Wallace, Karen. The unrivalled Spangles.WALLACE, Karen. The unrivalled Spangles
Spangles were square boiled sweets, bought in a paper tube with individual sweets cellophane wrapped. . Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster U.S. publishing company. It was founded in 1924 by Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) and M. Lincoln Schuster (1897–1970), whose initial project, the original crossword-puzzle book, was a best-seller. , Atheneum. 240p. c2006. 1-4169-1503-6. $16.95. J What was circus life like in England in the 19th century for young women bareback bare·back also bare·backed adv. & adj. On a horse or other animal with no saddle: rode bareback; a bareback rider. riders? This novel suggests an answer. Rather than glamorous, life was hard. Circus performers were married to their profession and social class. Beautiful 16-year-old Ellen Spangle span·gle n. 1. A small, often circular piece of sparkling metal or plastic sewn especially on garments for decoration. 2. A small sparkling object, drop, or spot: spangles of sunlight. , a horsewoman and animal healer of near-mystical proportions, longs to leave the circus and lead a life of the mind, perhaps as a governess. In pursuit of that objective, she secretly educates herself by hiring a tutor from the profits she makes selling her special healing liniment liniment, liquid preparation rubbed on skin, used to relieve muscular aches and pains. It contains some substance that when rubbed over the affected part causes mild irritation and often brings more blood to the painful part. . She is impeded in her goal by her selfish and willful 14-year-old sister and a tyrannical father; she also becomes distracted by what she thinks might be love for a swain from the upper classes. The swain, however, is far from worthy of her attentions, and when headstrong Lucy is killed, Ellen is needed even more in the circus. Will Ellen give up her dreams and sacrifice herself for her family? Will she escape the clutches of the unworthy swain and find true love closer to home? Will her father live through the burns inflicted in a disastrous fire? Stay tuned. But keep in mind that all's well that ends well and that Ellen has near-magical powers. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , the suspense is not exactly white-knuckled here. Also, there are many characters and stray plot lines, all of which are a little too neatly resolved at the end. The point of view hops around like a frog on steroids. But, many good sensory and historical details make this both an informative read and an enjoyable escape from reality. Myrna Marler, Assoc. Prof. of English, BYU, Provo, UT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion