(3.5 / 5)

Two hundred years in the future, various factors have left most of the United States in a dystopian state that is reminiscent of Victorian times--right down to the fancy dresses and the imperative for wealthy young women to marry eligible, and wealthy, bachelors. Madeline Landry is sole heir to the Landry estate and fortune, but unhappy with her lot in life. What starts as an attempt to have some control over her life turns into a growing desire to see the lower income classes treated better, even as her father tries to head off a rebellion by the lowest caste. Meanwhile, a new bachelor comes to town and turns every head, including Madeline's, which distracts her from everything else...sometimes.

In a rare twist for me, I enjoyed this book more than many other reviewers. Some of what I noticed complained about most in other reviews didn't really bother me, for which I am thankful. Though there was plenty that brought the book down for me, the main character included, I found myself caught up in the mysteries presented and really wanting to know what on earth was going on, and what would happen.

Madeline is a fairly shallow character. And I don't mean her personality is shallow, I mean there's not a lot of depth given to her character. It doesn't really bother me that she seemed to want to help the Rootless, while living her opulent life and struggling to actually act on behalf of the eternally dying lowest of society. It might seem like a huge character flaw that many of us would say we'd never do, but the truth is that it's actually very human.

I should have put more emphasis on the romance in my synopsis, because make no mistake, it was a huge part of the story. With everything going on, the fact that Madeline's thoughts are so wrapped up in what's going on with David Dana, who is so incredibly hot and cold, often feel like they get in the way. However, even that developing non-relationship is part of the mystery of the book. In the end, after thinking that an assault that occurred near the beginning was the driving plot, I think this very relationship felt more like the story goal by the end. Whether that was on purpose or not, I can't say. Besides the over-prominence of the romance, though, it irked me so much for reasons I won't get into to avoid spoilers. It worked out like I expected, but was still really unpleasant along the way.


There were a few reveals near the end that I really didn't see coming, even though the clues were there. The book turned out to be a bit deeper than it seems upon first glance. There were also a few things left unexplained that really niggled at me. I'm not saying that's a fault on the author's part, because in this type of series, having a few lingering questions makes sense. I can only hope they're revealed in the sequel.

Overall, I'm glad I read this book. I picked it up without any knowledge of it whatsoever at a bargain store months ago, and almost let its low rating on Goodreads keep me from reading it. Instead of disliking it like I was worried I would, I'm looking forward to see what the sequel holds. It has a good chance of having a lot less of the things that I disliked the most about this book. I think fans of romance and dystopian worlds, especially those who also like books set in the Victorian era, or other similar-ish eras of that time, should give this book a try. ( )

(3.5 stars)

From www.pingwings.ca:

Summary from Goodreads:

In a fragmented future United States ruled by the lavish gentry, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dreams of going to the university. Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won’t allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty – her family and the estate she loves dearly – and desire.

I’d been meaning to read Landry Park for some time. In fact, I’d already borrowed it from the library but returned it unread, as I wasn’t able to start reading it before it was due back.

This time around, I found it a fairly quick read. I vaguely recalled hearing that it was Downton Abbey-esque, and now that I’ve read the book, I certainly agree! I love watching Downton Abby – all the upstairs/downstairs drama and historical detail is so fascinating – and that’s what I was hoping for here.

The little twist that I enjoyed is that Landry Park is not really historical fiction. It actually takes place a couple centuries in the future, following a war that had a devastating effect on the USA. Post-war, the ruling class of what remained decided to make a return to a previous way of life and they became the gentry. So while a part of the story feels very much like historical fiction – the manner of dress, social conventions, etc. – there are also futuristic elements. I really enjoyed that mix.

The plot itself was interesting, and while I found it a bit of a slow start, I was pulled in the more I read. By the end, I was eager to see what would happen next, and am of course looking forward to the sequel.

While I liked the characters, I lacked any strong connection to them. I was more interested in the plot than the characters, which is fine, but doesn’t always make for the most memorable book, in my reading experience. I appreciated Madeline’s desire to please her family while at the same time wanting an education, which was frowned upon by her father. She loved Landry Park, but as her eyes were opened to the injustices and atrocities committed by the gentry in order to maintain their rank in the class system and sustain their lifestyle, she couldn’t ignore the way her comfortable life was sustained by the hard labour and pain of others. It was some nice character development, but somehow I didn’t feel attached to Madeline herself; likewise with the love interest, David. David was infuriatingly hot and cold towards Madeline. In fact, the character I liked best turned out to be Cara, Madeline’s long-time frenemy. She was brash, outspoken, and so much more interesting than Madeline.

As I said, I’m now eagerly looking forward to reading the sequel, due out sometime next year, to see where Bethany Hagen goes with the plot. Landry Park ended with the gentry’s way of life about to be flipped upside down, and I’m excited to see what happens next. Despite my reservations about the characters, this was an entertaining read! ( )

Here's the thing: I don't like flighty female characters. I have a hard time associating with female protagonists who whine, worry, and change their opinions of things every other chapter. In Landry Park, however, it's hard to fault Madeline for being the way she is. Raised as a gentry girl, in opulence and wealth, she's a product of her environment. To Madeline, her home is everything. Her title, is everything. Every now and then I saw this little spark of rebellion in her, and I'd start to cheer, and then it'd vanish under the promise of everything she had being taken away. Can I blame her? Not really. Did I like her? Not so much. The narrator didn't help matters. She was so flat, and boring. I think I might have actually connected with Madeline better if she was narrated better.

What saved the book for me were the secondary characters. I loved David, and his dashing personality. I loved Kara, because she was everything Madeline was not. These two really pulled the story along. Nothing would have happened if it wasn't for them. I'm sure Madeline would have been content to stay at home, blind to the suffering of others, and wrapped in decadent dresses. All the pieces of the plot that revolved around her were just so blase. I never truly believed she cared about anything else, much less helping others.

The other issue with Landry Park is that you really have to let go and take everything with a grain of salt. This book takes place in the future, but there are debutantes and a caste system. This is a world of oppression and technology mixed together. I didn't really think about it until the end of the story, but it honestly doesn't make much sense. It's one of those settings you just have to accept, and move on to enjoy the story.

So what did I enjoy about this book, you ask? The secondary characters, definitely. I also liked that, although the romance was a little confusing, it also added such an interesting twist to the story. I knew what was coming well before it did, but I didn't mind. I was too charmed by David, too repulsed by Madeline's father, and too caught up in the mystery surrounding everything to care. When I stopped caring about Madeline, and just let everything else sweep me up, I enjoyed Landry Park. I just wouldn't listen to the audio book again. ( )

In the current state of this egocentric world, it was quite interesting to read about individual{s} who have everything and then realize that she {they} don't even know the names of the people who cook their food.

Madeline is stuck in a precarious position as the sole heir to a vast estate (one that she loves)-- think Scarlett O'Hara-- and changing times, an economic system that is unsustainable and will change with or without the upper classes (in this case the Gentry) and sorting through all of this and all the while trying not to fall in love with the wrong boy. Kinda Fun! ( )

Recommended?: Not unless you can overlook the race issues that the book claims don’t exist, and aren’t bothered by too many questions that go unanswered about the world building.

Content Note: Class issues, somewhat addressed, and unaddressed racism.

Review:

I really wanted to love LANDRY PARK. I enjoy YA dystopias, and this one is set in Kansas City, where I lived up until recently, and adored. Unfortunately, I found it very difficult to connect with any of the characters, particularly our main character, Madeline, and the world building just didn’t work for me. I’m willing to suspend my disbelief for a story that captures my interest and makes me care (hey, I love cheesy horror and ridiculous sci-fi), but LANDRY PARK never quite clicked for me for two big reasons: the class issues (and the lack of support from the world building) and the racism.

Class issues are at the heart of the story. Madeline’s lifestyle as a member of the gentry can only exist because of the gentry’s abuse of the lower classes, but there’s not enough information provided about the world building to support how this came about. I can see echoes of the current class issues in the USA (disappearing middle class, 1% growing richer, everyone else growing poorer, power consolidation, etc.), but not in a way that made this extreme class break make sense, especially because, in the story, all the classes banded together to fight during the war with China. (More on this below.) Add to this that the fashions have become Victorian(ish), and it’s not clear how this culture developed from ours. I am intrigued, and I want more; I love stories that include criticism of class issues, and this could have been really interesting, but fell short.

One of the reasons it fell short for me is the story’s claim that race no longer matters; it is class, only, that determines what you can do with your life. This is completely unrealistic, particularly in the USA. Class and race are entwined, and to erase that intersectionality, particularly with world building that is either not fully developed or not clearly communicated, is wrong. Further, racism has not been removed from this world, no matter how many times the story tells us it has. The war with China and the continued threat of further attack smacks of Yellow Peril, and plays on current fears of monolithic Asia. Race is a factor in this world, racism is alive and well, and I am highly disturbed by the casual acceptance of it within the text even as the text itself criticizes the gentry’s class beliefs (to a point). Further, the book contradicts itself in that when Madeline tells us that beauty is normally mixed race, with dark skin and hair, Madeline herself is a pale skinned redhead. Because even in a world where mixed race is the norm, we have to have a Great White Savior.

Things I did like: Madeline’s love for her home. I loved the way she loved her land, the way she felt so tied to it, but still wanted more, more education, more freedom. The ending left some interesting things open, and I want to read the next book to see how the family dynamics play out. The pieces of Kansas City I recognized were lovely. I enjoyed the snarky flirtation between Madeline and her main love interest, though I never had any doubt with whom she’d end up.

In the end, there were too many unanswered questions about the world building, and too much unaddressed racism for me to enjoy the book, no matter how much I wanted to love Madeline and her world.