A classic story gets new life in this thoughtful continuation.
Fahey offers an engaging sequel to Mark Twain’s 1882 novel, The Prince and the Pauper.
This follow-up extends Twain’s classic tale by envisioning protagonist Tom Canty as an adult,as he reminisces about his pivotal youthful experience more than 20 years before. What he recalls occurs after the events of the previous novel and follows Tom’s and Prince Edward’s lives during the Tudor era. The memoir-style narrative combines court politics with moral teachings to create an exciting coming-of-age story. Tom maintains his close bond with Edward, who becomes King Edward VI and faces royal responsibilities, although he yearns to experience childhood pleasures. Tom, in his role as the king’s ward and confidant, receives periodic invitations to visit the palace. In his everyday life, he works as an apprentice metalworker while enduring cruel treatment from his father, and he copes with the challenges of meager finances, along with social pressures. The very different worlds of royalty and poverty influence Tom as he develops his identity and perspective on life. The novel stands out for its outstanding character development and emotional depth, revealing how Tom evolves from a streetwise, unserious young man into a person of integrity. The struggles of the protagonist address the importance of staying true to oneself while also embracing forgiveness; meanwhile, his violent father’s influence is set against the importance of empathy. At the same time, young King Edward’s royal position isolates him from others, even as it provides him with great authority. The story integrates real-life historical figures, including Lady Jane Grey and the noble Seymour brothers, as well as returning fictional characters, such as Miles Hendon, to effectively establish its setting. Throughout, the work promotes kindness over cruelty and humility over ambition. Overall, Fahey’s novel is not only a loving tribute to Twain, but also a creative, independent narrative in its own right.
A classic story gets new life in this thoughtful continuation.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781597132763
Page Count: 238
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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