Holmes and Watson provide the template for this very satisfying historical thriller from Kerr (The Grid, etc.), with Sir Isaac Newton acting as great detective and one Christopher Ellis serving as narrator. It's 1696, and a series of murders are plaguing the Tower of London, where the middle-aged Newton has recently assumed (as in real life) the position of warden of the royal mint, with the younger Ellis (again as in real life) serving as his assistant. Like Holmes, the cold and cerebral Newton relies on rationalism the scientific method to solve the crimes, while Ellis, quick with sword, pistol and temper, brings the emotional counterweight provided by Conan Doyle's Watson. The murders are accompanied by esoteric clues, most notably encrypted messages and alchemical references, that spur Newton to their resolution as forcefully as does his intense sense of duty, for the killings seem to involve not only a plot to disrupt a recoinage necessary to continue England's war with France, but also a conspiracy to commit religious genocide against a backdrop of incessant tensions between Catholics and Protestants. The mystery elements of the novel provide a sturdy spine for the book's main flesh: its robust recreation of life at the end of the 17th century. Ellis's fluid narration sets the tone, illuminating a London beset by pestilence, poverty, whores and ruffians, noblemen grave or foppish, opium dens, brothels and grisly executions, and a bright array of historical figures including, in the role of blackguard, Daniel Defoe. There's an erotic/romantic subplot involving Ellis and Newton's niece, but the main focus is on the two leads. Both are well drawn, though Newton, ostensibly the novel's center, is less compelling than Ellis's full-blooded youth. That disparity, and an overly complex plot, are the drawbacks of what is, withal, a most gripping and well-appointed entertainment. (Oct. 1) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
The Newbery-winning novel in Cynthia Voigt's timeless series is repackaged with a modern look.
When Momma abandoned Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings in a mall parking lot and was later traced to an asylum where she lay unrecognizing, unknowing, she left her four children no choice but to get on by themselves. They set off alone on foot over hundreds of miles until they finally found someone to take them in.
Gram's rundown farm isn't perfect, but they can stay together as a family-which is all Dicey really wanted.
But after watching over the others for so long, it's hard for Dicey to know what to do now. Her own identity has been so wrapped up in being the caretaker, navigator, penny counter, and decision maker that she's not sure how to let go of some responsibilities while still keeping a sense of herself. But when the past comes back with devastating force, Dicey sees just how necessary-and painful-letting go can be.
ALA Newbery Medal ¿ ALA Notable Children's Books ¿ USA Children's Books of International Interest ¿ CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Book in Social Studies ¿ Booklist Best Of 80s ¿ Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Honor Book
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When Momma abandoned Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings in a mall parking lot and was later traced to an asylum where she lay unrecognizing, unknowing, she left her four children no choice but to get on by themselves. They set off alone on foot over hundreds of miles until they finally found someone to take them in.
Gram's rundown farm isn't perfect, but they can stay together as a family-which is all Dicey really wanted.
But after watching over the others for so long, it's hard for Dicey to know what to do now. Her own identity has been so wrapped up in being the caretaker, navigator, penny counter, and decision maker that she's not sure how to let go of some responsibilities while still keeping a sense of herself. But when the past comes back with devastating force, Dicey sees just how necessary-and painful-letting go can be.
ALA Newbery Medal ¿ ALA Notable Children's Books ¿ USA Children's Books of International Interest ¿ CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Book in Social Studies ¿ Booklist Best Of 80s ¿ Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Honor Book
Dicey's Song (Tillerman Cycle Series #2)
The Newbery-winning novel in Cynthia Voigt's timeless series is repackaged with a modern look.
When Momma abandoned Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings in a mall parking lot and was later traced to an asylum where she lay unrecognizing, unknowing, she left her four children no choice but to get on by themselves. They set off alone on foot over hundreds of miles until they finally found someone to take them in.
Gram's rundown farm isn't perfect, but they can stay together as a family-which is all Dicey really wanted.
But after watching over the others for so long, it's hard for Dicey to know what to do now. Her own identity has been so wrapped up in being the caretaker, navigator, penny counter, and decision maker that she's not sure how to let go of some responsibilities while still keeping a sense of herself. But when the past comes back with devastating force, Dicey sees just how necessary-and painful-letting go can be.
ALA Newbery Medal ¿ ALA Notable Children's Books ¿ USA Children's Books of International Interest ¿ CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Book in Social Studies ¿ Booklist Best Of 80s ¿ Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Honor Book
When Momma abandoned Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings in a mall parking lot and was later traced to an asylum where she lay unrecognizing, unknowing, she left her four children no choice but to get on by themselves. They set off alone on foot over hundreds of miles until they finally found someone to take them in.
Gram's rundown farm isn't perfect, but they can stay together as a family-which is all Dicey really wanted.
But after watching over the others for so long, it's hard for Dicey to know what to do now. Her own identity has been so wrapped up in being the caretaker, navigator, penny counter, and decision maker that she's not sure how to let go of some responsibilities while still keeping a sense of herself. But when the past comes back with devastating force, Dicey sees just how necessary-and painful-letting go can be.
ALA Newbery Medal ¿ ALA Notable Children's Books ¿ USA Children's Books of International Interest ¿ CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Book in Social Studies ¿ Booklist Best Of 80s ¿ Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Honor Book
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Dicey's Song (Tillerman Cycle Series #2)
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Dicey's Song (Tillerman Cycle Series #2)
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Product Details
BN ID: | 2940171024185 |
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Publisher: | Recorded Books, LLC |
Publication date: | 11/28/2008 |
Series: | Tillerman Cycle Series , #2 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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