Devotees of historical novels will quickly become absorbed in this drama set in 19th-century England, about the misadventures of an Irish peasant and the young son of an English lord who cross paths before boarding a ship bound for America. The biting irony present in Avi's contemporary novels (Nothing but the Truth; City of Light, City of Dark) surfaces here in portrayals of the sharp contrasts between the upper and lower classes. Although the plot does tend to meander (the emigrants do not actually set sail until the last few pages), the author provides so many enticing side attractions in the form of unsavory villains and extraordinary twists of fate that readers will stay hooked. Full of tongue-in-cheek contrivances, this voluminous, Dickensian- style novel offers surprises around every corner. Fittingly, the book ends in medias res, so readers must await the September '96 publication of the second, and final, installment, Lord Kirkle's Money, to discover the destinies of Patrick and Laurence, the two unlikely traveling companions. Ages 11-14. (Apr.)
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Gr 6-9A suspense-filled adventure. Among the masses abandoning their Irish homes to escape famine, disease, and poverty in 1851 are 12-year-old Patrick and his older sister, Maura, who are joining their father in America. As they pass through the port city of Liverpool, they join an assortment of England's own unfortunates and malcontents. Among them is 11-year-old Laurence, penniless and hopelessly confused, who regrets having fled his wealthy home in London in a fit of rage. Patrick and Laurence meet only briefly, but long enough to seal their fate. As the dank, dirty back alleys of Liverpool come alive through the struggles of the three children, the scenes shift rapidly, challenging readers to keep track of a tangle of Dickensian characters ranging from the misguided to the malevolent. At its best, this book resembles Avi's much loved The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Orchard, 1990), but is far weaker in character development and focus. The paradox of a fine novel is that it satisfies completely yet leaves readers thirsting for more. The clear intention of this book, however, is to introduce a two-part series. It is an engrossing read, worthy of purchase, but only if you fully intend to go for the yet-to-be-published sequel. Michael Morpurgo's well-done Twist of Gold (Viking, 1993; o.p.) covers strikingly similar territory for an only slightly younger audience.Margaret Cole, Oceanside Library, NY
Avi's last historical novel, "The Barn" (1994)," "was a spare story about a boy at home. Nothing could be more different than this pulsing 1850s emigrant adventure (at 300 pages, it's only book 1), packed with action and with a huge cast of villains and heroes. The first chapter grabs you: poor Irish peasants Maura O'Connell, 15, and her brother, Patrick, 12, see their home destroyed. They leave for Liverpool to board a ship for America. Their father has sent money from New York, but their mother is too broken to go, and they must make the journey alone. Interwoven with their story is that of their English landlord's son, 11-year-old Sir Laurence Kirkle, who, hotly pursued by friend and foe, has run away from his unhappy home. Although the historical research is never obtrusive, there's an authentic sense of the Liverpool dockside slums, with the desperate pressed together in a foul, teeming hell. The young lord's story is not as compelling as that of the O'Connells, especially since it's not easy to keep straight which schemer is pursuing him and why, but every chapter ends with a cliffhanger, and the suspense builds as they all converge on the same ship sailing for America. At the climax, Laurence is a stowaway in deadly danger. Great for reading aloud, the vivid scenes and larger-than-life characters also lend themselves to readers' theater. The comedy is both grotesque and sinister. As in Dickens' works, coincidence is not just a plot surprise but a revelation that those who appear to be far apart--the powerful and the "failures" --are, in fact, intimately connected. Now we have to wait for book 2.
From an author who's made a career of experimenting with different narrative structures comes this first sprawling tale in The Escape From Home books; it's done as a Victorian serial novel with a huge cast, and a multiplicity of short chapters setting out an episodic plot replete with chance meetings, narrow escapes, and dismaying revelations.
Unable to bear the bullying of his older brother, Albert, Laurence Kirkle, 11, pockets a thousand pounds of his father's cash and runs into the London streets; meanwhile, two of Lord Kirkle's Irish tenants—Patrick, 12, and his older sister, Maura—flee their famine-struck village, intending to join their father in the US. The three quickly fall prey to the hazards of street life as they make their separate ways toward Liverpool, the great embarkation point. The supporting cast, urchins, rowdies, and entrepreneurs with names like Phineas Pickler and Toby Grout will be familiar to fans of Dickens and his literary descendants—and several characters are developed beyond the expected caricatures—but the melodrama is mild, and the ending is hardly the spectacular cliffhanger required of the genre. Many plot threads are left a- dangle; Avi (Poppy, 1995, etc.) promises a sequel but few readers will be chewing their nails waiting for it.
