Unclaimed Heart

June 1, 2009
Grades 9-12 After Constance learns that her father, a ships captain, has received word of her mother, she sneaks aboard his vessel, determined to meet the woman, whom she doesnt remember. News of her mother proves elusive and her fathers affection even more so, but Constancefinds lovewith another stowaway, Alexandre Sans-Nom, a handsome pearl diver who has fled a difficult past of his own. Written in the tradition of swashbuckling Victorian romances and setduring theeighteenth century in England, Ceylon, and the high seas in between, this novelupends the staid, proper social conventions of the time. Contemporary readers will be intrigued and puzzledby the restrictions placed on the young women and the boundaries imposed on love, marriage, and female will. Wilkins deliversan exciting page-turner filled with nautical adventure, exotic scenery, and steamy romance. The perfect lazy beach read or escape from exam pressure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)