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Mina
Jonatha Ceely Book Review

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Plot Summary of Mina
"

Delacorte, Apr 2004, 21.95
ISBN: 038533690X

By 1848 her sister and her parents died due to the potato famine, but fifteen year old Mina still lives with her dream of making it to the United States though her one effort ended with the ship catching fire and sinking. To survive Mina changes her sex, becoming Paddy so she can earn a living as a stable hand on a country estate. Over time, “Paddy” is promoted to work as an assistant to the Italian chef Mr. Serle, sharing a room with him. Mina reveals her true gender to her boss, but he keeps her revelation secret from their employer.

Serle informs Mina that he is a Jew who fled the poverty of the Rome ghetto. He too dreams of America where he hopes to one day open a restaurant and make his fortune. Both begin to wonder if they pool their resources, could they achieve what they failed to accomplish separately. That means trusting the other something neither is used to doing.

MINA is a deep historical tale that shines a powerful microscope on mid nineteenth century Ireland and England. The story line is incredibly descriptive as Jonatha Ceely fill MINA with historical data like the workings of a Victorian kitchen, but that also keeps the pace of the plot at a leisurely stroll. Still genre fans will take delight with this insightful picturesque look back at a bygone era through the eyes of two survivors that is ideal fill in reading over a few days.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Mina
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 19th century
Poverty, surviving Yes
Kind of living: - general poverty story
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - servant
Age: - a teen
Ethnicity/Nationality - Irish/McCourt
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - none

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - Ireland

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Mina
The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
Gap Creek by Richard K. Morgan
Of Dreams and Nightmares by Shirley A. Roe
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell


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Jonatha Ceely Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Harriet Klausner  

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