
The Red Necklace
A Novel of the French Revolution
فرمت کتاب
audiobook
تاریخ انتشار
2008
Lexile Score
820
Reading Level
3-4
ATOS
5.8
Interest Level
9-12(UG)
نویسنده
Carrington MacDuffieشابک
9780739356807
کتاب های مرتبط
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی

The French Revolution provides the backdrop for this story of gypsies, demented aristocrats, intrigue, and murder. Yann, orphaned at a young age, has been raised by a kindly dwarf and works with a traveling troupe of magicians. The murder of the group's leader by the sinister Count Kalliovski provides the catalyst for Yann's further adventures. Though improbable coincidences and unlikely circumstances abound, Carrington MacDuffie's performance draws in the listener. At first, MacDuffie is all over the map with various accents and characterizations, but she soon settles into a comfortably paced, enjoyable performance. Skillfully, she establishes several distinct characters and never leaves the listener guessing as to who is speaking. A little history, a lot of adventure--this boisterous story would be a good choice for a family road trip. M.H.N. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 26, 2008
Set during the French Revolution, Gardner's (I, Coriander
) epic and tautly plotted tale engages readers from the start with its combination of romance and history, mystery and magic. Yann Magoza, an orphan, travels with entertainers who use supernatural powers in their act; Yann himself can read minds. As the novel opens, Yann and his companions are brought to a marquis's chateau, where Yann has a brief but fateful meeting with the foolish and cruel marquis's brave daughter, Sidonie, and where the marquis's associate, a scheming count, brutally but cleverly murders one of the magicians. The pace retains this thrilling momentum all the way through the heart-stopping climax. As Gardner slowly discloses Yann's and Sido's heritages, she ratchets up tension about the marquis's and the count's plans for Sido. She lards her story with intriguing details, like the red garnet necklaces left like signatures with a series of murder victims, and “threads of light” that make Yann's magic possible. The novel also paints vivid, convincing pictures of the Revolution: characters glimpse the massed thousands of Parisian women marching to Versailles, pitchforks in hand, demanding bread, and mobs setting upon suspected aristocrats. Suspenseful, complex and haunting. Ages 12–up.
دیدگاه کاربران