Goddess of Yesterday

How it reads

Goddess of Yesterday is young adult (young-adult historical fiction, specifically), and its dominant mood is adventurous. It's driven by momentum, discovery and getting into trouble. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in an international setting, in the historical past, told in the first person by a single narrator. Its central concerns are coming of age, war and identity. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is bittersweet: it resolves, but at a price. At 272 pages it's a quick read. It's well known, the kind of book most keen readers have heard of.