If you read my reviews then you know I’m a sucker for historical fiction. Big time. The setting always clinches it for me, so when I read the synopsis of this book, 1950s New Orleans jumped out at me like an un-scary jack-in-the-box and I knew I had to read it.
There are so many things I love about the genre, but most of all I love the feeling of being transported through time and space as if my hardcover copy is my own personal TARDIS. Only, after finishing Out of the Easy, I don’t feel like I can really picture the place at all.
While the French Quarter of New Orleans really took shape in this book, it was more due to the wickedly vibrant characters and plot development than the place where Josie lived. The not so vibrant setting and emphasis on characters is not the only surprise that came with reading this book, and it is probably the least shocking.
From a hundred pages in I thought I had this book figured out. The plot seemed simple and formulaic, and from afar the ending seemed so sunny and bright I felt like the author was pulling a Merry Poppins with spoonfuls of sugar. I quickly learned that Sepetys has no qualms in roughing up her characters.
Over the course of the book, the main character Josie has two love interests, both of which I found boring. Here was the bad-boy Jesse and there was the safe-one Patrick, now watch them pine over our dearest MC. Once again, Sepetys diverted from my expectations, giving strength and agency to one of the characters, a kind of quality that is devoid of every love triangle I have read. It was refreshing to see that the boys didn’t have to devote themselves entirely to the MC like obedient puppy-dogs, the dangerous area where a lot of love triangles go wrong.
The characters were excellent, and they really played on my emotions. I loved Willie, Cokie, Sadie and Sweety, and by the end of the book hated Cincinnati, Mr. Lockwood and most of all, Josie’s own mother.
I didn’t love Out of the Easy, but I think it’s worth a read if you’re interested. Plot wise, nothing turns out quite how you’d expect, a feature that is both devastating and uplifting. I’m still not certain exactly how I feel about the ending, but one thing I can say is that beneath all the drama and flourish, this book has a very grounded quality to it. The end resonates in the message that plans for life don’t always go the way you want them to, and you just have to keep living. Sepetys writes New Orleans as a net that Josie must escape from, and watching a girl who according to Willie is “cinderella on the outside and evil witch on the inside” was thrilling. I thought Josie was wonderfully cunning, in a way that felt necessary for someone at the very bottom with such big dreams.
Dianna (Stories After Twelve)
I really want to read this book soon! From this review this looks like the kind of book I’d enjoy! I may have an some issues with not being able to picture the place because that’s very important. Lovely review, Adrienne! : )
Kate C.
Another blogger I read really liked this one, so based on your comments, I think I’ll give it a read. Great review. 🙂
The Hipster Owl's Bookshelf
Haven’t finished the book yet, but I feel you on what you mentioned about how the plot takes an unexpected shift. lol I really did NOT see that coming! Also, I don’t feel like I could see New Orleans AT ALL. That’s one area where I feel that the author went wrong. I think she just kind of assumed we would all get her drift. Anyway… I really do admire how cunning Jo was. She had to be. There was no other choice..not if she needed to survive and planned on finding a better life. Kudos to her and the Jo’s in the world who have faced similar adversity due to poverty or dysfunctional parents!
Adrienne Fray
The Hipster Owl’s Bookshelf It really does come out of nowhere 🙂 And about the setting issue, I had just read in the Shadow of Blackbirds, a book with a very vivid and well researched American wartime setting and it kind of stung to feel so blinded. Jo was a pretty kick-ass MC. In YA when dysfunctional parents are portrayed there’s always an underlying kernel of good in them, something Jo’s mother definitely did not have!
Adrienne Fray
The Hipster Owl’s Bookshelf It really does come out of nowhere 🙂 And about the setting issue, I had just read in the Shadow of Blackbirds, a book with a very vivid and well researched American wartime setting and it kind of stung to feel so blinded. Jo was a pretty kick-ass MC. In YA when dysfunctional parents are portrayed there’s always an underlying kernel of good in them, something Jo’s mother definitely did not have!
Katie
I think I am going to skip this one based on your review. I don’t pick up historical fiction very often and when I do I want to be blown away and pulled into the time period. How would you compare to Diviners?
Adrienne Fray
@Katie Diviners, in my mind, is on a whole other level when compared to Out of the Easy. In Diviners, not only is the plot enthralling, the setting is so vivid and well researched you will fall in love with prohibition era New York just as fast as Evie does! While Jo’s feelings towards New Orleans are negative, I couldn’t even get enough of a feel of the setting to feel trapped within the city at all.
Adrienne Fray
@Katie Diviners, in my mind, is on a whole other level when compared to Out of the Easy. In Diviners, not only is the plot enthralling, the setting is so vivid and well researched you will fall in love with prohibition era New York just as fast as Evie does! While Jo’s feelings towards New Orleans are negative, I couldn’t even get enough of a feel of the setting to feel trapped within the city at all.
Out Of The Easy | Ruta Sepetys | Book Review
[…] Alexa Loves Books – “a complete immersion into the hustle and bustle of New Orleans in the 1950” Clear Eyes, Full Shelves – “I unabashedly want to shout out cheers for this fine novel.“ Cuddlebuggery – “I didn’t love Out of the Easy, but I think it’s worth a read if you’re interested.” […]