Velvet - Hardcover

Gr 7 Up-A Victorian novel with a hint of romance. Sixteen-year-old Velvet Groves is struggling to make it on her own and trying to get away from her past. When she faints during her job as a laundress at London's Ruffold's Steam Laundry, she pleads for another chance and is assigned to attend to the clothing of Madame Natasha Savoya, a well-respected medium. Once she is in the mysterious woman's home, she finds herself attracted to Madame's handsome assistant and her glamorous lifestyle. Readers learn about the roles mediums played during the height of spiritualism, and Velvet slowly realizes that her elegance-loving employer preys on bereaved people, tricking them out of their fortunes. However, out of fear that Madame will bring up Velvet's past and she'll lose her new life, the teen cooperates. Eventually, her conscience catches up with her and she decides to expose the two-faced woman. With some very good twists and turns, the novel does an excellent job of depicting the era, characterizing the hardship women faced and breaking down the many tricks mediums used. An author's note is appended.-Jesse L. Ray, Seattle Public Library, WA α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.