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Summary: The Next Installment in a Fantastic Adventure
Review: "Black Hearts in Battersea" is the second book in Joan Aiken's beloved "Wolves" saga, beginning with "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" and continuing in "Nightbirds in Nantucket". Each book can be read separately and out of order (ie, each is a separate story, not one big story broken into several parts), linked by re-appearing characters, plot lines and locations. Each is set in a cleverly devised "parallel universe" where historical figures and events are changed from what we would recognise in our own history books. In this case, the action takes place in London, where Britain is ruled by good King James III and plauged by maurauding wolves immigrating from Russia, with other little snippets of an alternative history slipped in to give the book a whimsical, but authentic air. Anyone who has read Diana Wynne Jones's "Chrestomanci" books, or Phillip Pullman's "Northern Lights" will have no trouble adapting to this new environment, but those who haven't might be in for a pleasent surprise when they discover some of the little gems Aiken throws in: next to the familiar sights of Hyde Park and St Paul's Cathedral are places such as Battersea Castle on the Thames, made of pinkish stone, and made 'to look like a great half-open rose.' With such a fascinating world to explore, it hardly seems to matter whether there's a story or not.But of course there is, and it perfectly combines with the backdrop Aiken sets for it. Young Simon the half-wild goose-boy, last seen being offered a painting career by Dr Field in "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" arrives in London to begin his education at the Art Academy in Chelsea. But things are set to go wrong from the very beginning. On reaching Dr Field's described boarding house, there is no sign of him, and the family Twite insists that they've never heard of him. Befriending their youngest daughter, the rude, filthy, brattish Dido Twite, Simon gradually begins to make his way around in London and at the Art Academy - discovering some very suspicious things concerning the Twites in the meanwhile. He meets up with his old friend from the Poor Farm where he grew up: the lovely Sophie, who is now the handmaiden of the Duchess of Battersea, and with the young Duke-to-be Justin, a somewhat miserable and pathetic boy. In his ever-growing adventures, including visits with the eccentric Duke of Battersea, strange occurances at the Twites, and a highly enjoyable visit to the Fair, Simon comes to uncover a terrible Hanoverian plot to overthrow the king, and the secret to his own mysterious past. With plenty of wolves, fireworks, shipwrecks, kidnappings, suberfuges, maroonings, hot air balloons, explosions, false identities, lucky escapes and poisoned mince pies, "Black Hearts in Battersea" is a great read, and even better if it's read aloud, either to your own kids or a classroom (the lower classes's Cockney accents in particular are wonderfully created in Aiken's language). Of course, it is unashamedly filled with quirks, coincidences and long stretches of credibilty that will have anyone over the age of eight that enjoy nice, sensible stories raising an eyebrow in skepticism. To read the book critically would destroy any enjoyment one might have of it, as it is most certainly not to be taken too seriously. How could you when you have lines like: "My own dear husband's dead brother's long-lost child!" Just sit back and enjoy the story, complete with its exaggerations and unlikelihoods, as it harks back to another era where such occurances were taken dead-seriously. The "Wolves Saga" is a little known, but fantastic series, and I'm sure the previously-mentioned authors (Diana Wynne Jones and Phillip Pullman) owe a lot to Aiken's methods of alternative-history, as she is the first "modern" writer to the best of my knowledge to instigate such a device. Her characters are great fun (though Bonnie and Sylvia of "Wolves of Willoughby Chase" were sadly missed) and her stories filled with non-stop excitement and discovery.
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Summary: Excellent Reworking of Victorian Melodrama for Children
Review: Although this book is a sort-of sequel to the wonderful 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase' it's really the beginning of an alternative-history cycle in a Britain where James II was never overthrown by William III. The nefarious efforts of 'Hanoverians' to unseat the Stuarts is the engine which propels the plots of this and the next 3 novels. Simon, the artistic gooseboy in TWoWC, is the hero of this novel, which introduces Dido Twite, who goes on to star in the next two novels; 'Nightbirds on Nantucket' and 'Dido and Pa'.
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Summary: The exitement never ends
Review: An adventurous exitingan dazzling book. With amazing conscequences and wild characters! Meet the 15th century with a totally different idea. Go to london with Simon and his lovable donkey Caroline for an exciting adventure! I loved it! I just couldn't put it down!
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Summary: TOO MANY VILLAINS AND COINCIDENCES
Review: Billed as the 2nd in the WOLVES chronicles, this book proves a great disappointment after the delightful WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE--at least to an adult audience. Kids will enjoy it though--lots of action, evil plotters lurking everywhere, spunky heroines, and a determined hero. But there are too many coincidences involving related families and mistaken identities to be realistic for adults to swallow. You really have to be a kid at heart to enjoy this 239-page adventure/soap opera. If you are expecting wolves to be running rampant in London itself, well, they Do get around, both in the city and back in the northern wolds. Simon, the former gooseboy, arrives in London eager to study painting--only to discover that his friend and mentor, Dr. Field, has mysteriously disappeared. With the aid of kind and resourceful Sophie, whom he knew from the Poor Farm, and a feisty brat named Dido Twite, Simon undertakes to: --find his lost friend --save a Ducal family from murderous plots --prevent a King's assassination, during the era of the Hanoverian conspiracy for the throne. Aiken's style is definitely humorous; she seems to invent many words and clever slang. She obviously relishes quaint vocabulary (keep your dictionary handy), as she spoofs the British establishemnt from Scottish accents to Art and Philanthropic institutions. It's a fun read featuring the Impossible in an amusing vein. TRUST NO ONE!
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Summary: Black Hearts in Battersea
Review: BLACK HEARTS IN BATTERSEA is written by Joan Aiken and takes place during the reign of King James III, near the beginning of the nineteenth century. The story is about a boy named Simon, an orphan, who travels to London to meet an old friend named Dr. Field who promised to teach Simon painting. When he reaches the house where Dr. Field is supposed to be lodging, all he finds is an annoying little girl named Dido Twite. The Twites' are the owner of the house, and they tell Simon that they have no clue who or where Dr. Field is. Confused, Simon decides to stay at their house for a while. Soon, he finds himself playing chess with the kind old gentleman who is the Duke of Battersea, taking Dido to the fair, and meeting a boy named Justin. Justin is also an orphan and is in the middle of preparing to be the next Duke of Battersea. Dido starts to like Simon and tells him that she knows what happened to Dr. Field, but she cannot tell him. Simon starts to think Mr. Twite is one of the people who wants to overthrow good King James and the Duke and Duchess of Battersea. He also thinks Mr. Twite has something to do with the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Field. It seems that everywhere the Duke and Duchess go, they experience mishaps: a fire at the opera house, a wrecked ship, attacking wolves, and poisonous mince pies. With the help from Sophie, Simon's old friend and the Duchess' maid, they are all saved from the accidents. The accidents sound strange to everyone, and Simon thinks they were purposeful.
However, many of the people who are against King James feel that Simon is dangerous and is ruining their plot. One night Mr. Twite and some other men kidnap Simon, but Dido sees them. She follows them and meets Justin on the way, and they both follow the kidnappers to a ship, called the "Dark Dew". Dido and Justin hide with Simon at the bottom of the ship unknown to the kidnappers, but the ship runs into a storm and falls apart. Dido, Justin and Simon are torn apart from each other, but Justin and Simon are pulled onto the shore of a small island. While they are on the island, everyone, including the Duke, Duchess, and Sophie, finds out that Simon is the next Duke, not Justin. The mystery unfolds the moment Simon and Justin find out about the large and terrible mistake that was made a long time ago.
My favorite character in the book is Dido because she is a friendly, brave, and a caring girl. She is the nicest and most trustworthy member of the Twite family, and she is helpful and a good friend to Simon. Dido has characteristics anyone would want to have, including me. I love this book because it is full of mystery and evil. I think evilness is needed in a book because it makes the story more interesting and exciting to read. My favorite part of the book is the moment that the mystery is solved, because it is exciting to know what caused all the mysterious events. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery, and does not mind if the story is a little old-fashioned. BLACK HEARTS IN BATTERSEA is full of suspense, mystery, and excitement. This book is one of the books I can read over and over!
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Summary: The trilogy improves with age
Review: I easily prefered this to the earlier "Wolves," asboth characters and plot complications seemed vastly more original(not the resolution, mind, not that that's a problem). Aiken's prose is crisp, carefully-chosen, and effective, and Dido Thwite is foremost amongst a cast of unusual supporting characters. The Dickensian flavour continues in this, the best of the three. Note: 3 stars, for me, is a pretty good review. 4 is for extremely distinguished works, and 5 only for those I consider classics. Most of what is published is, unfortunately, a 2 or less.
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Summary: Cliff Hanger
Review: I love Black Hearts in Battersea. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and there's always a lot of connections to make.
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Summary: "Black Hearts" a great sequel
Review: I love this book and still do even as an adult. It's full of mystery, adventure, and memorable characters -- very imaginative.
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Summary: Imaginative, lifelike and compassionate
Review: I would strongly recommend this book and all the books in this series to anyone who likes reading faux-historical fiction. The characters are wonderfully drawn (WONDERFULLY) and Joan Aiken's imagination is boundless. Regardless of your age, this is a book to be treasured. The characters are extremely believable and fully developed, and I just thought it was refreshing and nice to see a portrait of the English nobility (true, they're all fictional, but still) that is eccentric, kindly and down to earth, unlike today's real life example. The book is by turns action packed, hilarious and compassionate. It reminded me (for all you Les Mis freaks out there) of Les Misérables, at least insofar as the characters are concerned. Simon could be Marius, the Twites, the Thénardiers... Well, read it, and you will like it!
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Summary: Black Hearts in Battersea
Review: In thought it was a great book. The ending was great but it was a little slow starting.
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