Among the Fallen

August 1, 2019
A teen from Victorian England regains her reputation with the help of Charles Dickens. Sixteen-year-old Orpha has been serving out a sentence at Tothill Fields Prison. As the white teen nears the end of her sentence, Dickens interviews her for an opportunity to transition to Urania, a home for "fallen girls." Through flashbacks and her conversations with Dickens, readers learn how Orpha lost both parents, spent time in a workhouse, and was sexually abused by the man entrusted to care for her. Even more horrific, Orpha reveals how that man remained free while she, the victim, was charged for his crimes. Once in Urania, a real halfway house that benefactor Lady Burdett-Coutts established and Dickens supervised, Orpha meets former criminals and prostitutes, also victims themselves. Here, while finishing her education and preparing for a working position in a colony, she reconciles old and new friends and a lost childhood with the resourceful, talented young woman she has become. Written in 20 chapters to mirror the installments in which Dickens released his novels, this atmospheric story is imbued with the sights, sounds, and smells (or more accurately, odors!) of 19th-century London's rookeries, or slums. Like Dickens, author Schwartz (Crossing to Freedom, 2013, etc.) evokes the moral and political forces of the time; readers, particularly Margaret Atwood fans, will find parallels to the present. This Dickensian #MeToo novel calls out the lingering need for women's rights. (author's note, glossary) (Historical fiction. 14-18)

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September 1, 2019

Gr 10 Up-Set in Victorian England, this is the story of 16-year-old Orpha, an orphan wrongly imprisoned in Tothill. When the opportunity arrives to go to Urania Cottage, a home for fallen women to learn skills before emigrating to the colonies, Orpha decides to take the chance. During her time at Urania, Orpha is mentored by the mysterious Mr. Dickens who is eager to know all the girls' stories, though she is guarded in telling him hers. As she spends more time at Urania and develops relationships with those there, Orpha grows and learns to find her voice. As indicated in the preface, Tothill was a real prison and Urania Cottage was a real home supervised by Charles Dickens and founded by Lady Burdett-Coutts, who both appear in the story. Schwartz also shares that in homage to Dickens, she wrote this book in his 20 chapter style. This homage, however, causes the first half of the book to consist of long choppy chapters that bleed into short rushed ones in the second half. The overall theme of the story is different from other historical novels, which may make it appealing to some readers. Orpha shares her story about being raped by a family member, which may cause discomfort for some readers or trigger their own personal trauma. VERDICT Purchase only where historical fiction is popular.-Amanda Borgia, Uniondale Public Library, NY

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