Bound To Stay Bound

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Bulletin for the Center... - 11/01/2012 On a stormy night in a reimagined Victorian London, a young woman tumbles from a carriage, pursued by thugs intent on delivering a sound thrashing before they drag her back. Help comes from two quarters: a shabby but gallant young man rises out of the sewer wielding a crowbar and a set of brass knuckles that he uses to chase away the miscreants, while a pair of gentlemen, Mr. Dickens and Mr. Mayhew, set about helping the young woman. Thus Charlie Dickens makes the acquaintance of Dodger and engages him in uncovering the mysteries that have led to the young woman’s present predicament. An expensive ring on her finger indicates that she is foreign and important, but she’s unwilling to explain her situation to anyone but Dodger, and even then she withholds her name, calling herself Simplicity when it is clear that she is anything but. Taking up Simplicity’s cause leads Dodger into the company of the wealthiest and most powerful people in London, including Benjamin Disraeli, Sir Robert Peel, and Angela Burdett-Coutts. Pratchett weaves fact and fiction seamlessly here, altering both while keeping the flavor of the city vibrantly real. Dodger, for instance, achieves fame and fortune when he avoids a fatal haircut by disarming Sweeney Todd, and he takes a young Joseph Bazalgette on an enlightening tour through the London sewers. Dickens himself takes out his notebook whenever Dodger says something particularly interesting about, say, a “bleak house,” or when noting his “great expectations” for Dodger’s prospects, and other such sly jokes abound. The genius of Pratchett is that readers need not understand all of the clever witticisms and subtle allusions in order to appreciate the exciting plot twists. Getting the jokes, however, adds a wealth of pleasure for alert and knowledgeable readers; an extensive author’s note offers suggestions for those who have been inspired to learn more about Victorian London, real and imagined. KC - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 10/15/2012 *Starred Review* On a stormy night in early Victorian London, an able young man named Dodger rises from the sewers in response to a scream, fights off two thugs, and rescues a damsel in distress. Dodger continues to rise throughout the novel, as his love for the mysterious lady motivates this tosher (scavenger for lost coins and other treasures in London’s sewers) to elevate himself and leads him to a closer acquaintance with a string of historical figures, including Dickens, Disraeli, and ultimately, the queen and her consort. While most writers would be well advised not to include such characters in their books, Pratchett manages to humanize them without diminishing them or throwing the story off-kilter. However lowly Dodger’s origins, he remains the most memorable character in the book. Living by his wits and unencumbered by conventional morality, this trickster hero expertly navigates the underbelly of his city as he carries out a bizarre scheme resulting in justice and mercy. The temptation to quote sentences, whole paragraphs, and possibly entire chapters is almost irresistible, because the pleasure of reading the novel is in the language as much as in the characters and well-researched period setting. Often amusing, this Victorian romp of a novel is lovingly crafted and completely enjoyable. - Copyright 2012 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 11/01/2012 Gr 8 Up—The master of humorous fantasy has taken to historical fiction like a London guttersnipe to a large helping of bangers and mash, albeit with a touch of the fantastical. Dodger is an inhabitant of the worst stews of London, who makes a meager living as a tosher, a treasure hunter in the sewers under the city. His fortune changes, literally overnight, when he rescues a damsel in distress and comes to the attention of the not-yet-famous newspaperman Charlie Dickens. Together they embark on a mission to thwart the evildoers bent on recapturing the girl. Dodger is a thoroughly likable young rogue whose exploits bring him into direct contact with some of the best-known names in Victorian England-Benjamin Disraeli, Sweeney Todd, Sir Robert Peel, and, of course, Queen Victoria herself, with whom he spends a memorable afternoon taking tea. Pratchett does a bang-up job of re-creating Old London for today's audience, complete with pathos, humor, and truly nasty descriptions of the filth, stench, and danger, all narrated in Dodger's unique voice.Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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