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School Library Journal
Reviewed on May 1, 2005
Gr 4-7 Juli can't understand why her mother would want to spend all of her savings on a lace dowry for her only child. After all, she's only 12, and besides, she doesn't plan to marry -ever. The whole notion of a dowry is old-fashioned, even in Budapest, 1933. Mother and daughter are constantly at odds; one is critical and imposes her own dreams on her child; the other, in turn, is both rebellious and hurtful. Still, they make the railroad trip to Halas, known for its fine lace, every few months to check on the progress o...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Magazine
Reviewed on July 1, 2005
Juli's mother commissions a lavish lace tablecloth for Juli's dowry. At twelve, Juli wants no part of a dowry; she is convinced she will never want to marry and resists her mother's fierce plans for her future. Even in 1933 Budapest, bookish Juli, who narrates her own tale in spare, believable language, sees options for herself that do not include a dowry or even marriage. Her reluctant trips to the rural hom...Log In or Sign Up to Read More