Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Genre: Young Adult, Generational (Science Fiction, Historical)
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads
Kansas, 2065 Adri has been handpicked to live on Mars. But weeks before Launch, she discovers the journal of a girl who lived in her house over a hundred years ago, and is immediately drawn into the mystery surrounding her fate. While Adri knows she must focus on the mission ahead, she becomes captivated by a life that’s been lost in time…and how it might be inextricably tied to her own.Review by Nara
Oklahoma, 1934 Amidst the fear and uncertainty of the Dust Bowl, Catherine longs for the immortality promised by a professor at a traveling show called The Electric. But as her family’s situation becomes more dire -- and the suffocating dust threatens her sister’s life -- Catherine must find the courage to sacrifice everything she loves in order to save the one person she loves most.
England, 1919 In the recovery following World War One, Lenore tries to come to terms with her grief for her brother, a fallen British soldier, and plans to sail to America in pursuit of a childhood friend. But even if she makes it that far, will her friend be the person she remembers, and the one who can bring her back to herself?
While their stories spans thousands of miles and multiple generations, Lenore, Catherine, and Adri’s fates are entwined in ways both heartbreaking and hopeful.
Midnight at the Electric is a rather quaint story revolving around three characters that are interlinked through journals/letters. It is a generational story, which I've found that I actually quite enjoy. Not that I've read that many to be honest, the only other one that comes to mind is The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. But in any case, it's a genre I'd definitely like to explore further.
Midnight at the Electric has what I would call a very "quiet" story. There are no big quests or huge conflicts to resolve- it simply tells the tale of three different characters from different times and places and the various challenges they come across during a small portion of their lives. The character development is quite excellent, and despite there not being a huge driving force in the novel, it is intriguing enough that it is difficult to put down.
I must admit, while I liked the novel overall and probably would recommend it to others, I don't think that I would read it again myself. It doesn't have that pull that other books may have; that curiosity that you may have missed clues about twists and such that would give the book the rereadability factor. So while it was satisfying when I read it the once, I'm not intrigued enough to read it again: I feel like I got enough of the story from one read and that it was simplistic enough that I don't need to go back to see the little bits of information that may have been missed.
Overall, a decent book by Jodi Lynn Anderson. I've only read this book and Tiger Lily, but it seems like I need to go back and see what other books of hers I may have missed.
Liked it
RatingsOverall: 7/10
Plot: 3.5/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
