The Girl in the Northwest Tower (The Goose Creek Cycle) By Claire Olivia Golden
A in French and English and is now a full time author and housewife She writes diverse genre bending stories and poetry Claire lives in the Pacific Northwest USA with her husband and her emotional support cat Persephone. comInstagram claireoliviagoldenA novel in verse about faith freedom and finding love in the darkest of times In The Lost Girl of Goose Creek Etta obsessively reads her favorite book about a girl named Mathilde over and over to maintain her sanity This is author Claire Olivia Golden s take on the story of Mathilde and can be read anytime in the Goose Creek Cycle Mathilde is content with her life as a peasant tending the chickens on her family s farm in Montfermeil It may be the poorest province in Armenti re but she hopes to settle down and start a family with the girl she likes That is until a countrywide famine forces her into servitude to save her family from starvation She believes she s going to the castle to be a chambermaid but instead becomes an unwilling courtesan in the Northwest Tower Trapped in the Tower with seven others Mathilde dreams of freedom She finds companionship and eventually love with fellow courtesan C cile from the island province of Port au Pierrot But life in the Tower is anything but idyllic and the country bordering Armenti re is threatening war The life Mathilde has built could come crumbling down at any moment The Girl in the Northwest Tower The Goose Creek Cycle 
A beautifully written novel in verse It s so easy to root for all the characters especially the MC Mathilde and her love interest C cile But I also love how the writer develops supporting characters making the world feel three dimensional within the succinct lines of verse Despite the bleak circumstances Mathilde constantly faces including famine poverty prostitution and plague she faces her world with unflagging tenacity and unwavering hope making sure the book does not become too grim and depressing Highly recommend 483 Sometimes it hurts too muchto keep any hope Because we re all too used to being disappointed. SPOILER FREE REVIEW please check the tigger warnings before reading First what you can expect from this book found family friendships sapphic relationship pansexual FMC single POV medieval alternate France strong complex FMC surviving trauma fast pacedThank you for the ARC e copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book pushed me out of my comfort zone that s for sure But I can t decide whether that s good or not Basically I read very very little poetry not counting when I need a very short and easy book at a moment and frankly I ve never really grasped them completely not quite most of them haven t always given me a whole or coherent story like this one Either way I m glad I met one along the way and I m sure I will because I don t feel bad about it I don t even know who or what to start with I have so many things in my head that I want to write down and I know I ll forget them by the time I finish this phrase but I m trying my best A survivor and a victim Mathilde is an extremely empathetic and complex character who clung to the light so hard even in the worst of times It was a good decision to write the book from her point of view because we gained insight into her life her feelings and everything else I owe my soul to C cile for helping supporting and encouraging her even in the deepest depths of hell when everything seemed to be lost so wise and yet so broken so badly deserving of peace Julien is somehow a character who had both an important and negligible role in the story but despite his initial negative moments I loved him very much and he really grew close to my heart along the way a true friend lover and companion let s call it what you want it to end a great soul Sylvie my only little Sylvie was the apple of my eyes She was the cutest little girl in that whole place I do not necessarily want to mention the others because they had either nothing or very little influence on the whole But one thing is for sure I fell in love with each of them in their own way and I can t believe that this was their end C cile and Mathilde s love felt a bit out of the blue and forced but surely the problem was with me They were cute and complementary to each other but I would have given them some time. The plot although in verse form deals with a rather serious and difficult topic Frankly it s horrible and terrible that this could happen not only a long time ago but still The story itself was set in medieval France which I noticed at the beginning because of the map what can I say I m a historical nerd haha but not completely There was also a lot of religious stuff in it which is largely because it mattered a lot at the time It was both a controlling power and a comforting grace I think the pace was good although I felt it was a bit fast in some places I think the wording was nice but I wouldn t necessarily call it outstanding Overall it showed all the dark shadows of history and modernity through an innocent life I sympathize with all souls those who live or have died who have had to go through this or something like this No one deserves and deserved this not at all If you or someone needs help please don t hesitate to contact the contacts below Phone number 888 373 7888 National Human Trafficking Hotline Or visit this website humantraffickinghotline. org 483 As with all of Golden s work this work is just dripping with empathy character and pathos The characters feel alive and I wish I could spend time with them even after finishing The verse moves and flows carrying you through the story quickly and thoughtfully You ll love every second of it 483 Book Review The Girl in the Northwest Tower by Claire Olivia Golden 3 5 Stars This novel told in verse was such an interesting read I kind of had a love hate relationship with it with love winning out in the middle but less so at the end It took me awhile to get used to the verse format which I didn t initially think did the storytelling any favors and didn t have the sort of cadence I was expecting But after 15 or so pages I appreciated the format and thought the structure echoed the emotions and thoughts of the main character Mathilde But maybe it just took me that long to get into because the intro talks about chickens extensively and I can t say I like chickens sorry Claire. But after a couple dozen pages I was reminded of how much I enjoy Claire s writing style and dry humor all while surfacing themes of mental health and heavier topics This book is intense definitely read the content warnings but I appreciated the different types of relationships it covers Some of the prominent themes Claire explores are choice and consent agency faith worthiness and family. Details in the world building Maybe I would ve gotten of this if I read Claire s other books first but I felt like I didn t have enough descriptors of the world this story took place in My mind filled in a lot of details but I truly just made a lot of them up2. Depth of some of the characters and relationships The novel attempts to explore many characters stories and backgrounds but I feel like the tradeoff is not getting as much depth in each one as I wanted One of the relationships also feels very insta lovey and while I know it s partially due to the trauma bonding I just wanted to see of these interpersonal relationships developed in addition to Mathilde s internal growth and thought processes Then again I acknowledge my bias towards character driven novels I definitely tend to crave character depth even if that means less plotOne thing I did really enjoy was Mathilde s growth as she thinks about her own worthiness and her evolution as it comes to her faith It was refreshing to see a inclusive Christian theology one that isn t queerphobic although there is still a weird obsession with virginity one that the story challenges Some narratives are flipped on their head toward the end of the book though and I really appreciate the reframing of the Virgin Marie I do have to say that the ending started to feel a bit unrealistic and at times cheesy to me But the characters did deserve some happiness after everything else that happened There s also a character I think was supposed to be redeemed but I couldn t bring myself to have very much sympathy for him and his choices Finally I can t tell you how many times I laughed while reading this even at inappropriate times I ve come to expect that from Claire s work So the random out of context quote I ll leave you with for this review is Mostly they send us to the village because nobody wants a whore around the dinner table I guess whores don t have to eat too P. S One of the character s names is Iseult and because I didn t realize there was a pronunciation guide and was struggling to figure it out in my head I definitely just called her Isomalt for the duration of the book 483 Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC This is the first novel in verse I ve read that s not a classic and I loved this style of storytelling I quickly found myself invested in the MC and all she had to go through This story drips with empathy and human connection something the author is quite good at in her writing I loved Claire s voice and style Nothing felt over explained and although the descriptions were beautiful I felt I had room as a reader to imagine as well The only reason I haven t given it 5 stars is because I found some of the content a bit too difficult to read for me personally This is definitely a story I recommend reading the trigger warnings to first Overall an enjoyable read and I m excited to read Claire s other book in the Goose Creek Cycle 483
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A beautifully written novel in verse It s so easy to root for all the characters especially the MC Mathilde and her love interest C cile But I also love how the writer develops supporting characters making the world feel three dimensional within the succinct lines of verse Despite the bleak circumstances Mathilde constantly faces including famine poverty prostitution and plague she faces her world with unflagging tenacity and unwavering hope making sure the book does not become too grim and depressing Highly recommend 483 Sometimes it hurts too muchto keep any hope Because we re all too used to being disappointed. SPOILER FREE REVIEW please check the tigger warnings before reading First what you can expect from this book found family friendships sapphic relationship pansexual FMC single POV medieval alternate France strong complex FMC surviving trauma fast pacedThank you for the ARC e copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book pushed me out of my comfort zone that s for sure But I can t decide whether that s good or not Basically I read very very little poetry not counting when I need a very short and easy book at a moment and frankly I ve never really grasped them completely not quite most of them haven t always given me a whole or coherent story like this one Either way I m glad I met one along the way and I m sure I will because I don t feel bad about it I don t even know who or what to start with I have so many things in my head that I want to write down and I know I ll forget them by the time I finish this phrase but I m trying my best A survivor and a victim Mathilde is an extremely empathetic and complex character who clung to the light so hard even in the worst of times It was a good decision to write the book from her point of view because we gained insight into her life her feelings and everything else I owe my soul to C cile for helping supporting and encouraging her even in the deepest depths of hell when everything seemed to be lost so wise and yet so broken so badly deserving of peace Julien is somehow a character who had both an important and negligible role in the story but despite his initial negative moments I loved him very much and he really grew close to my heart along the way a true friend lover and companion let s call it what you want it to end a great soul Sylvie my only little Sylvie was the apple of my eyes She was the cutest little girl in that whole place I do not necessarily want to mention the others because they had either nothing or very little influence on the whole But one thing is for sure I fell in love with each of them in their own way and I can t believe that this was their end C cile and Mathilde s love felt a bit out of the blue and forced but surely the problem was with me They were cute and complementary to each other but I would have given them some time. The plot although in verse form deals with a rather serious and difficult topic Frankly it s horrible and terrible that this could happen not only a long time ago but still The story itself was set in medieval France which I noticed at the beginning because of the map what can I say I m a historical nerd haha but not completely There was also a lot of religious stuff in it which is largely because it mattered a lot at the time It was both a controlling power and a comforting grace I think the pace was good although I felt it was a bit fast in some places I think the wording was nice but I wouldn t necessarily call it outstanding Overall it showed all the dark shadows of history and modernity through an innocent life I sympathize with all souls those who live or have died who have had to go through this or something like this No one deserves and deserved this not at all If you or someone needs help please don t hesitate to contact the contacts below Phone number 888 373 7888 National Human Trafficking Hotline Or visit this website humantraffickinghotline. org 483 As with all of Golden s work this work is just dripping with empathy character and pathos The characters feel alive and I wish I could spend time with them even after finishing The verse moves and flows carrying you through the story quickly and thoughtfully You ll love every second of it 483 Book Review The Girl in the Northwest Tower by Claire Olivia Golden 3 5 Stars This novel told in verse was such an interesting read I kind of had a love hate relationship with it with love winning out in the middle but less so at the end It took me awhile to get used to the verse format which I didn t initially think did the storytelling any favors and didn t have the sort of cadence I was expecting But after 15 or so pages I appreciated the format and thought the structure echoed the emotions and thoughts of the main character Mathilde But maybe it just took me that long to get into because the intro talks about chickens extensively and I can t say I like chickens sorry Claire. But after a couple dozen pages I was reminded of how much I enjoy Claire s writing style and dry humor all while surfacing themes of mental health and heavier topics This book is intense definitely read the content warnings but I appreciated the different types of relationships it covers Some of the prominent themes Claire explores are choice and consent agency faith worthiness and family. Details in the world building Maybe I would ve gotten of this if I read Claire s other books first but I felt like I didn t have enough descriptors of the world this story took place in My mind filled in a lot of details but I truly just made a lot of them up2. Depth of some of the characters and relationships The novel attempts to explore many characters stories and backgrounds but I feel like the tradeoff is not getting as much depth in each one as I wanted One of the relationships also feels very insta lovey and while I know it s partially due to the trauma bonding I just wanted to see of these interpersonal relationships developed in addition to Mathilde s internal growth and thought processes Then again I acknowledge my bias towards character driven novels I definitely tend to crave character depth even if that means less plotOne thing I did really enjoy was Mathilde s growth as she thinks about her own worthiness and her evolution as it comes to her faith It was refreshing to see a inclusive Christian theology one that isn t queerphobic although there is still a weird obsession with virginity one that the story challenges Some narratives are flipped on their head toward the end of the book though and I really appreciate the reframing of the Virgin Marie I do have to say that the ending started to feel a bit unrealistic and at times cheesy to me But the characters did deserve some happiness after everything else that happened There s also a character I think was supposed to be redeemed but I couldn t bring myself to have very much sympathy for him and his choices Finally I can t tell you how many times I laughed while reading this even at inappropriate times I ve come to expect that from Claire s work So the random out of context quote I ll leave you with for this review is Mostly they send us to the village because nobody wants a whore around the dinner table I guess whores don t have to eat too P. S One of the character s names is Iseult and because I didn t realize there was a pronunciation guide and was struggling to figure it out in my head I definitely just called her Isomalt for the duration of the book 483 Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC This is the first novel in verse I ve read that s not a classic and I loved this style of storytelling I quickly found myself invested in the MC and all she had to go through This story drips with empathy and human connection something the author is quite good at in her writing I loved Claire s voice and style Nothing felt over explained and although the descriptions were beautiful I felt I had room as a reader to imagine as well The only reason I haven t given it 5 stars is because I found some of the content a bit too difficult to read for me personally This is definitely a story I recommend reading the trigger warnings to first Overall an enjoyable read and I m excited to read Claire s other book in the Goose Creek Cycle 483 | The Girl in the Northwest Tower (The Goose Creek Cycle) By Claire Olivia Golden |
| 9798986869599 |
| English |
| 483 |
| Paperback |
Claire Olivia Golden likes books yarn and the Oxford comma She graduated summa cum laude from Portland State University with a B, Two of the main things I was missing from this story I otherwise enjoyed 1.Website claireoliviagolden