Sunday Synopsis

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book I have read by Ruta Sepetys, and it was wonderful! I loved this book! It was very different than the other one, Between Shades of Gray, which was also good. This one is so different. Between Shades seems to appeal to tweens and teens, but this one is definitely meant for adults.

One reason I was so interested is that I recently returned from a trip to New Orleans, and this book is set in 1950 New Orleans, mostly in the French Quarter. Clearly, Sepetys did her research so that she could weave historical details throughout the story. But New Orleans is only part of the attraction. Sepetys creates dynamic, intriguing characters that you feel like you know. You root for and against them, depending on who they are.

The heroine is 17-about-to-be-18 year old Josie Moraine. She has no father, and her mother is a woman of ill repute. Josie is caught between the literary world and the seedy underworld of NOLA. She longs to get away from New Orleans and attend college in the east. But then a murder occurs in the Quarter. Did her mother have anything to do with it? Next, a family friend passes away, which causes Josie's close friend to leave town for a while.  Below is an alternate book cover being used currently:

This book was hard to put down! It was suspenseful, intriguing, and unique.  It was a coming-of-age story with romance, mystery, and drama set against a fascinating historical background.  If you read it, I'd love to know your thoughts..

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