Murkmere

by Patricia Elliott

Overview

A village girl, newly companion to the Master's ward in the days following the Ministration, challenges the motives of the religious leaders of the Divine Beings, the birds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316088763
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/31/2009
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	800L (what's this?)
File size:	731 KB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Patricia Elliott was born in London, and grew up in Europe and the Far East. She has worked in publishing in London and in a children's bookshop in New York. She now teaches a course in children's literature at an adult education college. She lives in London with her husband, two sons, and a yellow labrador called Fingal. Her first book, The Ice Boy, won the Fidler Award for a first novel.

Editorial Reviews

Scuff, a minor character in Murkmere (which PW described as "a gripping story" in a starred review), takes center stage in this riveting sequel set in a kind of Cromwellian England, Ambergate by Patricia Elliott. With a mysterious and possibly criminal past, Scuff flees the Murkmere estate to escape the Lord Protector's sinister soldiers and in search of her own identity. Also, Murkmere is now in paperback. (Little, Brown, $16.99 390p ages 12-up ISBN 978-0-316-01060-3; Murkmere $7.99 paper ISBN 978-0-316-01044-3; Feb.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 9 Up-A gothic novel set in a magical Britain. Aggie is a village teen who has gotten a position as a companion to Leah, a ward of the Master of Murkmere Hall. But, as she enters the estate, there are several bad portents from the Birds, which the people believe are divine beings. Once there, Aggie finds herself caught in an insular world of deceit, decay, and forbidden knowledge. Leah is a person whose mood varies from day to day. Their complicated and realistic relationship serves as an anchor for the novel, allowing readers to immerse themselves in this world. As Aggie continues to work in the manor, she realizes that everything she has been brought up to believe about books and religion may not be true. Her teacher aunt is involved in national politics, her suitor is not the slow village boy she thought him to be, and the suave man who hired her may be at the heart of the evil that surrounds her. This engaging, well-paced story is filled with believable characters who behave in a convincing manner. There is plenty of suspense, and readers will not be able to put the book down until they discover the fate of Leah and Aggie.-Tasha Saecker, Menasha Public Library, WI Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Lush gothic fantasy in a culture where religion is based on the Birds of Light and the Birds of Night. Fifteen-year-old Aggie, summoned to work on the gloomy, threatening estate of Murkmere Hall, leaves her humble village behind. She's appointed companion to Murkmere's mistress, a girl her own age named Leah. Leah and her guardian read books that the political-religious Ministration considers blasphemous. Aggie fears for their souls, even more so when the discovery of an old swanskin heightens Leah's possibly sacrilegious obsession with the mere's swans. A corrupt steward and the master's ever-worsening health speed the story along. Aggie's loyalties and beliefs shift as evil religious leaders throw Leah's future into grave danger. Suspenseful pacing matches dramatic events and symbolism. Aggie's occasional hindsight voice and an unfortunate author's note strike the only (rare) distracting notes of over-dramatization. Wonderfully atmospheric and moody-on the border between fantasy and fiction. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews