'The characters are well conceived, original and amusing'
Satirical puns leap from the pages of this story about a young hero on the streets of Dickensian London. The writing brings the filthy streets and the characters, desperate and devious, to life.
Dodger is a tosher who scavenges in the sewers and earns a living selling what he finds. All the poverty stricken people on the streets know him as a friend in times of need. But when he rescues a girl from a beating his life changes dramatically forever... Soon he becomes accidentally famous, discovers a dark plot against him, enters the world of the rich and learns the truth about the girl he rescued.
One thing that stands out for me in this book is the characters. They are well conceived, original and amusing. From Dodger, who is at home in the sewers but doesn't fit into the world of the gentry to the rich heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts, a real historical figure, as are quite a few of the characters, who gives away money to the poor and knows everyone who is anyone, there is a wide range of different characters. Even the minor characters who only appear once are well described.
A small detail which deserves to be mentioned is the drawings at the beginning of each chapter. Although small, they are well drawn and capture the events in each particular chapter.
I liked the humorous tone of this book, with a pinch of sarcasm. The author subtly drops in the occasional hilarious remark and the use of puns and satire is well done. Pratchett even manages to use humour whilst conveying a serious concept.
The use of history in this book is unique - it doesn't give you the boring facts about famous people of the times, it gives you information about how people lived, right down to the grim details. After reading this book I could just imagine what living in the London "Rookeries" must have been like (not very pleasant!). The book is dedicated to Henry Mayhew, who wrote about the life of the London underclass and who features in this story. It is from his book that Pratchett learnt a lot of the facts about what life was like back then.
Readers should not overlook the notes at the back of the book, they are very interesting. You can find out more about the historical aspect, which characters are real and more. Amusing and full of flavour, this book is an enjoyable read and I would recommend it.
*Want to tell the world about a book you've read? Join the site and send us your review!* Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.
Satirical puns leap from the pages of this story about a young hero on the streets of Dickensian London. The writing brings the filthy streets and the characters, desperate and devious, to life.
Dodger is a tosher who scavenges in the sewers and earns a living selling what he finds. All the poverty stricken people on the streets know him as a friend in times of need. But when he rescues a girl from a beating his life changes dramatically forever... Soon he becomes accidentally famous, discovers a dark plot against him, enters the world of the rich and learns the truth about the girl he rescued.
One thing that stands out for me in this book is the characters. They are well conceived, original and amusing. From Dodger, who is at home in the sewers but doesn't fit into the world of the gentry to the rich heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts, a real historical figure, as are quite a few of the characters, who gives away money to the poor and knows everyone who is anyone, there is a wide range of different characters. Even the minor characters who only appear once are well described.
A small detail which deserves to be mentioned is the drawings at the beginning of each chapter. Although small, they are well drawn and capture the events in each particular chapter.
I liked the humorous tone of this book, with a pinch of sarcasm. The author subtly drops in the occasional hilarious remark and the use of puns and satire is well done. Pratchett even manages to use humour whilst conveying a serious concept.
The use of history in this book is unique - it doesn't give you the boring facts about famous people of the times, it gives you information about how people lived, right down to the grim details. After reading this book I could just imagine what living in the London "Rookeries" must have been like (not very pleasant!). The book is dedicated to Henry Mayhew, who wrote about the life of the London underclass and who features in this story. It is from his book that Pratchett learnt a lot of the facts about what life was like back then.
Readers should not overlook the notes at the back of the book, they are very interesting. You can find out more about the historical aspect, which characters are real and more. Amusing and full of flavour, this book is an enjoyable read and I would recommend it.
*Want to tell the world about a book you've read? Join the site and send us your review!* Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.
