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nmcannon 's review for:
The Kingdom of Back
by Marie Lu
Marie Lu's The Kingdom of Back was a gift through Owl Crate, and I hadn't heard of it (or Lu) until it was dropped on my doorstep. Back in the day, my brother and I had an Amadeus phase, wherein we saw the play, watched the movie, and listened to the soundtrack on repeat. Remembering my brother tinkering at the piano, I was excited to learn about Wolfgang's older sister in Lu's novel.
Marie Ann Mozart, or Nannerl to her friends (if she had friends), is a musical child prodigy at age eight. Her cold father praises her when she plays well, remarking that she can play the music of the Heavens, of the angels, of God themself. If she continues to improve and earn money for the family through performances, the child logic goes, her father will love her and not forget her. As Nannerl ages, however, her brother does too, and it turns out her brother is also a musical genius. His gender identity is far more palpable to the patriarchy. Nannerl despairs until a fairy princeling appears with a offer too good to resist: in exchange for Nannerl completing three tasks and restoring him to his throne, the fairy will ensure that Nannerl, and her music, will never be forgotten.
The Kingdom of Back is a gorgeous piece of art. Lu's lyricism and vivid imagery painted the page as easily as a brush. I had no trouble visualizing and "hearing" the music of the Mozarts and the Kingdom. The relationship between the siblings was protective and sweet, which was refreshing from all the depictions of siblings who are at each others' throats. While Nannrel was a very withdrawn person and narrator, I felt the pacing very good, though it was sometimes difficult to tell how old everyone was supposed to be (ex: I was imagining her as 12-13, then an 18 year old flirted with her, so I had to mentally re-orient myself to picture her at 16). The plot twist towards the end practically knocked my block off. I did not see that coming!
If I had one quibble, I would say that Lu was too authentic to the eighteenth century and Nannrel's biography. Others will consider this factor a strength, so this quibble is perhaps overly reliant on my preferences. The eighteenth century, on the whole, makes me want to scream. For upper class women, it's an incredibly stifling time period, (unless she broke out and joined a revolution). If one looks up Nannrel's later life on Wikipedia, one can tell that Lu wanted to work within the real Marie Anne's historical biographical framework, and I would have much preferred a heavier lean into fantasy and its magical possibilities. I keep waiting for Nannrel to have a grand, feminist awakening that her father is a horrible, little man, and that sort of happened, but not really. I kept waiting for her to shout "Enough!" and she never did. She's not a completely passive heroine, but she succumbs to patriarchy rather than overcomes it, and that leaves a weird taste in my mouth.
Overall, The Kingdom of Back is a beautiful little read, and I recommend it to historical fantasy fans, or anyone who wants to give that genre a try. Be prepared for small triumphs only.
Marie Ann Mozart, or Nannerl to her friends (if she had friends), is a musical child prodigy at age eight. Her cold father praises her when she plays well, remarking that she can play the music of the Heavens, of the angels, of God themself. If she continues to improve and earn money for the family through performances, the child logic goes, her father will love her and not forget her. As Nannerl ages, however, her brother does too, and it turns out her brother is also a musical genius. His gender identity is far more palpable to the patriarchy. Nannerl despairs until a fairy princeling appears with a offer too good to resist: in exchange for Nannerl completing three tasks and restoring him to his throne, the fairy will ensure that Nannerl, and her music, will never be forgotten.
The Kingdom of Back is a gorgeous piece of art. Lu's lyricism and vivid imagery painted the page as easily as a brush. I had no trouble visualizing and "hearing" the music of the Mozarts and the Kingdom. The relationship between the siblings was protective and sweet, which was refreshing from all the depictions of siblings who are at each others' throats. While Nannrel was a very withdrawn person and narrator, I felt the pacing very good, though it was sometimes difficult to tell how old everyone was supposed to be (ex: I was imagining her as 12-13, then an 18 year old flirted with her, so I had to mentally re-orient myself to picture her at 16). The plot twist towards the end practically knocked my block off. I did not see that coming!
If I had one quibble, I would say that Lu was too authentic to the eighteenth century and Nannrel's biography. Others will consider this factor a strength, so this quibble is perhaps overly reliant on my preferences. The eighteenth century, on the whole, makes me want to scream. For upper class women, it's an incredibly stifling time period, (unless she broke out and joined a revolution). If one looks up Nannrel's later life on Wikipedia, one can tell that Lu wanted to work within the real Marie Anne's historical biographical framework, and I would have much preferred a heavier lean into fantasy and its magical possibilities. I keep waiting for Nannrel to have a grand, feminist awakening that her father is a horrible, little man, and that sort of happened, but not really. I kept waiting for her to shout "Enough!" and she never did. She's not a completely passive heroine, but she succumbs to patriarchy rather than overcomes it, and that leaves a weird taste in my mouth.
Overall, The Kingdom of Back is a beautiful little read, and I recommend it to historical fantasy fans, or anyone who wants to give that genre a try. Be prepared for small triumphs only.