The Infinite Now

October 2, 2017
Tarquini (Hindsight) attempts to evoke the horrors of the 1918 flu epidemic in this incoherent fantasy novel set in an Italian neighborhood in Philadelphia. Fiora Vicente loses both parents to the flu while her brothers are fighting in Europe; from her mother, a fortune teller, she inherits a window curtain that can predict or possibly manipulate the future. Fiora tries to use the curtain to do things like keeping her elderly guardian from having a heart attack, but its magic resists her, and the guaritrice, the local folk healer from their village back in Italy, does nasty things like charming away Fiora’s memories with herbs snuck into her tea. The neighborhood and time period are worth exploring, and the looming shadows of the war and the flu make some impression, but Fiora’s motivations, goals, and general character are not drawn well enough for the emotional arc of the book to make any sense. The plot flounders because the few character motivations that are comprehensible are clichéd, such as the way circumstances keep throwing Fiora together with an obvious love interest, and readers never understand enough about the way the curtain interacts with time to warrant the emotional weight the book places on it.

December 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Historical fiction is portrayed in a new way. Set against flu-ravaged Philadelphia in 1918, the story centers on Fiora Vincente, an orphan girl whose mother was the local fortune teller. But when not-so-good things start to happen, Fiora puts her community in a stagnant bubble of time, making her second guess her next steps. Told in first-person prose, this novel blends history with science fiction. Those who enjoy a story that appeals to the mind (and STEM topics) will gravitate to this work. Teens will be immersed in the intricate world-building and pulled in by the fast pace. Page after page, they will follow Fiora's journey until the bitter end. Twists and turns in the plot are unpredictable but still believable and will leave readers gasping for air each time the story changes course. Give this to teens interested in health and medicine, in addition to time travel and history buffs. VERDICT This is a title not to be missed.-Mitchell Berman, North Chicago Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2017
A young immigrant searches for her place in early-20th-century America in Tarquini's (Hindsight, 2016) historical fantasy novel.Fiora Vicente is the 16-year-old daughter of Italian immigrants living in Philadelphia during the influenza epidemic of 1918. After she loses both parents to the disease, the only person who will take her in is Don Sebastiano, an old, mysterious shoemaker. She searches for a job to help support herself while she waits for her two brothers to return from the front lines of World War I, but this proves difficult, as Fiora faces prejudice from her neighbors. Not only do they fear that she could be carrying the illness that killed her parents, but many are wary of her late mother's reputation as a fortuneteller. The teenager also has to contend with her own disturbing visions of the past and future, which she begins to see through a special curtain that once belonged to her mother. This proves to be both a blessing and a curse. When her visions of the future make her fear for a friend's life, Fiora uses her mother's gift to try to change time itself. But without her mother's guidance, the action has unintended consequences for both Fiora and her community. As Fiora narrates, "I wanted everything to be like it was before I came...the curtain wouldn't allow it." This book offers a well-researched and engagingly drawn portrait of a displaced Italian community in one of America's most turbulent years. Fiora is a forceful, determined protagonist among an intriguing cast of supporting characters. The first-person descriptions of her life are both vivid and tender, encompassing, as Fiora puts it, "Moments illuminated by love." If the book has a flaw, however, it is that it sometimes spends too much time on description at the expense of story. Also, because Fiora's parents are so central to her emerging identity, it would have been nice to see more of them before their deaths at the beginning of the book. Even so, most readers will be happy to accompany the teen on her journey.A well-woven tapestry of history, character, and charming mystery.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

A young immigrant searches for her place in early-20th-century America in Tarquini's (Hindsight, 2016) historical fantasy novel.Fiora Vicente is the 16-year-old daughter of Italian immigrants living in Philadelphia during the influenza epidemic of 1918. After she loses both parents to the disease, the only person who will take her in is Don Sebastiano, an old, mysterious shoemaker. She searches for a job to help support herself while she waits for her two brothers to return from the front lines of World War I, but this proves difficult, as Fiora faces prejudice from her neighbors. Not only do they fear that she could be carrying the illness that killed her parents, but many are wary of her late mother's reputation as a fortuneteller. The teenager also has to contend with her own disturbing visions of the past and future, which she begins to see through a special curtain that once belonged to her mother. This proves to be both a blessing and a curse. When her visions of the future make her fear for a friend's life, Fiora uses her mother's gift to try to change time itself. But without her mother's guidance, the action has unintended consequences for both Fiora and her community. As Fiora narrates, "I wanted everything to be like it was before I came...the curtain wouldn't allow it." This book offers a well-researched and engagingly drawn portrait of a displaced Italian community in one of America's most turbulent years. Fiora is a forceful, determined protagonist among an intriguing cast of supporting characters. The first-person descriptions of her life are both vivid and tender, encompassing, as Fiora puts it, "Moments illuminated by love." If the book has a flaw, however, it is that it sometimes spends too much time on description at the expense of story. Also, because Fiora's parents are so central to her emerging identity, it would have been nice to see more of them before their deaths at the beginning of the book. Even so, most readers will be happy to accompany the teen on her journey.A well-woven tapestry of history, character, and charming mystery.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)