I just finished reading "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly. As the book went on, I realized that Calpurnia faces not only dilemmas about science, but also about family and finding herself. She is growing up in a time period where a lot of things are changing, and she is trying to make sense of her world. Her oldest brother, who was always very protective of her, is now too busy fawning over girls to notice her. Three of her other brothers have crushes on her best friend. Her mother wants her to be a housewife, even though she really wants to be a scientist. The fact that she is in a household with 6 brothers always makes her feel a little out of place.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is although it is set in a time period where things are very different from how they are now, I could relate a lot to Calpurnia and the storyline. I could definitely imagine Calpurnia, her best friend Lula, and her brothers living in 2013. People today still feel out of place, they still love learning, and they still are trying to figure out themselves in a changing world, just like Calpurnia. The author made this story so it not only paints a picture of what the world was like in 1899, but also relates to 2013.
Great response Leora! Yeah I feel like often books that take place in a different time period still can be very relatable. I think that this is what authors try to do in order to allow the reader to connect with the character and story more, but still be transported to their time.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Leora! You had a great summary and went off of it beautifully. I feel like a lot of books that are set in the past could take place today! It makes you wonder how much people have really changed.
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