Rees, Celia. Sovay. Bloomsbury, 2008. 404 pages. $16.99. ISBN 1599902036
Readers Annotation: During the French Revolution, British girl Sovay goes on a quest to find her missing father and brother who were last known to be in France. Among the things she does find are love and the horrors of a revolution.
Plot Summary: To get back at a former suitor for cheating on her, Sovay decides to ambush his coach and rob him as a test of his true feelings for her. She not only learns that he isn’t the gentleman she thought he was, but that being a highwayman is exciting. Soon however she discovers that her father is missing and her brother never returned to university. Sovay uses her new skills as a highwayman to gather information and finds the unlikely companionship of another, true highwayman. She then teams up with her childhood friend Gabriel and an American spy to find her father and brother. Their quest leads them to France in the midst of the revolution. More connections are made and leads followed which bring her closer to her father and brother and in the end lead her to love.
Critical Evaluation: From beginning to end I was in love with the character of Sovay. The way she takes matters into her own hands is empowering. Although she doesn’t go into much detail about the other characters, she develops Sovay well. Although I wanted her to find her father and brother I ended up being most concerned with all the other men in her life and how those relationships would end up. It was very interesting to learn about the French Revolution through the eyes of an English woman, and a glimpse of how an American reacted to it as well. I felt that, as with Pirates!, Rees created a well-rounded story with just the right amount of adventure, hardship and romance.
Genre: Adventure, Romance, Historical Fiction
Age Level: This book would be suitable for teens ages fourteen and up.
Book talk ideas: I would read the first chapter and discuss the lengths Sovay went to in order to test her suitor. I would compare this to how people test and get revenge on their boyfriends and girlfriends today and ask them to give examples of things they’ve done or heard of. I would suggest The Red Necklace for another book set during the French Revolution, but also Rees’s other novels.
Why it is included: I chose this book because I was intrigued by a teenage girl becoming a highwayman and wanted to read more by Rees. The novel was honored by Publisher’s Weekly and was a nominee for the 2008 Cybils Young Adult Novels award.
The reckless nature of Sovay could cause some concern among parents who think this book could inspire other teen girls to start a life of crime. I would argue that the focus is not that she is a thief but that she is in the midst of the French Revolution and trying desperately to find her family before it is too late.
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