Reviewed by John Jacobson aka "R.J. Jacobs" for TeensReadToo.com
There is always a market for a good retelling in young adult fiction. Whether it's a classic in a contemporary situation (JANE or BEASTLY), or something put into a fantastical new world entirely (ENTWINED and the ONCE UPON A TIME IS TIMELESS series), teenagers are prone to have an interest in it. I am one of those teenagers, so THE JUMBEE was already an anticipated read for me. Throw in a beautiful cover and make it a retelling of one of the most well-known musical (and book) plots in modern culture, and color me ready to devour it.
The daughter of a famous, now-dead Shakespearian actor, Esti Legard is ready to take the stage of her new school by storm. Set on Cariba, this new school is supposed to be the place to get scouted for a career on the stage. Esti has all of her father's skill, but her confidence has always been skewed from being in his shadow. Her first day, she goes out onto the stage and acts in the part of Juliet, preparing for the school audition. A student comes up to her and tells her she has no chance of getting the part. That she sucks.
The next day, that student is dead. After a period of mourning, things at the school go back to normal. But not before Esti begins hearing the rumors around Cariba. The superstitions about jumbees - phantoms - and their bad luck magic. How a jumbee could have killed the student that insulted her. Esti scoffs at the superstitious nature, but soon finds herself confronted by a husky, sensual voice in the darkness of the stage. It gives her the confidence to perform better than she has in a long time. Who is this jumbee, and why is he living on the stage of a school in small Cariba?
THE JUMBEE is a take on a classic that manages to be interesting in providing an idea of what the source material is without being overbearing with it. Esti is a character who many people will enjoy reading about. She's uncertain of herself and has to deal with a broken mother and a father who is only there in the form of an unrelenting spirit, a silent judge of her talent in her own mind. Actors, professional or otherwise, will naturally see this in Esti's character. Keyes writes the acting life wonderfully, complete with the drama and politics of theater. She doesn't make any of it impossible for someone outside the theater perspective to understand, either.
Romantically, Keyes takes this story into a good place, as well. The odd type of love triangle exhibited in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is key to the success of the story, and she handles it very well within this one. The jumbee in this case is quite elusive and tortured. His need for darkness and seclusion attracts the reader yet makes them want to keep a distance from him, much as Esti does. Her budding romance with a childhood friend who is known as a player around the island isn't as alluring as it could have been, though. The tension and emotion exhibited between Esti and her two interests keeps you on your toes, and it's a pretty sensible adaptation of it.
Description also works in Keyes' favor with this work. The reader is easily transported to Cariba and can see the foliage and the native ways in their minds eye. At times dialogue is relied on, and some passages are weaker than others in the setting department because of it. The other main issue with the novel is that, while interesting, it doesn't provide a truly enrapturing and original take on the experience. Written well and interesting it is, but some readers just won't get past a certain spice that isn't there. Most, however, will find the read very enjoyable, especially as an entrance to the classic musical and book.
Keyes does a lot right in this adaptation, and I am very interested in seeing what she decides to write next.
There is always a market for a good retelling in young adult fiction. Whether it's a classic in a contemporary situation (JANE or BEASTLY), or something put into a fantastical new world entirely (ENTWINED and the ONCE UPON A TIME IS TIMELESS series), teenagers are prone to have an interest in it. I am one of those teenagers, so THE JUMBEE was already an anticipated read for me. Throw in a beautiful cover and make it a retelling of one of the most well-known musical (and book) plots in modern culture, and color me ready to devour it.
The daughter of a famous, now-dead Shakespearian actor, Esti Legard is ready to take the stage of her new school by storm. Set on Cariba, this new school is supposed to be the place to get scouted for a career on the stage. Esti has all of her father's skill, but her confidence has always been skewed from being in his shadow. Her first day, she goes out onto the stage and acts in the part of Juliet, preparing for the school audition. A student comes up to her and tells her she has no chance of getting the part. That she sucks.
The next day, that student is dead. After a period of mourning, things at the school go back to normal. But not before Esti begins hearing the rumors around Cariba. The superstitions about jumbees - phantoms - and their bad luck magic. How a jumbee could have killed the student that insulted her. Esti scoffs at the superstitious nature, but soon finds herself confronted by a husky, sensual voice in the darkness of the stage. It gives her the confidence to perform better than she has in a long time. Who is this jumbee, and why is he living on the stage of a school in small Cariba?
THE JUMBEE is a take on a classic that manages to be interesting in providing an idea of what the source material is without being overbearing with it. Esti is a character who many people will enjoy reading about. She's uncertain of herself and has to deal with a broken mother and a father who is only there in the form of an unrelenting spirit, a silent judge of her talent in her own mind. Actors, professional or otherwise, will naturally see this in Esti's character. Keyes writes the acting life wonderfully, complete with the drama and politics of theater. She doesn't make any of it impossible for someone outside the theater perspective to understand, either.
Romantically, Keyes takes this story into a good place, as well. The odd type of love triangle exhibited in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is key to the success of the story, and she handles it very well within this one. The jumbee in this case is quite elusive and tortured. His need for darkness and seclusion attracts the reader yet makes them want to keep a distance from him, much as Esti does. Her budding romance with a childhood friend who is known as a player around the island isn't as alluring as it could have been, though. The tension and emotion exhibited between Esti and her two interests keeps you on your toes, and it's a pretty sensible adaptation of it.
Description also works in Keyes' favor with this work. The reader is easily transported to Cariba and can see the foliage and the native ways in their minds eye. At times dialogue is relied on, and some passages are weaker than others in the setting department because of it. The other main issue with the novel is that, while interesting, it doesn't provide a truly enrapturing and original take on the experience. Written well and interesting it is, but some readers just won't get past a certain spice that isn't there. Most, however, will find the read very enjoyable, especially as an entrance to the classic musical and book.
Keyes does a lot right in this adaptation, and I am very interested in seeing what she decides to write next.
