My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Emily Craven’s latest novel, The Grand Adventures of Madeline Cain, is storytelling firmly based in the social media age as Madeline reports her adventures through Facebook status updates.
Twenty-something Madeline Cain has just landed her dream internship with sought-after photographer Jason I’Anson in New York City. She leaves her family and friends in Australia and begins a series of adventures that land her in amusing and often hilarious situations that all become part of her journey in frantic, exhilarating and prohibitively expensive New York.
Each Facebook update by the opinionated and quirky Madeline forms an intriguingly titled chapter at the end of which are comments from her family and friends (new and old)– characters we primarily come to know through these off-the-cuff, often witty, sometimes obscure comments. For those used to more traditional storytelling, the in-jokes and asides may be jarring particularly in the early pages, but it is well worth sticking with it to see what new calamity befalls Madeline and her friends.
The Grand Adventures of Madeline Cain: Photographer Extraordinaire is a highly relatable Young Adult and New Adult tale, particularly for those beginning to navigate the world of travel, work and independence, and for whom living large on social media is second nature. This is the first in a series and I look forward to more from this inventive writer.