review - Catherine

	Catherine by: April Lindner Publication Date: January 2, 2013 Publisher: Poppy Series: Stand Alone Format: Hardcover - la biblioteca Page Count: 320 Genre: Contemporary, Retelling, YA Get your copy: Amazon | B&N
Summary: A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it before. Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart? Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground. Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery. Summary and cover image from goodreads.
Re-tellings are the best. I know I should read the source material, but the classics are what caused me to think that I didn't like reading. I apparently love to read, but stuff that isn't so "classic-y." Hence my love of re-tellings. This is my second book of April Lindner, the first being Jane. I really loved her twist on Jane Eyre and couldn't wait to see how she re-imagined Wuthering Heights. The fact that both have a music-based story line was a definite hook for me, being a huge music buff. The story is told through two POV, Catherine and her daughter Chelsea, twenty years apart. Interweaving the stories kept me saying, "One more chapter." Only to read five more. Between the two, I think I connected more with Chelsea and her quest to find her mother or discover what happened to her. Getting to see Catherine's friends in the "future" and to where the decisions led. Namely, Hence. How did he come to own Catherine's family business. Liking Chelsea's story more, probably had to do with the fact that you already kind of figure out that Catherine and Hence don't work out but you have to work through her story with Chelsea. The showdown at the end was pretty intense, well-written, and most importantly believable, which gave the book some good creep-factor. The way Chelsea and Cooper handle themselves and the situation was spot-on. Two small complaints. While Cooper was a little distant or lack-luster in the beginning, I really loved him the last couple of chapters. He could have been, for a lack of a better word, more earlier in the story. And second, Chelsea's father is a slightly hopeless father, when is daughter goes missing. I couldn't believe that there weren't more consequences for her trip to New York City. I can definitely say that it ended in the perfect way, leaving the reader with enough answers but also giving the characters room for story to continue unfolding in the reader's mind. Catherine is a solid contemporary re-telling. Maybe I'll give the real-thing a try, when I'm older!