The Game of Love and Death

by Martha Brockenbrough Narrated by Susan Hanfield

Overview

Not since The Book Thief has the character of Death played such an original and affecting part in a book for young people.

Flora and Henry were born a few blocks from each other, innocent of the forces that might keep a white boy and an African American girl apart; years later they meet again, and their mutual love of music sparks an even more powerful connection. But what Flora and Henry don't know is that they are pawns in a game played by the eternal adversaries Love and Death, here brilliantly reimagined as two extremely sympathetic and fascinating characters.

Can their hearts and their wills overcome not only their earthly circumstances but forces that have battled throughout history? In the rainy Seattle of the 1920s, romance blooms among the jazz clubs, the mansions of the wealthy, and the shantytowns of the poor. But what is more powerful: love? Or death?

Editorial Reviews

MARCH 2017 - AudioFile

Narrator Susan Hanfield embodies the characters Love and Death, who wager on the love between Henry and Flora, a pair of teenagers in Seattle in the 1920s. Hanfield uses a stoic voice when Death points out that because Flora is African-American and Henry is white, there is no way their love will endure. From Love, one hears notes of wistfulness and desperation—as he is tired of losing his wagers with Death and wants this forward-thinking pair to thrive. Hanfield believably portrays both Flora and Henry from childhood to the story’s present as well as creating vivid voices for secondary characters, ably handling accents and foreign languages, and even occasionally breaking into song. Historical fiction, romance, and magical realism make for a compelling listen. A.F. 2017 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 02/16/2015
The odds against Henry and Flora becoming a couple are significant: Henry is white, Flora is black, and this is Depression-era Seattle. But their similarities outweigh their differences; at 17, they’re both orphans, musicians, and—unbeknownst to them—the current players in the centuries-old contest between Love and Death. Death’s player, Flora, is a singer and aspiring aviatrix; Henry, chosen by Love, plays bass and baseball. Airplanes and music bring Henry and Flora together, and though they feel something immediately, Flora, with a pessimism born of experience, is sure it can’t work. Love and Death are on the scene in human guises, manipulating people and events, and the book is really a tale of two couples: Henry and Flora, as well as the ultimate opposites-attract pair, Love and Death. Brockenbrough (Devine Intervention) never sugarcoats the obstacles facing Henry and Flora’s love—whether human prejudices or supernatural manipulations—in this inventive and affecting novel, and the ending in which Flora, who has seen too many people die, realizes how love and death intertwine, is beautiful. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary Agency. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

Praise for The Game of Love and Death:Starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and The BulletinWinner of the Washington State Book AwardKirkus Prize FinalistA YALSA Teens Top Ten TitleA Publishers Weekly Best Book of the YearA Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the YearA Booklist Editors' Choice"The idea is fascinating. The execution here is flawless. And the outcome of Flora and Henry's game of love and death is elegantly magical." — Kwame Alexander, author of Newbery Medal winner The Crossover"This exquisite, elegantly original fable of young love smashing convention to smithereens is so beautiful I wish I'd written it myself." — Elizabeth Wein, author of Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity"Smart, haunting, and entrancingly magical, Martha Brockenbrough's The Game of Love and Death is anything but a simple game. In this sweeping and fabulous tale, Brockenbrough creates a vivid world wherein Love and Death come to life with an intent and force of character that is truly unforgettable." — Ruth Ozeki, bestselling author of A Tale for the Time BeingThe Game of Love and Death is a unique love story, and yet, it is also the love story of all humans through time. Martha Brockenbrough is a compassionate observer of many worlds — airfields, jazz clubs, baseball diamonds, newspapers, and Hoovervilles to name a few — and the beautiful, doomed human types that dwell in them. This is an exceptional novel." — Gabrielle Zevin, author of Elsewhere"Strikingly original, richly atmospheric, and impossible to put down, I read this book with my heart in my throat, desperately rooting for Henry and Flora's fated true love over those master manipulators, Love and Death." — Judy Blundell, author of National Book Award winner What I Saw and How I Lied"Marvelously original, engrossing, and deeply humane. It's the kind of book you never forget." — Nancy Werlin, New York Times bestselling author of Impossible"The Game of Love and Death weaves a complex tapestry of love and longing, destiny and hope. Daringly conceived and brilliantly executed, it is not only an intimately human story, but one that encompasses the very nature of love and death. Rich, wise, and deeply satisfying — the story will linger in your heart long after you've turned the final page." — Robin LaFevers, New York Times bestselling author of Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph"The Game of Love and Death is an exquisitely nuanced novel that plunges readers into an inescapable ache of forbidden longing. Before you enter this game, be forewarned. Martha Brockenbrough has brilliantly crafted a contest that punctures our perceptions, and forces us to question the rules of evil and benevolence. A beautifully rendered achievement." — Andrea Davis Pinkney, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Pencil"The Game of Love and Death is a sweeping tour de force of imagination and heart. Entire passages begged to be reread both for the startling insights about life and for the sheer pleasure of basking in masterful language. A bold statement about the games we play and all the life — and love — that's possible when we stop. Shelve this one next to The Book Thief." — Justina Chen, author of North of Beautiful, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book for Young Adults"I couldn't refrain from gushing about The Game of Love and Death. It's rare when a book comes along that seems to transcend categorization but I have to say this is one of those novels. Everything from the richness of historical details to the racial tension to the psychology of the players themselves was expertly choreographed. I stand in awe, and I am not a fan of hyperbole." — Gennifer Albin, author of The Crewel World trilogy"Martha Brockenbrough has a musician's ear and a lover's heart. This terrific and beguiling novel is one of my favorites of the year, and while I'm reading it for a second time, I'm absolutely certain you should join me." — Sean Beaudoin, author of The Infects and Wise Young FoolPraise for Devine Intervention:"Brockenbrough is a gifted writer who finds amusement in focusing on life's minutiae and who captures the slow-mo drama with which teens experience them... It is a pleasure to read a writer who so delights in language, and who writes so captivatingly in a teen voice with such imaginative description." — Los Angeles Times* "Brockenbrough devises a devilishly clever narrative, alternating Jerome's first-person account with Heidi's tightly focused third-person perspective... As the clock ticks down on Heidi's soul, readers will be rooting for both Jerome and Heidi with all their hearts." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review"Jerome's bumbling logic and wickedly funny observations are what make Brockenbrough's first book for teens so much fun. Underneath the occasionally risque humor and unexpected plot twists (including the possession of multiple animals' bodies) is an insightful story about seizing life for all it's worth while you have the chance." — Publishers Weekly"Brockenbrough's droll style delivers some laugh-out-loud moments. Reluctant readers will find the Heidi-Jerome dynamic entertaining and heartrending." — School Library Journal

School Library Journal

03/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—Set in 1930s Seattle, this work tells the story of two teenagers whose destinies are being manipulated by powers far beyond their control. An orphan from a poor African American family who works as an airplane mechanic by day and a jazz singer at night, Flora dreams of being the next Amelia Earhart. Henry lives just a few blocks away, but he is white, and his adoptive family is wealthy. A bright future of college and a career lies ahead of him, but he is distracted by his love of music and, from the moment he first lays eyes on her, by Flora. What Flora and Henry don't know is that they have been chosen as pawns in a game between the immortal entities Love and Death. If they choose each other, then Love wins and they both survive, but if they don't, then Death wins and Flora's life is forfeit. Love and Death take on various guises and wreak havoc on the lives of their players at a deadly cost to both of their families. Though the writing is often beautiful and evocative, the story is sometimes weighed down by its many side characters and plot twists, and attempts to use Love and Death to explore larger philosophical ideas lack punch. Still, romance lovers will find themselves rooting for the ill-fated couple, and the historical setting and African American characters—particularly strong-willed Flora—bring some much needed diversity to the YA scene. VERDICT An interracial YA romance with weighty themes.—Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA

MARCH 2017 - AudioFile

Narrator Susan Hanfield embodies the characters Love and Death, who wager on the love between Henry and Flora, a pair of teenagers in Seattle in the 1920s. Hanfield uses a stoic voice when Death points out that because Flora is African-American and Henry is white, there is no way their love will endure. From Love, one hears notes of wistfulness and desperation—as he is tired of losing his wagers with Death and wants this forward-thinking pair to thrive. Hanfield believably portrays both Flora and Henry from childhood to the story’s present as well as creating vivid voices for secondary characters, ably handling accents and foreign languages, and even occasionally breaking into song. Historical fiction, romance, and magical realism make for a compelling listen. A.F. 2017 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2015-02-03
A lovingly realized Depression-era Seattle becomes the field of play for the latest round in the titular, age-old game.In February 1920, Love and Death choose their newest pawns as infants: Love's is Henry, a white boy of privilege (though influenza and grief rob him of much of it); Death's is Flora, the soon-to-be-orphaned daughter of African-American jazz musicians. In spring of 1937, the game begins. Flora sings in—and actually owns part of—the family's nightclub, but her heart is in the skies, where she flies a borrowed biplane and dreams of owning her own. Henry, a talented bass player, is poised to graduate from the tony private school he attends on scholarship with his best friend, Ethan, whose family took him in upon his father's suicide. They meet when Henry and Ethan visit the airstrip where Flora works; the boys are in pursuit of a story for Ethan's newspaper-magnate father. Brockenbrough's precise, luscious prose cuts back and forth among the four protagonists, according each character equal depth, with Ethan playing a heartbreaking supporting role. The contrast between the youthful excitement of ardent Henry and pragmatic Flora and the ageless, apparent ennui of the immortals gains nuance as readers come to understand that Love and Death are not without their own complicated feelings. Race, class, fate and choice—they join Love and Death to play their parts in Brockenbrough's haunting and masterfully orchestrated narrative. (Magical realism. 12 & up)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170535668
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/26/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

From The Game of Love and DeathHenry's playing took on urgency. His impulse had been to make Flora hear him and realize her mistake. But the music swallowed him. He didn't want to hurt her. He just wanted to play. Time slowed down enough that he could turn what he was feeling into notes. A lock of hair slipped onto his forehead and his skin grew hot, but his hands stayed light and fast. He played as if he could not go wrong, as if he were meant to be right there, doing the thing he'd been born to do. The ground and his body and the sky were no longer separate, but as related as three notes could be in an infinite variety of chords. Henry didn't notice when faces appeared over the fence. Flora's band. A line of men stunned to see the source of the sound. As they listened, the men removed their hats. Eventually, they ventured glances at one another. No one spoke.Henry played until he'd said his piece. His shirt stuck to his back and a drop of sweat from his forehead fell to the sidewalk. He looked up and acknowledged his audience. Flora stood atop the porch steps. She held one hand on her chest, clutching her dress."Henry, wait," she said, her voice roughed up.She started down the steps. Henry wouldn't wait. He put his bass and bow back in its case, snapping it shut. Then he turned, opened the back door of the Cadillac, eased his instrument inside, and closed the door. He did not look back as he stepped into the driver's seat, started the engine, and headed home.

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