Three Black Swans Caroline B. Cooney

Black Swans:

"events that are hugely important, rare, and unpredictable, and explainable only after the fact."

Genre:

Realistic Fiction

Settings:

Connecticut & Long Island, NY... Present day.

Theme:

The theme of "Three Black Swans" is the struggle of three girls as they try to uncover their pasts, and who they truly are.

Summary

Missy Vianello and Claire Linehan are closer than two cousins ought to be. During a school project gone wrong, the lives of these girls begin to crumble around them, and the possibility of adoption becomes less and less like a possibility. Is the similarity between them truly a "strong family resemblance"?

Quote: "Claire needed to talk to Missy. Needed it like oxygen." Page 61.

This quote is an example of how the two girls can't stand to be apart.

Author Biography:

Now at the age of 69, Caroline B. Cooney was born in Geneva, New York in 1947. She grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, and attended many colleges. (which she is still attending). Caroline also has three children and four grandchildren.

Characters:

Missy Vianello, Claire Linnehan, and Genevieve Candler:

identical, dark hair, bright personalities, kind to others, curious.

Matt and Kitty Vianello:

parents of Missy Vianello, aunt and uncle of Claire Linnehan, loving and nurturing

Phil and Frannie Linnehan:

parents of Claire Linnehan, aunt and uncle of Missy Vianello, concerned for their daughter, loving

Ned and Allegra Candler:

parents of Genevieve Candler, distant, unattached to Genevieve, posh lifestyles, unconcerned

Conflict:

Missy and Claire never understood why they felt such a strong connection between them, and couldn't bear to be apart. With the absence of proper birth certificates, the girls begin to suspect they might be adopted, and their striking resemblance even points toward identical twins. A few miles away, another girl named Genevieve sees a video of Missy and Claire, and finds they all three look strangely alike. These three girls must find a way to bring their past into light, and find out which set of parents are the real ones. They do this, more or less, by process of elimination.

Vocabulary:

Parent-

"One who nurtures and raises a child."

Biological Parent-

"A parent who has conceived or sired rather than adopted a child and whose genes are therefore submitted to the child."

Triplets-

"Three offspring during one birth."

Adoption-

"To take and rear (the child of other parents) as one's own child."

Runt-

"The smallest or weakest of a litter."

http://www.dictionary.com/

Evaluation:

This book was overall enjoyable. Realistic fiction is not my favorite genre, but this book was interesting nonetheless. I wouldn't recommend "Three Black Swans" for people who like fantasy, adventure, or science fiction.

Sources:

http://www.dictionary.com/

http://carolinebcooneybooks.com/about/about_cbc.html

Credits:

Created with images by Purple Crow - "Closeup of Black Feathers w/ Gold Background" • Yannick_Bammert - "*Journey" • Daniel Morrison - "Downtown Hartford" • donnierayjones - "Popcorn Time!" • DariuszSankowski - "phone screen technology" • _jinnie_ - "works black and white paper" • Unsplash - "station tracks rail" • Pezibear - "spring down feather bird feather" • yuelanliu - "book open range" • troy david johnston - "Wharf on Long Island Sound"

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