Review'd: Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw

Book Review: 

Title: Anxious Hearts

Author: Tucker Shaw

Published: May 1st 2010 by Amulet Books

Rating: 2 Stars

Goodreads Summary:

“Evangeline,” he repeated, calling at a whisper. “Evangeline.” He was not calling that she may hear, he was calling that somehow her soul might know that he was devoted entirely to her, only to her. “Evangeline, I will find you.”

Eva and Gabe explore the golden forest of their seaside Maine town, unknowingly tracing the footsteps of two teens, Evangeline and Gabriel, who once lived in the idyllic wooded village of Acadia more than one hundred years ago. On the day that Evangeline and Gabriel were be wed, their village was attacked and the two were separated. And now in the present, Gabe has mysteriously disappeared from Eva.

A dreamlike, loose retelling of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous love poem “Evangeline,” Anxious Hearts tells an epic tale of unrequited love and the hope that true love can be reunited.

DeLibrarie (Nichole) Review:

Now, I'm going to be honest here. I was disappointed with this book. But let me tell you, I really wanted to love it. And that's not to say that it wasn't good, because it was good, especially if it's your type of book. However, I thought that the synopsis was very misleading and so it wasn't what I was expecting. It appeared to be a story of two pairs of lovers who somehow pass through time and get involved with the others' story or possibly a tale of reincarnation. But this wasn't the case. I was expecting to get to know the characters and then to fall in love with their love interest just as much as they did and to follow their stories as if they were my own. But the characters were already in love before I got to meet them. So for most of the book the reader is left wondering how things could possibly work out and everything is sad and then the end comes as a huge surprise, but then that's the end; very abrupt. Those were my problems with it and some of that is due to the fact that I was simply expecting something else. This book is a beautiful story if what you're looking for is just that, a story, and not your traditional YA fictional book. It was unpredictable which was greatly appreciated because I hate it when you know the end of a book before you're even half way done. And I must say, the prologue and epilogue were both beautifully well-written; possibly two of my most favorite passages ever. But it personally was not one of my favorite. I wish that I could have read it without having read the synopsis because then I may have been able to appreciate it a little more. Also, if you've read Longfellow's Evangeline then you'll recognize this book as being written in a way that is reminiscent of that poem. And I'd say that it does the poem justice. Shaw also has a great talent at describing the setting consistently and not in a boring or annoying way. He brings his worlds to life in an unforgettable way. So give it a read if it's your type of book, just don't expect it to be something it's not like I unfortunately did.