Este es definitivamente un libro que disfruté. Al principio me costó engancharme pero una vez que le agarré la vuelta, no hubo quien me parara mas que el sueño. Nos adentra al mundo de un Londres de finales de 1700 con todo aquel ajetreo que se vivía en Francia y cómo afectaba a la ciudad. La historia se ve desde los ojos de la familia Kellaway (Anne, Tom, Jem y Maisi) y Maggie una pre-adolescente que pertenece mas a las calles de los barrios del viejo Londres que a cualquier otro lugar.

La familia Kellaway llega a la ciudad por una propuesta de trabajo que le ofrecen a Tom, esposo de Anne y padre de Jem y Maisi, en el gran circo de Philip Astley un hombre que va de lleno con la vida circense y a toda situación y persona le busca la vuelta del drama y el show. En su primer día en la ciudad Jem y Maisi conocen a Maggie, quien tiene una conexión inmediata con el primero y pronto se vuelven muy buenos amigos disfrutando así de la libertad que les proporciona el circo y las calles de la ciudad, descubriendo, aprendiendo y admirando cada cosa que se encuentran. Entre todo esto dan con el señor Blake quien es un hombre bastante particular y que no encaja con los personajes de su alrededor, un hombre que desde un primer momento esta lleno de misterios, de cierto carácter que llama a la atención. El libro, dividido en ocho partes, nos va a relatar la vida de la familia Kellaway y como cada uno de sus miembros va creciendo y cambiando su perspectiva al trasladarse de un pueblo a una gran metrópoli, como lo llaman muy seguido en el libro, y en todo este nuevo cambio y crecimiento, influye notablemente Maggie.

Primero que nada debo decir que me han gustado TODOS y cada uno de los personajes, incluso los menos agradables como John Astley, hijo de Philip Astley dueño del circo, o incluso la señorita Pelham, quien comparte casa con los Kellaway. Todos los personajes tuvieron un propósito y se les saco todo el provecho que se merecían, de modo que en ese aspecto no tengo quejas del libro. El hilo de la historia, en un principio no estaba claro para mi, tanto así que empece a hacer conjeturas bastante extrañas - como que Anne Kellaway y Philips Astley terminarían teniendo un amorío secreto y ellos dos terminarían juntos, y otro de mi mente mas perversa como que Jem y Maggie terminarían experimentando mas a fondo las artes del sexo o algo así, entre otras. - algunas se dieron, otros no. Sin embargo, a medida que iba avanzando en el libro me iba gustando todo los giros que tomaba, ademas que estos se adaptaban bastante bien a todos los personajes, todo iba en consonancia.

La escritura fue prolija. Como dije, toda la historia se desarrolla en los tiempos de la revolución francesa, y no se imaginan cual fue mi sorpresa al enterarme, una vez terminado el libro, que Astley en realidad existió, así como el señor Blake. La verdad que yo no estoy muy metida en poesía así que al leer William Blake no me enteré hasta que leí la nota de la autora. Así que también tenemos un poco de aprendizaje, no solo moral sino de cultura general, algo que seguro sirve para la escuela (en caso de que aun este o estés cursando una carrera a fin).

Mi única queja, y por la cual no le doy las cinco estrellas, es que por ser una chica de finales, este no fue de mi agrado. No me mal interpreten, no fue un final tan malo, si te gustan los finales abiertos donde dejan todo a tu criterio entonces este te gustará, pero a mi en lo particular no me gustan los finales abiertos. Prefiero que me digan que paso con cada cual y como termino todo y vivieron felices por siempre. Así que aunque tal vez no sea algo de mucho peso, sigue sin gustarme el final. Quedé con muchas dudas sobre muchos personajes de quienes no me dieron hechos específicos de que sucedió con ellos al final, y ni hablar de Jem y Maggie.

En fin, en términos generales, el libro es bastante bueno. Cuenta con una simplicidad en su historia de la vida, día a día, de una familia que lo hace perfecto. Entretiene, engancha y hasta hay momentos en que te saca un risa o uno que otro revoltijo de sentimientos. Su portada, bueno, no tengo que decirlo, es HERMOSA. Y recopila una gama de enseñanzas y frases que vale la pena tomar en cuenta. A excepción del final, para mi fue un libro magnifico.

This got a right slagging on Amazon and I can only assume that its because its not as good as her previous work - Falling Angels and Girl with the Pearl Earing look particularly interesting reads.

As a stand alone book it works well. 1790's london is beautifully evoked as the Kellaways (dorset chair makers) move to london following the death of one of their sons. The patriach gets a job at the circus as a carpenter and the kids (Jem and Maise) move from innoncence to experience through the guiding hand of the streetwise Maggie.

Chevlier can do characterisation well.

I suppose where it fails to deliver is in tension and drama. William Blake lives next door and there is a touch of revolutionary politcis within the book, mob political attacks and a strange ending where two pregnant girls make their way back to their dorset village. But really - not a lot happens.

The star of the book is London and I will definately read more of her work.

Un Historical Fiction ambientato nella Londra del 1792 - sicuramente piacevole da leggere, ma forse privo del giusto temperamento.
Il romanzo narra le vicissitudini della famiglia Kellaway, originaria del Dorsetshire e recentemente trasferitasi a Londra dopo che il padre, Thomas Kellaway - falegname specializzato nella costruzione di sedie - viene assunto da Philip Astley, proprietario e gestore di un famoso circo. La famiglia si ritroverà a vivere chiaramente in un ambiente molto diverso da quello provinciale a cui è abituata ed entrerà a contatto con una serie di personaggi che, in un modo o nell'altro, contribuiranno alla sua evoluzione. Tra questi la ragazzina Maggie Butterfield ma soprattutto l'artista e poeta William Blake. Tracy Chevalier scrive sempre in maniera impeccabile, con una prosa delicata e attenta ai dettagli: questa volta però, secondo me, è mancato quel pizzico di magia che rendesse la storia effettivamente coinvolgente. La narrazione è molto lenta e la trama solo tratteggiata; la figura di Blake l'ho trovata deludente, di contorno, priva di qualsiasi valore aggiunto per la storia. Se non avete mai letto nulla di Tracy Chevalier forse questo non è il romanzo che vi consiglierei per iniziare, ce ne sono altri decisamente migliori nonostante si tratti comunque di una lettura di qualità.

This reads like a YA book (except for one scene); it is a little simplistic and the main characters are children between 11 and 15, but the descriptions of London, the countryside of Dorsetshire, the circus, the craft of button making and the craft of making Windsor chairs in the 1790’s were all interesting to me. William Blake plays a main role, but he didn't really come alive for me as a reader, although that may be because I didn't understand his poetry. I liked him as a human being, the way he was portrayed as being a moral man of courage and staunch character. The characters were all a bit under-drawn though, pale, like you might have been looking at them through a window rather than being in the midst of them.

Chevalier paints 1792 London with broad strokes. I found her setting the most interesting part of this novel, but also enjoyed the young adult characters. It took me a while to warm up to William Blake since he is 1) peripheral to the story until almost the end, and 2) odd, odd, odd. Plot conflicts wrap up a bit too nicely, yet the general sketch of life in London at that time will stick with me. This book begs the question: what is a YA novel? because this book seems much more slanted toward readers the age of the two teenage protagonists than to adult readers. If this weren't Chevalier, but an unknown author, I think it would have been categorized and shelved differently.

Another book by Tracy Chevalier which I thoroughly enjoyed. Not knowing a great deal about William Blake at the beginning, I still would like to know more. Even with the research done by the author and the historical fiction that brings the reader into the story, perhaps she could have centered more on Blake than the adolescent characters but those characters and the city of London in the 18th century certainly made up for this lack. The young characters and their experiences with Blake during the time of the French Revolution made all the difference for me. Although many of the reviews are not positive, the book was very well done and kept me reading throughout.

I picked this up on the clearance table at one of my favorite places in the world- Barnes and Noble. It's so remarkable there. Quiet, cool, anonymous. Classical music playing softly overhead. You aren't expected to talk to anyone, just head to the books. You could actually hide there and no one could find you for hours, well minutes, but still... Heaven.

Denna bok är på topp 5 listan av bösta böckerna jag läst. Jag kom in i den så snabbt och var fast under hela tiden jag läste den.

10/11 - The reason it didn't get five is because there was no real climax to the story. There is a little bit of tension built during the first 3/4 of the book and then it's a total anti-climax - a little disappointing, but still a good story. Chevalier describes London so well that you can clearly see it all in your head. I noticed that she has written a few other books since Girl with the Pearl Earring and I look forward to reading them at some point in the future.

*Update* Haven't got around to reading any further Chevalier books, yet, five years later.

n  Entertainingn

I know I've use this word a lot in reference to this book. That's because positively and negatively it's about the best word I can give to this book. It wasn't bad. It wasn't enthralling. There wasn't an exciting edge of your seat plot, or even anything seriously curious. On the other hand I wasn't bored and I wanted to keep reading. Maybe in hopes that something really moving would happen. It did, slightly towards the end. To say too much in detail would be to give away the story and the story is really all there is, so I won't do that. What I will say is this: 
It's historical fiction. Late 1700's London and small country villages beyond. It's slightly "Dickens" in its London gritty/comical view. It's the classic story of what happens when country people move to the big city, who they meet, how they learn to adapt, what they learn and how it changes their lives. In a nutshell. As an after thought I think I wanted a little bit more from certain characters but I think they were really very one dimensional. This was a detraction for me.

We will go with 3 stars. Really maybe 2 1/2. It's an alright read. Unfortunately I kept forgetting the name of the book to even tell friends what I was currently reading, on that note it may not be very memorable. It passed the time. 

Onward.....

Burning Bright
By Tracy Chevalier

As an admirer of the poet William Blake, I was curious to see how Chevalier might approach his odd life. Her choice was to make him the eccentric neighbor to a Dorsetshire family that has moved to London at the behest of circus entrepreneur Philip Astley, an actual historical figure. Although the viewpoint shifts, the story is told primarily through the eyes of young Jem Kelloway, the son of the Dorsetshire chairmaker, and Maggie Butterfield, the street smart youngster who introduces Jem to the wonders of London.

What I chiefly enjoyed about the book is Chevalier’s evocation of old London, a type of writing at which she excels. The reader learns about London pubs and circuses, cathedrals and printing shops, making mustard in London factories and making buttons in Dorset, and the details are alarming in some cases and enchanting in others, but always credible and well-researched.

The plot is far from compelling and serves mostly as a vehicle to showcase Blake through his interactions with Maggie and Jem. Blake recites his own poetry and plies them with philosophical questions. Still, taken as a slice of everyday life in Georgian England, the book works very well indeed, and the reader can embrace it for its richness of character and setting rather than for its paucity of story.

Promette un po' di più di quello che poi, effettivamente, dà.. Ma si legge in un fiato ed è sicuramente migliore de "La ragazza con l'orecchino di perla" che mi aveva lasciato Grossi dubbi!