About this deal
I know, I know, I'm behind in the game, what with Discworld taking up half (well, quite a sizeable proportion at least) of my to-read list. The other surprise was the language of the book. To be completely honest (and I'm really embarrassed to admit this.) when I started reading the book, I thought that Terry's Alzheimer's had finally progressed to such a degree that it had *really* damaged his ability to write at the sentence-level.
It's hard not to compare to Terry Pratchett's non Discworld novels because I love them so much and in Dodger I feel like I am getting a Discworld novel in structure and flavour, but with a difference. There are some definite Discworld style characters, Onan, Dodger's dog has been illustrated in a manner, and with such personality, I expected him to be able to speak or turn out to be a Wizard of the Unseen University on an expedition from the next universe over, except disguised as a dog.
The plot itself rather reminds me of the vintage heartwarming variety of nineteenth- or early twentieth- century children’s stories-- Cheaper by the Dozen, The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, Enchanted Castle--that sort of thing. Like those stories, Dodger isn’t particularly suspenseful--it’s clear from the first scene that Dodger will triumph over all adversity-- but it’s fun watching him stumble into serendipitous good fortune. Almost all of the characters are nice people, and they’re not just nice; they’re the type of people you’d enjoy being around. I especially loved Solomon, Dodger’s housemate and unofficial guardian. Much of the enjoyment of the story comes from watching how circumstances conspire to bring abo Princess Mirror-Belle (13x22’) is a live-action drama from BBC Children’s In House Productions. The 13-part series for CBBC follows Ellen and her mischievous mirror double. Based on the best-selling books by Julia Donaldson, the series will feature both new adventures and classic stories from the books. When I first started to read it, I got two surprises. The first was that it wasn't a Discworld book. Which I'm fine with, given how much I loved Nation. As Dodger's triumphant path ultimately brings him honour from the very highest rank of society, we cannot help but cheer not only for his success, but also for the success of this ebullient, funny and delightful novel.
There were a few moments where I applauded Dodger's ingenuity. But, ultimately, I was never intrigued. Never cared what did or did not happen to the characters. Never laughed. So... Dodger is set in the streets and sewers of Victorian London, and many of the characters, including the narrator, speak with a vulgar bluntness. Britishisms such as "shite" and "arse" are used perhaps a dozen times each, along with a few instances of "piss," "bastard," "damn," and "hell." The cover: IT LIED. It promised a cute and fun mystery with an adorable small boy main character. Not a bit. It can also be viewed as an inspirational tale for children, which teaches them to, um, steal from the innocent for personal gain, vandalise the property of people who happen to be from the same country as one bad apple, and elope with a girl you hardly know - who happens to have lovely hair. And not to bother with school, or even basic literacy - because crime is so much more rewarding...
it is to your credit that you recognize that if he was a monster then it was other monstrous things which made him so. The iron forged on the anvil cannot be blamed for the hammer...”
The Darwinian maxim of survival of the fittest is almost chanted like a mantra by a lot of people I know. In the world in front of our eyes, no other principle is put to use with such effortless ease as this one. An erstwhile boss of mine used to call such a skill in the corporate world as 'streetsmart' which at an early stage of my career I found to be a rather plain usage. But as time went by, I understood the need for such a survival skill and just why is it that he called it so. Dodger is the story of a person who has this skill honed to the finest and he swims with sharks in the murky underworld of Victorian London. The book’s eponymous protagonist is an orphaned street urchin who lives in Victorian London and works as a “tosher”--that is, someone who goes into the sewers to find treasures in the trash. When he pops out of a sewer to be ”the knight in soaking armor” to a lady in distress, he suddenly finds that one small act of kindness will change his life in ways he could not have imagined.Life on the streets of Victorian London could be harsh, violent, and dangerous, and Dodger doesn't pretend otherwise. But when violence occurs in the novel, it's not presented with much graphic detail. A young woman is kidnapped and beaten, Dodger exacts physical vengeance on those who would do her harm, and there's a showdown in the sewers. Dodger also has a close shave from a razor wielded by a certain barber of Fleet Street. Simplicity is a mysterious girl that Dodger rescues from being beaten by two men at the beginning of the story. It is implied that she is of noble heritage and married to a prince from one of the German states. After a series of incidents of domestic violence, she fled to England, only to be pursued by her husband and his father, which prompts Dodger to try to defend her. She is given the name "Simplicity" by Henry Mayhew's wife and her real name is never revealed. After Dodger helped her fake her death, she calls herself " Serendipity". In Victorian times, if a woman were treated cruelly by her husband, what were her options? How have attitudes about domestic violence changed over the past two centuries? Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close
Playing Dodger is Billy Jenkins (The Crown) with Saira Choudhry (Life, No Offence) as Nancy, with filming already underway in Manchester and various locations around the north west.The story opens on a dark, wet night(almost the cliched "a dark and stormy night" but Pratchett never lets you see it) as a carriage comes careening through the streets, carrying a damsel in distress, under threat of death. Out of the darkness comes Dodger, a whirl-wind beating off thugs and saving the day. Our main protagonist Dodger is a Tosher (a scavenger in the sewers) who comes to the aid of a battered young lady who's been flung from a carriage. Before I started in the Pratchett I'd already flirted with the writing of Stephen King, Dean R Koontz, Wilbur Smith and Shaun Hudson. I was about eleven and once I'd started learning things that were probably a bit beyond my ken at that point (Snuff movies in the book Dead Heads for example) I felt it was time to try and find a safe non sexy, non murdery half-way house for junior teens. Et voila, up steps Pratchett. This somewhat surprised Dodger; no one had offered him a prayer before, as far as he could recall. The idea that he might have one was, on this chilly night, a welcome warmth. Cuddling that to his bosom, he led Onan up the longs stairs to bed.”