THE QUARTER BOY

by Richard Parker ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1976

You'll take to Charlie Saffron as easily as he takes to the quarter boy, who is really a 400-year-old, half-clad wooden Indian maiden--so named because she strikes the quarter hour in the town hall clock tower--that Charlie, for his ninth job in five weeks since leaving school, is assigned to paint in situ. We like Charlie's working class (British) family, who ignore and insult each other with breezy aplomb though an American juvenile hero couldn't escape without psychological scars. And Charlie's own account of this ""turning point"" experience is both laid back and bouncy--a winning combination, though his local fame as an artist follows improbably soon upon his interest in researching and doing justice to the historical figure. And you have to kiss reality goodbye when Crystal Ball, the mousey girl he keeps noticing, and whom he suspects of kidnapping Mrs. Fisher's missing baby, turns out a prize-winning artist too. But he takes such modest pleasure in the job and such a diffident interest in Crystal that you can only be happy for Charlie.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Nelson

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1976

Categories: FICTION