"People can be unimaginably foolish...and they can be unimaginably grand, at times." —Aunt Constance, The Callender Papers, P. 9 "Men, and women too, are unpredictable creatures. You have seen little of this. I wonder now if your innocence is enough protection for you." —Aunt Constance, P. 17 I would give two and a half stars to this book. Cynthia Voigt has delivered a solid family mystery story that stretches back a full decade before this book begins, populated with strong, realistic characters that have multilayered personalities which excellently fit the narrative. The plot takes place in the nineteenth century but in no way is married to any false facade of what life is now viewed as being like at that time. Cynthia Voigt's stark, honest writing makes one feel as if one has truly received a glimpse of life in the book's time period (the 1880s), with seamlessly built-in references to matters of the Civil War and other recently contemporary matters, that sound as they would coming from people not too far removed from the historic events, themselves. Ultimately, this is a good mystery story that moves along well, but the greatest success of The Callender Papers is, in my opinion, the revealing statements made throughout the book, statements that reveal the painfully-learned wisdom that is common to all people but not nearly as commonly realized. This serves as the impetus for the entire book, in my opinion, and is why I liked it as much as I did. "You must not let yourself become too respectable. Keep yourself a little wild. What is life for, if not for the living of it?" —Enoch Callender, The Callender Papers, P. 175
I found this book while browsing with my mom in the young adult section of the public library. The description caught my eye because the story was about a young girl who was charged with going though and organizing personal papers. I thought what a great author to write about record retention and the screening of archival papers !Without revealing too much of the story which lead to my conclusions, I will say that being an older reader, I suspected the direction in which the plot was heading by the middle of the book. However, that didn't spoil the ending because it wasn't exactly as I had surmised. Having said that, I would still choose to read this book again and again. My enjoyment of this book has also peaked my interest into what Cynthia Voigt's other novels have to offer.
What do You think about The Callender Papers (2000)?
I was a big Cynthia Voigt fan as a kid - but not her realistic fiction. Homecoming depressed me, although I think I worked my way through the whole thing. I much preferred stories with some mystery or fantasy to them, so The Callender Papers really worked for me then (as did Jackaroo: A Novel of the Kingdom, which I've yet to reread). Coming back to it as an adult, I know exactly why I enjoyed it then, but the mystery elements don't work quite as well because the ending felt obvious. But here's why I liked it then: the historical setting adds atmosphere to the story, without being a huge part of the story. There's a bit of a mystery that involves going through old papers and trying to figure out what really happened a generation back. It features an orphan. There's some suspense and a sense of danger, but of course a happy ending. Now I've got to find time to reread Jackaroo...
—Jess
A Gothic novel, first published in 1983 and winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award, written in the style and tone of a good old-fashioned classic, for young teenagers. This is a good introduction to the Gothic genre, without the modern trend for vampires round every corner! Several reviewers have mentioned predictability in the plot, but I think that is because it ticks off the typical elements of a Gothic novel in a style accessible to its target readers. I love the dedication in my copy: "Fur Clara: eine kleine Gothik"
—Hilary Tesh
This author has always impressed me. She's a master at developing characters. It was fun to re-discover her after not reading any of her work for several years. I noticed in this book that she writes clearly and cleanly, but not with the elegance of a Phillip Pullman or the fiery, jaw-dropping poetry of Gormeghast which I'm also reading. She shines on her clean story line and beautiful character development.I enjoyed this book immensely though the mystery part of it is something you will probably solve well before the end.
—Hank Wyborney
