Review: Catherine by April Lindner

Catherine by April Lindner

Paperback publication date: August 19th, 2014

Publisher: Poppy

Goodreads link: (click here)

What's it about?

Ever since her mother passed away from a sudden illness when she was three, it's just been Chelsea and her father. Life has always been pretty uneventful and boring, at least, until the day that Chelsea's boredom leads her to look through some old photographs in her father's closet. Amongst the boxes of mementos and photos, she finds a letter written to her from her mother, Catherine Eversole Price. Chelsea is shocked to discover that Catherine didn't die from a mysterious illness all those years ago, she ran away to New York City to take care of some unfinished business. She never returned and was never heard from again. Her mother could still be alive somewhere. Chelsea decides to follow the leads from the letter and from news articles and head to New York to see if she can figure out what happened to her. She doesn't tell her father where she's going, after all, he didn't tell her about a lot of things. When Chelsea arrives in the city, her destination is a club called The Underground, since it was the return address on her mother's letter. It turns out, Chelsea's grandfather was the founder of the club, and it's pretty famous. Many bands launched their careers there. This means that Chelsea is basically rock royalty. The new owner, Hence, isn't very friendly or helpful, but he did know her mother. Now, Chelsea must use all her resources to dig into the past to have any hope in finding the mother she never got the chance to know.

Catherine's father, Jim Eversole,  is the owner of The Underground, a club at the center of New York's music scene. She's used to struggling musicians trying to get her attention because of who she is, but when a gorgeous and damaged looking boy with a guitar shows up on her doorstep, she knows there's something special about him. His name is Hence, and she convinces her father to let him stay with them. Hence is talented and amazing and he and Catherine quickly become involved in a passionate and very forbidden romance. They feel that their love can overcome any obstacle, but nothing can prepare them for what lies ahead.

Chelsea and Catherine each tell their stories in alternating chapters, twenty years apart, in this modern reimagining of Wuthering Heights. Mystery, suspense, tragedy, epic romance and punk-rock music await in April Lindner's Catherine.

My Thoughts

I absolutely loved this book. It's a modern retelling of Wuthering Heights, but it doesn't matter if you haven't read it. Catherine is a beautiful and tragic love story as well as a fast paced mystery that will keep you furiously turning pages. April Lindner's writing is glorious and captivating, and she did a fantastic job weaving two stories, separated by time, together into one timeless tale. 

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<3 Michelle