Anxious Hearts

Title:  Anxious Hearts

Author:  Tucker Shaw

Publisher:  Amulet Books

Release Date:  May 1, 2010

Received From:  ATWT

“Evangeline,” he repeated, calling at a whisper. “Evangeline.” He was not calling that she may hear, he was calling that somehow her soul might know that he was devoted entirely to her, only to her. “Evangeline, I will find you." Eva and Gabe explore the golden forest of their seaside Maine town, unknowingly tracing the footsteps of two teens, Evangeline and Gabriel, who once lived in the idyllic wooded village of Acadia more than one hundred years ago. On the day that Evangeline and Gabriel were be wed, their village was attacked and the two were separated. And now in the present, Gabe has mysteriously disappeared from Eva.
A dreamlike, loose retelling of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous love poem “Evangeline,” Anxious Hearts tells an epic tale of unrequited love and the hope that true love can be reunited.

This was a very interesting story. It was told from two perspectives one, Eva from the present time and two, Gabriel from the poem. It was interesting because the stories were not intertwined but they were similar so it was cool to see two different perspectives on undying love. But it was slightly confusing in the very beginning, but then I got used to the way the book flowed.

Eva and Gabe's story was more relate able I guess because it took place in present time, and had relate able family relationships and cultural understandings. I also liked how Eva dealt with the situations put in front of her, she dealt with the problems in realistic and believable ways.

Evangeline and Gabriel's story was a little harder to follow, and I did not like it as much, but it was still very touching and interesting.

I liked the way that Eva and Gabe's story was told from Eva's side, and how Evangeline and Gabriel's story was told by Gabriel. I liked that contrast between the two stories.

Pros

• 2 different stories
• different narrator for each story
• different premise

Cons

• Format was hard to get into in the beginning
• The middle of the stories were slow
• Somewhat hard to follow at times

Overall I liked the book but I wish it had flowed better at times!