Jonas reviewed One for All by Lillie Lainoff
Inclusive story with own-voice representation of chronic illness
5 stars
At surface level, All for One is an adventure story about a group of young swashbuckling ladies working undercover to thwart a plot to kill the king. It features sinister intrigue, cameraderie, swordfighting, romance, glamourous balls and cobbled alleys. Set in France, mid 17th century, it weaves these elements into a fun, entertaining read. The major thing I didn‘t like were the bits of French woven into the English text. It felt forced and unnessary. Worse, in direct speech it gave me the impression that the speakers were not fully competent in the language the narration used. I‘m pretty sure the intention of these French sprinklings were to increase the flair of the setting for the readers, but it didn‘t really work for me. That criticism aside, I enjoyed the book – especially for the friendships forming between the female musketeers/ secret agents, and in particular for the nuanced portrayal …
At surface level, All for One is an adventure story about a group of young swashbuckling ladies working undercover to thwart a plot to kill the king. It features sinister intrigue, cameraderie, swordfighting, romance, glamourous balls and cobbled alleys. Set in France, mid 17th century, it weaves these elements into a fun, entertaining read. The major thing I didn‘t like were the bits of French woven into the English text. It felt forced and unnessary. Worse, in direct speech it gave me the impression that the speakers were not fully competent in the language the narration used. I‘m pretty sure the intention of these French sprinklings were to increase the flair of the setting for the readers, but it didn‘t really work for me. That criticism aside, I enjoyed the book – especially for the friendships forming between the female musketeers/ secret agents, and in particular for the nuanced portrayal of the chronic illness of the protagonist, Tania de Batz. Tania – regarded by most as just the „sick girl“ - has the Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, causing difficulty with physical exertion. It‘s description was well-grounded, since the the author has experience with this condition. Her notes about her own experience with this illness round off this excellent book.