pattridge's Always in the Middle!


 



9 comments:

  1. I am so delighted to see your review of Daring Darleen. Like you, I fell in love with this book and the relationship between the girls. I watched a segment on a CBS program yesterday about someone running across an archive of silent films and is in the process of restoring them. Apparently, many were thrown away and the historical signifigance of theses films was just not recognized by studios. So sad. But, I'm glad more have come to light.

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  2. Thanks for your review of this book. I also have it to read but haven't gotten to it yet. Now I will, though.

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  3. This sounds like a fun story! I love the idea of setting the book during the silent movie era... :)

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  4. Jenni, this story sounds like the perfect MG. My favorite silent film is The Kid featuring Charlie Chaplin. I also love the physical humor of Laurel and Hardy.

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  5. I have this high on my list to read and your review nudged it even closer to the top. The setting and time period have me hooked. Thanks for featuring on MMGM

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  6. This book sounds excellent! Your comments about the writing and the friendship between Darleen and Victorine are especially convincing. Thanks for the thoughtful review!

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  7. This was a fun period of history, and I'm glad to see it covered more! Thanks for the review!

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  8. I wonder how many eight-to-twelve year olds have ever seen a silent movie... This is history. I love early 20th century stories.

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  9. I have been hearing a lot about this book. It sounds like a lot of fun. Of course, the film connection is a bonus. Thanks for your review.

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