Review: Illuminated

Title:  Illuminated
Author:  Erica Orloff
Publisher:  Speak
Publication Date:  December 8, 2011








Goodreads Description:
Some loves are not made to last . . . Like Romeo and Juliet, Heloise and Abelard were doomed from the start, and their romance was destined to pass into history. Yet when sixteen-year-old Callie Martin discovers a diary hidden within an antique book, their story—and hers—takes on another life. For the diary leads Callie to the brilliant and handsome August, who is just as mysterious as the secret the diary hides. Their attraction is undeniable. As the two hunt down the truth behind the diary—and that of Heloise and Abelard’s ancient romance—their romance becomes all-consuming. But Callie knows it can’t last . . . love never does. Will their love that burns as bright as a shooting star flame out, or will these star-crossed lovers be able to defy history?

My thoughts:
Callie is a girl that gets straight As, gets along with everyone, does what she is supposed to do.  Her father expects her to go to law school and join the family firm.  August is the son of a book collector and is attending NYU.  His father wants him to join the antiquities business with him.  The two meet during the summer while Callie is visiting her Uncle Harry and his partner, Gabe, like she does every summer.  Uncle Harry works for an auction house and deals with books and manuscripts.  He has been hired to find to sell a collection of rare books and comes across a rare pampilsest, or an Illuminated manuscript called the Book of Hours (I remember studying these in Art History a couple of semesters ago...very pretty!).  Callie and August are pulled into the mystery of the writer and the lives surrounding the book.  Illuminated is the story of the tragic love of Heloise and Abelard and the beginnings of love of Callie and August. 

This story pulled me in from the beginning.  I wanted to find out the story of Heloise and Abelard as much as Callie and August.  I read the story in one day...pretty much one sitting.  It is recommended for ages 12 and up and I could agree with this recommendation.  There isn't anything in it that I wouldn't want my tween daughter to read.