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A review by christinafrancisgilbert
Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier
5.0
What a delightful story. Not in the sense of it being full of positive experiences or treatment of characters but more for the underlying representation of true friendship and the didactic nature of its storytelling.
Nan Sparrow, a young climber, having lost her friend and guardian the Sweep five years before, works for a ruthless chimney sweep. She is caught in an accident and feared dead, but wakes in an abandoned attic, looked after by a mysterious golem creature made from soot and ash. Each character learns from the other and their friendship is central to the plot. A busy plot with lots going on and we are drawn to follow Nan and her 'monster' through Victorian London.
The narrative intrigues the reader with its added details taken from literature like William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, works from Charles Dickens and Charles Kingsley's The Water Babies.
It builds up to incidents, which renew our trust in the good nature of humanity and the need to care for others. Particular horrors of the Victorian age are presented in an informative, emotive manner, such as chimney sweeping, social class differences of the age, poverty in Victorian city life, May Day celebration and abuse for low-paid workers.
I love the idea of 'Story Soup', which is explained in one of the earlier chapters, as a beautiful moment when the protagonist Nan remembers listening to her lost friend the Sweep who 'would take out each object as he talked, weaving it into the story ... And even though they had eaten nothing, the girl still ended her day with a belly full of story - which sticks to the ribs even better than mutton.'
I am even more grateful for the way Jonathan Auxier gives an author's explanation for how his story and characters developed for him, inspired by a number of significant objects or experiences: a clay golem figurine, a battered copy of The Water Babies, a swaddling cloth and a library card. The Author's Note at the end is marvellous. 'How does one create a story?' indeed!
The structure of the novel works perfectly for me too, with its story divided into the first half Part One: Innocence and the second Part Two: Experience. The whole story is lyrical, so well researched and magical in its incorporation of references from classical literature. Awesome.
'We save ourselves by saving others.'
Review by Christina Francis-Gilbert
Nan Sparrow, a young climber, having lost her friend and guardian the Sweep five years before, works for a ruthless chimney sweep. She is caught in an accident and feared dead, but wakes in an abandoned attic, looked after by a mysterious golem creature made from soot and ash. Each character learns from the other and their friendship is central to the plot. A busy plot with lots going on and we are drawn to follow Nan and her 'monster' through Victorian London.
The narrative intrigues the reader with its added details taken from literature like William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, works from Charles Dickens and Charles Kingsley's The Water Babies.
It builds up to incidents, which renew our trust in the good nature of humanity and the need to care for others. Particular horrors of the Victorian age are presented in an informative, emotive manner, such as chimney sweeping, social class differences of the age, poverty in Victorian city life, May Day celebration and abuse for low-paid workers.
I love the idea of 'Story Soup', which is explained in one of the earlier chapters, as a beautiful moment when the protagonist Nan remembers listening to her lost friend the Sweep who 'would take out each object as he talked, weaving it into the story ... And even though they had eaten nothing, the girl still ended her day with a belly full of story - which sticks to the ribs even better than mutton.'
I am even more grateful for the way Jonathan Auxier gives an author's explanation for how his story and characters developed for him, inspired by a number of significant objects or experiences: a clay golem figurine, a battered copy of The Water Babies, a swaddling cloth and a library card. The Author's Note at the end is marvellous. 'How does one create a story?' indeed!
The structure of the novel works perfectly for me too, with its story divided into the first half Part One: Innocence and the second Part Two: Experience. The whole story is lyrical, so well researched and magical in its incorporation of references from classical literature. Awesome.
'We save ourselves by saving others.'
Review by Christina Francis-Gilbert