“Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, “The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls” is a captivating and atmospheric debut novel that delves into the complex world of family secrets, guilt, and the cusp of womanhood. Thea Atwell, a fifteen-year-old girl from Florida, is abruptly sent away to a prestigious equestrian boarding school for Southern debutantes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.”
This book is a great example of the awkwardness of coming of age as a woman. It takes place in the early 1930s when there were not a ton of resources for girls going through the teenage experience. I can’t imagine what it must have been like. There are two plot lines in this book: one in the past and one in the present, and it felt like there were two totally different characters, even though these plot lines took place mere months apart. The Thea we meet in the past plot line in Florida is a young and naïve girl, while the Thea we meet a few months later in the mountains in North Carolina is manipulative and knows how to get what she wants. I don’t understand how there is such a big switch of character within only a few months. It would make sense if this took place years apart, but no, it’s only a few months. The side characters outside of the romantic love interests and the family were very flat and one-dimensional, especially her schoolmates. I couldn’t tell them apart.
As for atmosphere, again, this book was the best with its Florida setting. The writing was lush in describing the scenery of Florida, especially old Florida before all the tourism arrived. It even delved into the history of the families involved and the history of Florida, which I found extremely fascinating. The North Carolina plotline was cold, but in a good way, elegant with all the greenery of the evergreen trees in the Appalachians; however, again, the book shined in Florida. I do have two complaints with the atmosphere, though. This book does take place in the first two years of the 1930s, but it doesn’t feel like it does at all. This could take place at any summer camp in any decade before there were cell phones. Yes, there are mentions of the impact that the Depression is having on America and a president might get mentioned, but those are so slim that they don’t really matter. My next issue can really go into the writing section.
The story is being told by Thea as an adult looking back at her life. The flashbacks immersed throughout the story were very disorienting, as they really took you out of the present plot line in North Carolina, and there were even some mentions of events that take place decades later, which had me confused. Now, for what I liked about the writing: the writing was pretty flat, but there were some beautiful paragraphs. For the most part, this is very flat, easy, and accessible. I think it would be great to bring on a mountain vacation this summer.
Once again, the Florida plotline is where this book flourished. There’s so much intrigue around why Thea was sent to the camp. I was so curious where that plotline was going to go, and I was gripped by it. As for the North Carolina plotline, I didn’t really care what was happening because I was so invested in the mystery of the previous one. This is a good book, and as I said, it’s very accessible. I think it would be great if you want to pick up something easy and light as a palate cleanser. I will admit there are some taboo relationships in here that are going to make some readers uncomfortable, so definitely do look up the content warnings before picking up the book because I did not expect those plots at all.
3 out of 5 stars
Izzy Reads 