Alchemy and Meggy Swann

Karen Cushman again shows her gift for merging flawless research and a winning heroine. Katherine Kellgren matches her skill with an enthusiastic and engaging portrayal. Kellgren's perfect timing and wide range of accents take listeners directly into the heart of Elizabethan England. Heroine Meggy Swann is lame in leg but certainly not in intellect. Kellgren's high-spirited narration allows listeners to imagine a chaotic London in which actors, balladeers, and printers struggle to make a living. Kellgren is at ease with everything from period curses to the sentiments of a friendless child. As she portrays the strong-willed, sharp-tongued Meggy, she convinces listeners that the heroine will prevail over the limitations of her life and her times. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

March 29, 2010
Cushman's (Catherine, Called Birdy
) newest novel has all the elements that have made her earlier books so beloved. With flawless historical prose, Cushman introduces Meggy Swann, a feisty, sharp-tongued girl just arrived in gritty Elizabethan London, who has had more than her share of hard knocks. Unwanted by both her parents, she describes herself as “the ugglesome crookleg, the four-featured cripple, the fearful, misshapen creature,” dependent on two “sticks” to hobble about. When Meggy is sent to live with her father, he is horrified to have to house and care for her—he wanted a son and an assistant. Meggy is equally unhappy until she tries her hand at her father's work: alchemy. While Cushman's story revolves around the potential magic and disappointing fraud of alchemy (and Meggy's father) as well as a murder plot, at its heart are relationships. Meggy must learn to open up to others to turn her life from loneliness and anger toward friendship and even joy. There is no unequivocally happy ending for Meggy, but a better life awaits her, and readers will gladly accompany her on the journey. Ages 10–14.